Book+2+-+The+Hare+With+Amber+Eyes

**Discussion Dates:** 22nd to 29th June
 * Book 2 - The Hare With Amber Eyes **



1. How did the relationship between collector, patron, and artist evolve from Charles's Paris to Viktor's Vienna to Iggie's Tokyo? Where does Edmund fall in these roles?

GH: I thought it was interesting that Edmund was a potter from a young age and had an intimate appreciation of the history of objects even before he began to explore his family's history in detail, almost as if being a collector and an artist was 'genetic'.

JM: Absolutely agree. I think that his love of art, being able to see the beauty and precision and fine detail is innate. I think that it is interesting that he is an artist first and foremost and yet also has the ability to write so beautifully, so perceptively, so analytically about artworks, people, places, history. He is obviously a very talented, well-educated person and very privileged indeed to have the means to go out and research his family history, and then to produce such a stunning book. I think interest in the arts, literature, culture is passed from generation to generation and no doubt Edmund has been surrounded by these aspects of life since he was a child. I think that Edmund, in this book, has been able to make this tiny collection of objects incredibly interesting for readers who may not have known about netsuke previously. (Do you like how I'm calling him Edmund as if we are great friends? ha).

SM: In an interview, Edmund said that when writing the book he started with the premise that readers aren't generally interested in other people's family history. I thought that this was an interesting comment and partly explains why he uses the netsuke as the focus of the book and the vehicle for telling the family's story. I also think this comment reflects the unique perspective he gives to the book as an artist who appreciates beautiful objects but who also has deep affection for certain members of his family and wants to bring both aspects to life in the book.

2. You've likely read many accounts of Nazi raid and Jewish persecution at the start of the occupation, but did anything surprise you or stand out in this account of the takeover of the Palais?

GH: I found it painful to read, especially knowing the history of the Palais and how valued the objects were by generations of the family. It was astonishing to think about how quickly they went from being the social cream to being destitute.

MW: What I found interesting was how thorough the Nazi's were. How they spent so much time inspecting and cataloging all of the objects. The attention paid to collecting the objects just doesn't sit with the view I have of Nazi's disrespecting life and property.

LL: I agree that the thoroughness was an interesting point and one that doesn't always get highlighted, but it does go hand in hand with the Nazi efficiency and attention to detail which is in evidence in the Auschwitz archives, etc. I found the description well done - it made me more emotional because I had gotten close to the family by that time and it was so clear (and sad) that Viktor was impotent to stop it.

3. Edmund originally thought that all the Ephrussi "vagabonding" stemmed from a desire to develop culturally and grow from the provincialism of Odessa. But he realized that Odessa itself was a very culturally rich city. Why do you think it was so important for the Ephrussis to send tendrils of their families to different cities?

GH: I think by spreading out to different European cities they could capitalise on their cultural and financial influence.

4. Do you agree with Edmund's assessment that the netsuke need not go back to Japan; that their travels and stories have given them an identity of their own?

GH: Yes I do agree with this. I like the thought of them being a family house and being handled and play with, not just kept in a dusty museum. I think the family really appreciate them and will look after them.

MW: I enjoyed the fact that the netsuke did return to Japan for a period of time, but do not think that there is any reason for them to stay there. They should stay in the family and be handed down to those who will appreciate and enjoy them, and learn about their family history through them.

SM: I also love the idea of the netsuke being handed down from generation to generation within the one family regardless of the country in which they live. I agree that their travels have given them an identity of their own and that by passing them down the family this will add richness and colour to an already fascinating story.

LL: I thought it was a good way to complete a circle of the story, but I think you realise that while Japanese, they have become an even greater part of the family than the place they were created. It made me think more about some of my family's prized articles (and think I should have listened more closely).

5. Are stories more important than objects in a family legacy? How are they related?

GH: This book demonstrates how you need both the object and the story in order to appreciate them both more fully. However I have a few family objects that I love even though I don't really know the whole story about them.

MW: As Gen says, a tangible object can make a story come to life. I don't think that stories are more important - I think both stories and objects have an important place in a family's history. Oral stories of course can be altered and changed whereas an object will remain the same; yet a story, if told properly can tell us much more than an object about history (unless you are Edmund and have 3 years to go find out about the object)!

