This book is really a history of the author's family from the mid-1800s to the present day. But he uses a novel way to tell the story - tracing the fortunes of a set of Japanese carvings - the netsuke - over the years.
It took me a while to read, as it is quite a big book. I also struggled a bit at the beginning - it did not engage me until about one third of the way through. I suppose that the lives of the idle rich in the late 19th Century does not interest me, but the background to the first world war and thereafter was fascinating. I learned a lot. I guess my only criticism/disappointment is that there are no illustrations of the netsuke.
I mostly read this book on my new Kindle, but also on the iPad in low light.
No comments:
Post a Comment