The Dutch House: A Novel (utgåvan 2019)

Siblings Danny and Maeve grow up in the Dutch House, a somewhat extravagant and unique home in Pennsylvania. Their mother disappears when Danny is very young and their father eventually remarries. When their father passes away suddenly, leaving them in the care of their stepmother, they are banished from the house, but a part of the Dutch House continually remains with them long into their adulthood.

I know a lot of people love Ann Patchett. She's been sort of hit-or-miss for me, or rather, just sort of okay. But I I did love this one. There is not a lot of action in this novel, and that seems to rub some readers the wrong way. It's more of a coming-of-age and family saga type novel, and it sucked me in completely. I would've enjoyed this had I not read it on audio, but I will say that the audio book is fabulous and Tom Hanks as the reader is THE BOMB. In my opinion, he hit it out of the park. I was immediately immersed and was sad to see this story end. I've read some reviews criticizing many of the characters in this book as unlikeable. I didn't feel that way. I felt that they were real and authentic. Grab this on audio if you can. If you can't, I would still highly recommend. ( )

I truly enjoyed this book. It made me laugh, cry and incredibly sad when it was done. The reading by Tom Hanks was outstanding. The characters were so much more than how I would have read them. I think his reading is what gives this story 5 stars. It is a good story that takes you on a journey of someone's life which is beautifully written and the performance just makes it an experience more emotional. I really, really recommend this book. ( )

There are only so many books about white people families that you can read before you start to get an understanding of their limitations and [b:The Dutch House|44318414|The Dutch House|Ann Patchett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552334367l/44318414._SY75_.jpg|68864841] is - at it's core - a white people family book. But the eponymous house lends the book a sense of place and a gravity that is so often missing from lesser forms of the art. I got a real sense of what the house meant to the main characters and I appreciated the honesty with which the author told their stories. A good book, if not a must read. ( )

Listen on tape narratored by Tom Hanks ( )

In a 2016 profile in The Guardian, Ann Patchett said, “I’ve been writing the same book my whole life — that you’re in one family, and all of a sudden, you’re in another family and it’s not your choice and you can’t get out.” This was certainly true in her 2016 novel Commonwealth, and certainly true in this book.

The book centers on a brother and sister, Maeve and Danny Conroy. Their father, Cyril, by luck and determination has built himself a real estate empire in Philadelphia and as a symbol of his success has purchased the Dutch house, a lavish estate in the suburbs as a surprise for his wife. Unfortunately, the purchase does not make her happy, and the house becomes the undoing of the family.

Cyril's wife walks out on her family when Maeve is ten and Danny is just a toddler, leaving them primarily in the care of the family servants. When Cyril brings home his friend, Andrea, we know she will end up being the archetypal evil step-mother and sh certainly is. She comes equipped with two daughters and has no interest in her husband's two children. When Cyril dies, Andrea is quick to evict Maeve and Danny from the house, allowing them to leave with a single suitcase.

From that point, the two siblings are joined even more closely, with Maeve making most of the sacrifices for her younger brother, although he is also devoted to her. They continue to make pilgrimages to the Dutch House as they grow older, simply to sit out front and reminisce about living there. As they grow older, the threads from the past entre into their lives showing both of them the meaning of love, redemption, and the meaning of family ( )