Many have proclaimed this to be the best piece of non-fiction in recent memory, for its historical and personal depth, and emotional candor. After inheriting a Japanese netsuke collection, ceramicist de Waal traces the “travels” of these small carvings, acquired by his great-grandfather’s cousin, and then moved from Paris to Vienna, to Tokyo, and now London. He gradually uncovers his family’s parallel story; rich both monetarily and culturally, and tragic, as the third Reich seizes the possessions of Jewish families in 1938 Vienna. An absolute jewel, if you like history, memoir, intrigue, art, told with passionate elegance.
–Erica, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
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