For me the hare with amber eyes was a cantputdown experience. Years after the war, she would find a way to return them to the family shed served even in their exile. The hare with amber eyes a familys century of art and loss. Jul 03, 2015 ive been a fan of the hare with amber eyes for years. A familys century of art and loss from the worlds largest community of readers. Who was your favourite character in the book and why. Jan 25, 2011 its the most beautiful book ive read this year tracy chevalier, the daily telegraph published january 2011 by vintage books uk category. The hare with the amber eyes, is a personal story but one that is teemed with history. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The author inherits from his greatuncle iggy, living in japan, a collection of netsuke, tiny japanese sculptures of ivory or wood one of which is the hare with amber eyes, which were originally purchased by charles ephrussi. But the title of the book and the expectations of a discussion about 264 netsuke are misleading. Louis used bookstore before my return journey home. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the hare with amber eyes.
If you had to make a bet, a good one would be that a book about netsuke. Michael dirda, the washington post book world this is a book sebald would have loved. The familys fabulous wealth derived from the graintrading business, operating between paris and vienna. The ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the rothschilds, who burned like a comet in nineteenthcentury paris and vienna society. Ultimately though it leaves me feeling a despair for mankind. Charles, who assembled the collection, was a dandyish art collector who settled in paris at the age of 21, wrote art criticism and a book on durer and patronized the early impressionists. Sep 17, 20 the hare with amber eyes is a powerful book, not least because it tells a true tale. The hare with amber eyes belongs on the same shelf with vladimir nabokovs speak, memory. A tiger, all shoulder and feet, turning round to snarl. The hare with amber eyes, a journey through the history of a. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. The number one sunday times bestseller winner of the 2010 costa biography award 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox.
She turned to the family tree, circled a name, and said, thats my great. A familys century of art and loss is the story of the ephrussis, a great jewish family that lived in austria but was displaced with the advent of the nazis. The hare with amber eyes in vienna american girls art. Aug 31, 2009 the hare with amber eyes is biography and is a wonderful story of 264 japanese wood and ivory carvings and the unlocking of a story that spans from paris to vienna and to japan as the journey of the netsuke unfolds and that of the prominent and wealthy jewish ephrussi family. After our lunch hed open the sliding doors of the long vitrine that took up most of one wall of the sitting room and would get out the netsuke one by one. The hare with amber eyes quotes showing of 35 with languages, you can move from one social situation to another. Jan 30, 2011 the hare with amber eyes a familys century of art and loss. It is the story of the ascent and decline of a jewish dynasty, about loss and. Ive been a fan of the hare with amber eyes for years. Edmund shares his story about discovering the history of his family while in search of the history of a japanese netsuke. Michael howard, the times literary supplement elegant. I wrote about this book and its paris connections back in 2011 art, books, paris. A fan of the book when it was published in 2010, ben kingsley still loves talking about it.
The hare with amber eyes the books the book club abc tv. Edmund was apprenticed as a potter, studied in japan, and read english literature at cambridge university. The hare with amber eyes is a wondrous book, as lustrous and exquisitely crafted as the netsuke at its heart. Yet by the end of world war ii, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox. Le west end one sunny april day i set out to find charles. I have spent the last few years writing a very personal book. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Stephen frears, the guardian as full of beauty and whimsy as a netsuke from the hands of a master carver. Michael dirda, the washington post book worldthis is a book sebald would have loved. Once, when i was in paris, i met a lovely fellow actor and her husband for dinner.
The uniqueness of the hare w amber eyes is never really elaborated upon. And the hare with amber eyes is about how the netsuke came into the authors possession, and where it was before. The hare with amber eyes a closer look at the netsuke youtube. The hare with amber eyes in vienna american girls art club. Aug 21, 2018 the author, a wellknown ceramics artist, is the greatgrandchild of a prominent austrian member of the family. Discover book depository s huge selection of robert d hare books online. Perhaps the paperback edition of the book omitted the detailed photos of the objects and this skewed my reaction.
All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots which are then sold, collected, and handed on he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects. It is the biography of a collection and the biography of my family. The hare with amber eyes is a powerful book, not least because it tells a true tale. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sweeping yet intimate, it is a highly original meditation on art, history, and family, as elegant and precise as the netsuke themselves. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over.
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