The Hare with Amber EyesThe Hare with Amber Eyes
Score Modern
What it's about
The potter Edmund de Waal inherited 264 tiny Japanese carved figures, called netsuke, from a great-uncle in Tokyo. He traces where they came from, through his family, the Ephrussi, once among the richest Jewish families in Europe: a cousin in 1870s Paris who collected art and inspired Proust, a palace in Vienna, the Nazi seizure of everything, and the maid who hid the netsuke in her mattress.
Why it's worth reading
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It's a beautiful family history told through objects.
You'll love it if you liked
Austerlitz
The Diary of a Young Girl
Speak, MemoryGood to know
The Paris section is slow and full of art; the Vienna section is gripping and painful.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller20 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #217 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #924 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1711 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is The Hare with Amber Eyes worth reading?
Yes. The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,711 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Hare with Amber Eyes about?
The potter Edmund de Waal inherited 264 tiny Japanese carved figures, called netsuke, from a great-uncle in Tokyo. He traces where they came from, through his family, the Ephrussi, once among the richest Jewish families in Europe: a cousin in 1870s Paris who collected art and inspired Proust, a palace in Vienna, the Nazi seizure of everything, and the maid who hid the netsuke in her mattress.
How long does it take to read The Hare with Amber Eyes?
About 9 hours (369 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Hare with Amber Eyes?
If you liked it, try Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank or Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov.