A review by natalie_is_reading
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal

4.0

I had no idea what this book was going to be. It had a pretty cover and pictures and I thought it was going to be a historical fiction adventure-y book. It took me at least three tries to figure out what the back of the book said, and apparently it’s a memoir? I thought, “okay, that’s fine, I was hoping for a quick read but I can slog through a non fiction”. This book was definitely not a slog though! It was actually so interesting and very hard to put down! I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much as it wasn’t really a “story”- it was definitely history, but I loved reading the long descriptions of all the objects and rooms of this family. I found myself caught up on “where are the netsuke now?” and “what’s going to happen once ww2 starts?” “what’s happening with this side of the family?” And I just kept turning pages! It was beautiful and captivating and so incredibly full of history and information but still lovely to read!