Critical Praise

"An extraordinary history...A wondrous book, as lustrous and exquisitely crafted as the netsuke at its heart."

—The Christian Science Monitor

"Enthralling . . . [de Waal’s] essayistic exploration of his family’s past pointedly avoids any sentimentality . . . The Hare with Amber Eyes belongs on the same shelf with Vladimir Nabokov’s Speak, Memory."

—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World

"The Hare With Amber Eyes has the sweep of history, including a tortured family saga and a magical collection, at its center."

—Jill Abramson, New York Times “Editors and Critics Pick their Favorite Books of 2011”

"An extraordinary memoir…the pleasure and art, presented in ruminative, short graceful chapters, is similar to the writings of Amos Oz...[A] masterful accomplishment."

—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A book as fresh with detail as if it had been written from life, and as full of beauty and whimsy as a netsuke from the hands of a master carver. Buy two copies of his book; keep one and give the other to your closest bookish friend."

—The Economist

"A family memoir written with a grace and modesty that almost belie the sweep of its contents: Proust, Rilke, Japanese art, the rue de Monceau, Vienna during the Second World War. The most enchanting history lesson imaginable."

—The New Yorker

"A lovely, gripping book."

—The Wall Street Journal

"Absorbing . . . In this book about people who defined themselves by the objects they owned, de Waal demonstrates that human stories are more powerful than even the greatest works of art."

—Adam Kirsch, The New Republic