The Hare with Amber Eyes

It had a slow start but I then enjoyed the story The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal.  It is the story of a collection of 264 miniature Japanese carved objects called netsuke.  They are collected in the 19th century by Charles Ephrussi a wealthy Jewish man living in Paris.  He is a relative of the author.  The Ephrussi's are a wealthy family who originally came from Russia and establish their own bank.  The netsuke are small beautifully crafted intricate carvings in ivory or wood.  The author is fortunate in having prominently wealthy ancestors as he is able to access many documents in his research and brings his ancestors to life with the detail of how they lived.  Charles then gives his collection to a nephew Victor Ephrussi and his wife Emmy as a wedding gift.  They live in Vienna and the author then covers the period 1899-1938 when they are in their family's possession.  Of course, towards the end these are very difficult times for Jews in Austria and the reader follows the story with increasing dread.  I will leave the reader to discover the rest of the story.  Very well researched and beautifully written.  It is a different way of telling a family history through the tale of these wonderful objects. 4/5