The Hare with Amber Eyes

A Hidden Inheritance

By: Edmund de Waal

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who “burned like a comet” in 19th-century Paris and Vienna society. 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.

The renowned ceramicist Edmund de Waal became the fifth generation to inherit this small and exquisite collection of netsuke. Entranced by their beauty and mystery, he determined to trace the story of his family through the story of the collection. The netsuke—drunken monks, almost-ripe plums, snarling tigers—were gathered by Charles Ephrussi at the height of the Parisian rage for all things Japanese. Charles had shunned the place set aside for him in the family business to make a study of art, and of beautiful living. An early supporter of the Impressionists, he appears, oddly formal in a top hat, in Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party. Marcel Proust studied Charles closely enough to use him as a model for the aesthete and lover Swann in Remembrance of Things Past.

Charles gave the carvings as a wedding gift to his cousin Viktor in Vienna; his children were allowed to play with one netsuke each while they watched their mother, the Baroness Emmy, dress for ball after ball. Her older daughter grew up to disdain fashionable society. Longing to write, she struck up a correspondence with Rilke, who encouraged her in her poetry.

The Anschluss changed their world beyond recognition. Ephrussi and his cosmopolitan family were imprisoned or scattered, and Hitler’s theorist on the “Jewish question” appropriated their magnificent palace on the Ringstrasse. A library of priceless books and a collection of Old Master paintings were confiscated by the Nazis. But the netsuke were smuggled away by a loyal maid, Anna, and hidden in her straw mattress. Years after the war, she would find a way to return them to the family she’d served even in their exile.

In The Hare with Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal unfolds the story of a remarkable family and a tumultuous century. Sweeping yet intimate, it is a highly original meditation on art, history, and family, as elegant and precise as the netsuke themselves.

©2010 Edmund de Waal (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

The Hare with Amber Eyes

All around this is a most excellent story. Thank you for sharing your family’s historical journey and for the education on the Japanese art Netsuke.

An Amazing Read

This non-fiction audiobook "reads" as a fiction book in the sense that it holds one's attention without bogging the reader down with dry minutiae. Each person in the recounting came to life in such a way that I still think of them.

It was fascinating to learn about this interesting and accomplished family and its fate, told in part through the travels of a collection of netsuke over two centuries.I was sad when the story came to an end, as the listening was so enjoyable.

An Incredible Story of a Jewish Community Before W

Would you consider the audio edition of The Hare with Amber Eyes to be better than the print version?

I have not read the printed version and I prefer to listen rather than to read. The reader of this book does an excellent job and it was a pleasure to listen to him. He made the book come alive.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Hare with Amber Eyes?

For me, as a Jew, the story had special significance in highlighting the history of the wealthy Jewish community in London, Vienna and Paris before the world wars, and illustrating the dreadful antisemitism which overwhelmed them and sought - for not good reason - to exterminate them. I never knew about such an educated, cultured and wealthy Jewish class in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and their incredible contribution to the societies in which they lived, and which despised them simply for their 'otherness'.

What about Michael Maloney’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed his compassionate voice , his ability to make the different characters come alive - to act out the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was physically upset by the descriptions of the antisemitism and of vileness of the Nazis in the Time of Hitler. I was also upset by the descriptions of how ordinary Germans; so called friends, neighbors; so called decent, cultured people - could stoop to such degradations whether they purported individual acts of savagery themselves, or benefited from the murder of millions of people and their theft and destruction of the property and art treasures that the Ephrussi family amassed and which would have been a gift to mankind.

Any additional comments?

I found the first 50 or so pages, quite repetitive and could not understand such a prolonged peon to the arts and artifacts that are so passionately described. The story came alive to me when it moved into greater depth about the Ephrussi families and particular characters - and the circumstances that befell them. The fact that is based on fact, was very interesting to me.

Wonderful.

Where does The Hare with Amber Eyes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is wonderful narrative of the history of a collection of objects in the context of a dramatic family history. It's a great account of how we cherish objects and how historical events play a part to the memories we attach to them; a very different retelling of what perished and what survived WWII. While most books focus on the physical tortures the Jews went through during the war, this book focuses on the humanity, the dignity that was stripped of them: their prized art collections, their libraries, the so-called intellectual pursuits, and of course, the wealth that the Nazis believed should not belong to the Jews.

Took a while to decide if I wanted to continue...

I hadn't read a synopsis, so didn't really know what it was about, and was questioning whether to finish. VERY happy I did. I loved the story; the ending almost sounding contrived out of Hollywood. Beautifully written, excellent narration.

Best book on subject EVER

The fact that this is a true family story makes it a fabulous read! Magnificent!

Amazing, moving, wonderful!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Hare with Amber Eyes to be better than the print version?

A true story that never fails to captivate--have not read the print version, but friends who have read it say the two versions are equally fascinating.

What about Michael Maloney’s performance did you like?

Articulate and understated.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Emmy and Victor were invaded by the Gestapo and thrown out of their palace.

Any additional comments?

A truly wonderful book.

Brilliant

One of the best books I have ever read. Beautifully written story of a family history that is remarkable in its intimacy. A treasure.

One of the best books I have ever read

This is a fantastic book: a memoir, a family history, a history, and a bit of autobiography. It is interesting, well written and thought provoking. I wish it were longer.

Beautiful and sad story

This book made me do my own research and digging on the Ephrussi family. It was fascinating to see faces of Viktor, Emmy, Charles and etc. Great investigation by the author.