6. Would the book have been more ‘complete’ if Edmund had have been able to find more information on Anna, the servant who hid the netsuke under her mattress?

GH: Maybe but as Edmund said in the interview this is non-fiction and there are not necessarily going to be nice neat ends. Also there is so much that is not known about families who were separated during the war.

MW: Knowing more about Anna would have perhaps fleshed out the story of the netsuke more fully, but was not necessary to add anymore depth to the family history per say.

LL: I actual liked that she was a bit of a mystery and I think it added to the book. It demonstrated true loyalty and love in the midst of such a lack of humanity and gave you a bit of hope in the face of such horrific behaviour.

7. Which section of the book (if any) – Paris, Vienna or Tokyo did you find most captivating and why?

GH: I liked the Tokyo part, particularly the Great Uncle's parties!

JM: Tokyo, most definitely. I have a deep love for and fascination with Japan and so it is only natural for me to picture the sense of place more vividly. But I also loved the chapter about the children in the Palais Ephrussi - I loved the paragraphs about the hours on a Sunday spent with their mother when they would take down heavy picture books to read. I have just bought gorgeous Folio Society editions of the Andrew Lang Fairy Books ... and was fascinated to discover these books were also read by Emmy to the children in the Palais Ephrussi.

MW: I was very taken with Charles' link to the Impressionists who I love (especially Renior). In fact, this was my "in" to the book at around p75. I also really enjoyed learning about Emmy and the children at the Palais Ephrussi. I have been to Vienna three times and really enjoy the city, and found it very easy to transport myself to a Vienna of the 20's and 30's - as it still retains something of an 'old world' charm today.

LL: I loved the Paris part of the book, but also enjoyed the other two cities as each was a new adventure. We recently stayed a block away from the Parc Monceau and went there with our daughter a number of times. The houses are still magnificent (and not single family anymore!). I also thought it was really interesting how Charles was friends with Proust, Degas, Manet, etc - amazing to imagine living with those contemporaries.

8. Has this book inspired you to find out more about any items of family significance that do or will belong to you?

GH: I have some lovely wooden elephants with real ivory tusks that are very old and from my dad's family which I would like to know more about.

JM: If only we could all take two or more years out of 'real life' (and had the financial means to do it), oh, how wonderful it would be. I did find that the focus of the netsuke made this more of a fascinating journey than a typical family memoir. It is difficult as an author (and especially a new writer) to make a family memoir (which essentially this is) so compelling. I think that probably all families have a great story somewhere, but it's the way that story is told. Given the historical period that De Waal is covering, as well as the places he explores, and the focal point of a stunning collection of art, makes this especially interesting.

MW: There will be a piano accordian coming to me that I must ask Dad more about. I didn't realise that it had such sentimental value to him until about 18 months ago when he brought it out to show Jack (who Dad wants it to go to after me), who was about 18 months himself at the time and was interested in it for about 90 seconds. But in those 90 seconds my dad's eyes really glassed over and I could tell that the moment of showing this object that had been passed to him to his Grandson really meant something to him. But Edmund already was involved in the world of creating objects, so he was already in the pocket of the story of the netsuke's before he started writing, whereas I have no music links at all.

9. Why do you think this book has been so hugely popular?

GH: I know geneology is all the rage at the moment and I think this book taps into that desire to know stories about the past, especially the intimate social stories about people related to you rather than grand historical narratives.

JM: I think, for a start, it is exceptionally written. De Waal's writing is stunning. We are taken to different places, different times with such vivid clarity of writing. I don't think many people could pull this type of thing off - drawing the reader in with the collection of objects. I felt as though I could feel the netsuke in my hand at times, so clear was the description. I, like Iggie, loved the beggar who has fallen asleep over his begging bowl so that all you see is the top of his bald head. I am wondering if other readers found a favourite piece. I suppose there are aspects in the book which would appeal to a vast array of readers - art lovers, history buffs, and so on. I am actually interested to know if it was the art or the peek into a family history that was more compelling for most readers. Or was it a particular place?
 * Have a look at Jane's question, which I have bolded above. I have turned it into a question 9B below (MW)

9B) Was the art or the peek into a family history that was more compelling for most readers. Or was it a particular place?

