The Hare with Amber Eyes

A Hidden Inheritance

By: Edmund de Waal

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

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

Great summer listening

Beautiful story to listen to - an excellent rumination on people and things. I only wish that I could have been following along on a map. The descriptions of cities and places are rich and delicious, but having never been to any of those mentioned, it came off as a bit abstract and intangible - funny, for a story about so many tangible things. Excellent endeavor overall - offered a new and unique lens to reflect upon WWII era material.

I consider this book one of the best...

What did you love best about The Hare with Amber Eyes?

I loved the way de Waal wove together his family's narrative from multiple countries and through multiple generations. His portrayal of the characters and life in the different societies painted a clear picture for my imagination. Ultimately, this is also a story of devastation and survival of Jews in the Holocaust.

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

I loved learning more of the history of the family's street in Paris, where I had recently visited. The family's history is so interesting that it led me to research more about the author, his artwork, the family and the locations.

What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Maloney adds another element of emotion through his reading.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The history of a great European dynasty.

Any additional comments?

There's a short interview with the author at the end of the story. Great to hear his voice and gain more insight into his life and his work.

Stunning in Every Way!

Both amazingly delicate and overwhelmingly authoritative at the same time!

NO one could've performed this masterpiece better than Michael Maloney.

A captivating story of life, love, loss, memory

A captivating story. This is beautifully written and take you through the rise and fall of a great family. These little figurines become so much more than they seem. They become a read through time. From one area to another they hold the longings and aspirations and also the heartaches of the family. This book is a wonderful history of the last one and a half. Centuries and an incredible amount of change and atrocity and yet beauty and discovery.

Absolutely Brilliant

If you could sum up The Hare with Amber Eyes in three words, what would they be?

Beautifully written and observed.

What did you like best about this story?

Very unusual point of view about intimate things we all experience but only half consciously. Written by a true artist. BTW: if you read this book, go on line to see the objects he writes about AND his own ceramics are amazing.

What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Incredible nuance. I am floored by the performance.

Any additional comments?

Don't miss this book !