The Hare with Amber Eyes - Edmund De Waal ---------------------- 3 Stars

When this book was recommended to me, I was certain I had never read or even heard of this book. And, while only a couple years old, and a NY Times bestseller, this quiet book about a subject completely unknown to me turned into a pretty enjoyable read.

I feel I should share a bit about The Hare with Amber Eyes before going into a review, as you likely are also less familiar with this book. To clear up my first misconception - based on title, I figured it was a book of fiction. It is not; rather, it's a non-fiction story that covers the fascinating history of De Waal's family and their collection of netsuke.  Again, if like me, you are not aware of what a netsuke is. They are basically Japanese carvings made of wood or ivory (the hare with amber eyes is one such that belonged to his family). I googled a few collections to get a better sense and appreciate their aesthetic. Besides being a potter as a day job, the author has a much deeper connection to these objects as it connects to his family's legacy.

In fact, the book is really a story about his research and the life of the many members of the Ephrussi family. The Ephrussi's were a rich Russian family who gained wealth as grain traders eventually growing their empire across much of western Europe. They were also Jews living in Europe in the 20th century and much of the book shares the challenges they faced with anti-Semitism and eventually navigating the Holocaust while living in Austria.

The book is an interesting read, and I enjoyed large parts of it. His family story is fascinating and the journeys and history of the Ephrussi's included a large array of charming and notable characters. I also enjoyed learning much more about the collection and beauty of netsuke.  Some of the most fascinating parts of the book were the author's musings about the importance of "things"; especially things you could hold and provided meaning and depth to the owner. I also enjoyed the author often offering his own personal commentary about his own status of the writing process mid text. It was like a television character breaking the fourth wall and telling you their thinking about a scene as it's paused. His own personal musings about challenges, surprises, etc., added more flavor to the story.

The book can be slow at certain parts and didn't fully engage me throughout. The final quarter shares the story of the collection of netsuke moving back to Japan from Europe and it was the weakest part of the story. I also struggled with some pieces of vocabulary. I feel less bad about the more than occasional dropping in of native French, Russian, Austrian or some other language. It was the English words I didn't know that was frustrating. I am fine with an author using impressive and thoughtful language but it becomes frustrating when a dictionary is necessary on nearly every other page (it also makes this humble reader feel less smart).

On a whole, I recommend the Hare with Amber Eyes as it was one of the more interesting books I've recently read. I also appreciated learning about a slice of life I knew nothing about. While the family story was truly the heart of the book and engaging tale, learning about the story of these hidden treasures being passed down to the author was fun.

The Ferryman - Justin Cronin ------------------------ 4.5 Stars

I have been a huge Justin Cronin fan for many years, beginning with his captivating book - The Passage (eventually made into a pretty awful tv show with the amazing Mark Paul-Gosselaar (who, even at his best, had no chance of saving it)). One of the few 5 star review on this blog, it was joined later by The Twelve (a decent sequel) and City of Mirrors (review of all three can be found here). So, imagine my excitement when a new book was announced earlier this summer. 

The Ferryman, a less dark, non post-apocalyptic story, was a nice change of pace from his prior novels. Moving into slightly lighter dystopian future, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and finished the 530 pages quickly in under two weeks. The basic premise revolves around the main character who works as a ferryman to take people who are close to dying to a placed called the Nursery to be "renewed". The setting is a beautiful, utopianish country that is hidden from the challenges of the modern world. Of course, not is all as it seems and he begins dreaming (something that was not believed possible), and other class conflicts begin to arise.

As noted, I really couldn't put this down. From the opening pages, I found the book engrossing and the characters, and perhaps more notably, the plot, very engaging. I also found Cronin has improved his delivery and become a writer with smoother prose, better dialogue, and greater hooks than in some of his previous works. 

Perhaps what most stuck out to me, especially as I neared the ending and finished the book are the twists and turns and how much that made me think about what I just read. I was even tempted to go back and start over to try and better understand certain plot pieces that didn't fully sink in (I didn't, thanks mostly to the excellent people on Reddit who helped me better understand pieces I missed or misundestod). As I finished the book, I realized it did have many connections to movies that I have enjoyed, and I think I most consider it a mix of Inception and Interstellar with a pinch of the Matrix mixed in. Perhaps after thinking about those movies, it makes a bit more sense why I was thinking of re-reading (not the most straight forward set of movies). But, of course, that's what made the book so exciting. Each new detail unraveled a new thread in my mind that I had not thought of or realized before, ultimately making the book much more fulfilling. 

With all this praise, I feel I should mention concerns for some potential readers. As I alluded, the book has a complicated plot and can be difficult to follow. It's also possible that the major twist at the ending, or ending by itself, may be off putting for some readers as it comes late and really changes the narrative. Most obviously, this book would fit most clearly into the the "sci-fi" realm that includes dystopian and/or the post-apoclapytic genre. If that's not for you, this may not be best.  That all being said, I think this book is a super fun and enjoyable read and do recommend strongly.