MW: For me the book worked so well due to the great combination of these three elements.

SM: I was more interested in the family history than the art. Having said that, it was the references to Charles as a patron and friend of Renoir, Manet and Degas and his dealings with Proust and de Maupassant that first ignited my interest in the story because it was only then that I appreciated just how influential the family was before the holocaust. It was also interesting to read about how financially reliant artists like Renoir were on Charles and how Charles' commercial practices caused in-fighting between the artists (like when Degas gives Renoir a dressing down for 'painting to order'!).

LL: I am in agreement with the point above in terms of De Waal's writing. His vocabulary alone was inspiring and you could tell that not only was he bright but he thought deeply about his writing. I loved the three windows into the family and even more so, the historical period.

10. What would you rate this book from 0-10 (10 being the highest)? Do you think that the book is worth the amount of praise that it has received?

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GH: I would give it a 7. I found it interesting that the story of one family could be traced through so many amazing periods over hundreds of years, and I thought it was very well written and researched. However maybe because it was written with a very obvious author's voice it was a bit emotionally cold and I found it hard to have a deep connection with any of the characters. But I can see why it has received a lot of praise because it is quite an unusual book with a fascinating premise. ======

MW: 8/10. I really enjoyed it. In some ways the idea behind the book is very simple - take a family heirloom, learn about it, write about it. But it is the great writing that makes this simple idea work so well. There were some sections that left me a little cold, and I do think that he was fairly unemotional in his telling of the story, but other sections had me riveted. I had bought this book back in January but I think that it would have sat on my book shelf for quite some time if book club didn't prompt me to pick it up and read it. Not since James Hilton's Last Horizon have I been so pleased that a book club has made me read something!

SM: 7/10. After a slow start, I ultimately found the book very interesting and the story so compelling that I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The quality and beauty of the writing is astonishing for a debut novel and particularly impressive given how dry some historical non-fiction can be. Apart from the prose and family history, I think it was the novelty of the netsuke that has made this book such a success. Like Mel, I am glad that the book was selected as I would not have read it otherwise. Having said that, I am struggling to make any insightful comments about the book, partly because I finished it a few weeks ago (can we have the questions to refer to while we are reading the book?)!

CJ: I haven't answered any of the other questions because I only made it to page 120 of this book and - looking at the pile of books on my bedside table that I am really looking forward to reading - decided that I couldn't go on with this one. I read all of 'Paris' and started on 'Vienna' which seemed to be more of the same. While I found the book elegant, and reading the other comments above, I can see that others thought there was much to admire about this book, overall I found it tedious in the extreme. I was bored by the dense descriptions of art and addresses. I couldn't engage with the fascination with objects and would much prefer to read about characters, their relationships and flaws, challenges and moral dilemmas. I found the detailed connections drawn between great uncle Charles and Renior and Proust kind of annoying because we didn't find out anything much about these relationships. I was surprised when I found the book not in the Biography section of the bookshop but in the Art section. Hmmm. I'm giving it 2/10

MW: Our first real book club dissenting opinion. Nice one Cath!

JM: 9/10. I had to be in the right mood for this book, to take in all the information, all the history. (I usually have three or so books on the go and pick them up when the mood strikes.) I thought it was a stunning piece of work, the research is extraordinary and just for that I think it is deserving of my near perfect score. But of course it's not just the research, it's the actual writing, which I think is beautiful, the focus of the book on the netsuke (which i also think are beautiful and would love to touch), the history, the art. I really think art, culture, literature needs to be celebrated - this book definitely does that. I think that making this a little bit different from the average family memoir by focusing on the journey of the objects has made it 'stand out from the pack' although I also think that the author's lineage helps!

LL: 8. I've recommended it already a number of times to friends and family. I particularly liked the vivid descriptions of each place and time and I thought he did a good job of relating them back to his quest to learn more about his inheritance. I felt like I was learning while reading the book too - always fun. Thanks...and now on to something completely different!

CJ: Well I'm definitely on the outer here. I had heard this book celebrated and recommended on many fronts before I read it and the opinions above are certainly consistent with that - not even a luke warm response. Did I give up too early (poor form for a book club book for sure) or was this just not my thing.