The White Road: A Journey Into Obsession Paperback – 30 Jun. 2016

As soon as I heard the excerpts of this on Radio 4, I rushed to pre-order it. Apart from having really enjoyed The Hare with Amber Eyes, I was intrigued about the story of Plymouth porcelain - the last time I was in the Plymouth City Museum (local) I had noticed the small porcelain display and portrait of Cookworthy, so to have the story told in full was fascinating, as was the local Cornish clay connection - obvious to all who have lived in the West Country, but again, so interestingly told. Strangely, Cookworthy and his works do not appear to be widely known locally. This is not a work of fiction, and displays de Waal's musing, rather intellectual style and combines it with some autobiographical facts. He deploys his expert knowledge of porcelain and pottery to explain the various manufacturing processes and the inclusion of a cast of fascinating characters who were involved in the European efforts to discover the ancient Chinese secret of hard paste (by way of alchemy) makes it a terrific read. I could not put it down and devoured it as if it was a novel - but I can see that this book would not appeal to everyone. His slightly convoluted and rather high flown style (which I personally like) could be off putting, I concede, and divide opinion rather like the author's pots. I remember the tutting and general antipathy from a number of visitors when I was visiting Chatworth and they saw his installation in a corridor there (described in the book). But, horses for courses, and I really enjoyed it - the book that is, not quite so sure about the pots!

Execellent book

I learnt a lot about a subject I know nothing about (porcelain). However, the book could do with some pruning. Too many digressions and self indulgences. Nevertheless, de Waal really succeeds in conveying the sheer human cost of the making of porcelain, such as the hard labour and endless demands made on the Chinese and the insatiable appetites of August der Starke and the Meissen works. Wedgwood we all know about, but it is the failed attempts at porcelain production in the West Country that come as a complete surprise. I imagine that only art historians or those really involved in the making of porcelain would ever have heard of this, or of the connections with the New World. I was intrigued by much in this book, but prefer "The Hare with the Amber Eyes", which is equally fascinating but more disciplined as a piece of writing.

This was bought as a present for someone so I can't comment on the content in detail. What I did see looked quite interesting, in E de W's usual style. The book itself is ok (hence the 3 star rating) but this is for the paper quality which I felt was disappointing. If you have handled his 'Edmund de Waal' published by Phaidon Press you will know what a superior book it is. This one lets his brand down.

Interesting mix of travelogue, overview of history and cultural significance of porcelain, and meditation on his art from an eminent modern potter. Thoughtful and insightful views on the modern world. Particularly interesting to read about the origins of porcelain the China of a thousand years ago coming full circle to expertise being offered back to China today by the modern German industry. Rather quirky prose style that I guess will engender strong reactions - love it or hate it - but its well suited to the elliptical, discursive style and insights of the author. How refreshing to read something different.

Thoroughly engrossing stories and meditations about so much. More than porcelain

I've just bought this book for a friend and it has not been read yet. So this is just a major moan about the sticker they have decided to attach to front of the cover. ( saying- by the author of The hair with the amber eyes) The book's a beautiful design and I'm sure the designer didn't intend on a cheap sticker being part of their work. It was a bugger to get off, leaving an adhesive silhouette where it had been on the beautiful pure white paper.I don't think Mr de Waal would be happy.O.C.D Sheffield(My rating is for the work of Mr de Waal as it has the book has not been read yet)

A very good book if you are interested in the history of porcelain and the way it spread across the world from China. It is an account of Mr De Waal's journeys to find out the how porcelain was made, where and by whom, and put it in a time scale. I found it very informative and easy to read.It is not written as a text book( thank goodness). I can also recommend ' The Hare with the Amber Eyes' by this author which is not about porcelain but an insight into his family history.

Very well written. Fascinating subject material.

A woven trip into the white obsession, read on a beach in Bali where the wind and waves seem to resonate and intensify this poetry. Literature woven from observation and insight to sharpen the dulled mind

This book captured me in the first few pages. It is about porcelain clay and as an amateur pottery I use this type of clay to make amateurish pots on my wheel. But, it is not exactly about the use of porcelain clay and resulting pieces of functional or art ware. It is also about white, about the history of regions where clay and the search for perfect white played an important role, about the people involved in this history, about the author and his search for the essence of porcelain, about the author and his evolution as a potter and artist, and about the author's obsession with perfect white and porcelain. But it is also about so much more. It is basically a brain dump recorded during the author's journey - a brain dump documented in complete sentences full of thought and history combined with fragments that lead to (or perhaps away from) other conclusions. This is all the more interesting because the author mixes straight, past tense style reporting with sentences that have him walking beside his subjects in present tense. So, what is this book? Well, it is not a set of formulas for porcelain clay bodies and glazes. It is not a strict history of the development of porcelain. It is not the story of a modern potter/artist making his way in a our present day plastic societies. It is not about politics, or religion, or work ethic, or art appreciation, or making a living outside the corporation. It is not a travelogue. It is not a spiritual book. It is not any of these things, and yet, it is all of them. This is a book some people will love and some people will just not like. I would recommend getting the free Amazon Kindle sample or borrowing a friend's copy before the buying the book. At least this way you can get a brief view of what you are in for if you purchase it. It is one of the best books I have read in a very long time, but you may not agree.

Loved The Hare with Amber Eyes and loved this one too. De Waal describes the feel of clay and porcelain objects so beautifully.Bello anche se ha saltato alcuni luoghi.

Es un libro muy bonito sobre la historia de la porcelana entreverada con datos biográficos del autor, sus impresiones y gustos.