The Dutch House: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-01-08 04:18:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ann Patchett
- ISBN：9780062963680
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Summary
New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2019
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR， the Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine， Real Simple， Good Housekeeping， Vogue， Refinery29， and Buzzfeed
Ann Patchett， the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth， delivers her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings， the house of their childhood， and a past that will not let them go。 The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost， a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance， love and forgiveness， of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are。
At the end of the Second World War， Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire， propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth。 His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House， a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia。 Meant as a surprise for his wife， the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves。
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny， as he and his older sister， the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve， are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother。 The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another。 It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures。
Set over the course of five decades， The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past。 Despite every outward sign of success， Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together。 Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage。 But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind， the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested。
Editor Reviews
"Patchett’s prose is confident， unfussy and unadorned。"
About the Author
ANN PATCHETT is the author of seven novels and three works of nonfiction。 She is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award， England's Orange Prize， and the Book Sense Book of the Year， and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World。 Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages。 She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville， Tennessee， where she lives with her husband， Karl， and their dog， Sparky。 annpatchett。com。
Reviews
delphimo
，
I have not read Ann Patchett in a while。 The last book was Commonwealth which was a disappointment。 The Dutch House saddened and delighted me in many facets of the story。 The evil second wife who steals the wealth of her second husband and robs his children of their inheritance remains a story throughout history。 Men totally lose all sense of fairness in the face of a scheming woman。 What a character resides in Mauve。 A young girl with diabetes who handles the rearing of her brother and helping everyone when she needs the assistance herself。 Ann Patchett delights the reader with her description of the setting and the characters。 My only complaint is the absence of the list of characters。 Many writers will supply this character listing and will draw a picture of the town or village。 This book studies the relationships within a family and the minor characters within their orbit。 The book focuses on the choice of a career such as becoming a doctor and the lack of ambition for this choice。
Desiree
，
So many parallels to fairy tales - Cinderella and the wicked stepmother， Red Riding Hood but the ending was weak and not a "happy ending"。 Maeve was one of the main characters and yet her death was barely mentioned。 May try a different Anna Patchett novel next time。 So many parallels to fairy tales - Cinderella and the wicked stepmother， Red Riding Hood but the ending was weak and not a "happy ending"。 Maeve was one of the main characters and yet her death was barely mentioned。 May try a different Anna Patchett novel next time。 。。。more
Cynthia
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As young children Danny and Maeve move into a large， high-end house with their parents on the outskirts of Philadelphia。 It’s a bit odd though because the house comes complete with furniture and even large portraits of the former Dutch owners that still hang on the walls。 In time their mother dies and the father re-marries to a woman they never get along with。 And when their father dies the stepmother throws Danny and Maeve out of the house。 Always close， the two forge a tight bond that will end As young children Danny and Maeve move into a large， high-end house with their parents on the outskirts of Philadelphia。 It’s a bit odd though because the house comes complete with furniture and even large portraits of the former Dutch owners that still hang on the walls。 In time their mother dies and the father re-marries to a woman they never get along with。 And when their father dies the stepmother throws Danny and Maeve out of the house。 Always close， the two forge a tight bond that will endure throughout their lives。 Eventually Danny graduates from medical school and becomes a property owner/developer （like his father） and Maeve becomes a financial and accounting analyst working below her skill level， but happy。 Both continue an obsession with the house and the woman who threw them out。 Note: My rating of 3 stars = good。 。。。more
Shelley
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Kept waiting for something to happen， but it never did。
Michal
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I chose this book because I read a recent article by Ann Patchett where she mentioned that Tom Hanks read the audiobook。 I have only read one other of her books and didn’t care for it。 But I loved the article and who doesn’t want to listen to Tom Hanks？ The book is compelling and introspective and I kept finding excuses to listen， even when I wasn’t folding laundry or putting away dishes。 Great read！ Here’s the article （warning， it’s not short）https://harpers。org/archive/2021/01/t。。。 I chose this book because I read a recent article by Ann Patchett where she mentioned that Tom Hanks read the audiobook。 I have only read one other of her books and didn’t care for it。 But I loved the article and who doesn’t want to listen to Tom Hanks？ The book is compelling and introspective and I kept finding excuses to listen， even when I wasn’t folding laundry or putting away dishes。 Great read！ Here’s the article （warning， it’s not short）https://harpers。org/archive/2021/01/t。。。 。。。more
Meredith Dougherty
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Starting off 2021 strong with this gem of a book。 Ann Patchett keeps outdoing herself with every novel I read。
Monika Tietz
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I didn't like it too much。 Kind of senseless。 I didn't like it too much。 Kind of senseless。 。。。more
Dorothy
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The love between siblings interwoven over 40 years。 Moving story。
nia
，
this book is kind of like station eleven by emily st john mandel in that it's a book about nothing， but it's a REALLY GOOD book about nothing。 this is like what the goldfinch should have been but wasn't。 10/10 would recommend; very moving and funny and frank and deeply authentic。 it's about sort of privileged people doing very privileged things， but it's so good that i wasn't really alienated by that。 the prose is just mind bogglingly beautiful—at times clean and crisp and spare， at times flower this book is kind of like station eleven by emily st john mandel in that it's a book about nothing， but it's a REALLY GOOD book about nothing。 this is like what the goldfinch should have been but wasn't。 10/10 would recommend; very moving and funny and frank and deeply authentic。 it's about sort of privileged people doing very privileged things， but it's so good that i wasn't really alienated by that。 the prose is just mind bogglingly beautiful—at times clean and crisp and spare， at times flowery and elegant， and somehow always right for the mood and the moment。 i will definitely be reading more by patchett in the future！ 。。。more
Audrey F
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This was easily one of the most well written books I have read in a long time。 The way Patchett can jump back and forth throughout time is impeccable， and interesting for the reader。 She was able to jump through decades at a time without confusing the reader。 I would recommend this book to almost everyone。
Christine Donnelly
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Loved this book - the characters the style the playing with time and questioning why men can be fully accepted despite deserting their children but women will always carry that guilt
Mary
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VERY PERCEPTIVE AND BEAUTUFULLY WRITTEN。 BONUS audiobook read by TomHanks
Candi
，
This was a book in a different vein for me。 It was an enjoyable read， and I read it quickly， though there was no overarching tension or mystery leading up to a big conclusion。 There were smaller mysteries and good character development。 I wasn’t sure where the story was going but I was interested enough not to care。
Tristan Russell
，
Buddy cop fare in which slick operator Maeve gets stuck with her whiny， self-obsessed brother， Danny， as the two undertake the world's longest stake out。 Expected at least one car chase， but what can you do。 Buddy cop fare in which slick operator Maeve gets stuck with her whiny， self-obsessed brother， Danny， as the two undertake the world's longest stake out。 Expected at least one car chase， but what can you do。 。。。more
Leslie
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Great book， if you can listened to the audio book。 Tom Hanks is the narrator。
A。C。 Harlow
，
Ann Patchett is an accomplished novelist - she holds her audience with poise and confidence as the story and the characters unfold。 The house is a wonderful， intriguing setting and I see houses in much the same way - that they hold history and secrets - sometimes overwhelmingly so。 The book was a little slow moving for my usual taste but that is because I have grown into an impatient reader that needs dramatic things to happen！ I imagine many disagree wholeheartedly or actually find that the pac Ann Patchett is an accomplished novelist - she holds her audience with poise and confidence as the story and the characters unfold。 The house is a wonderful， intriguing setting and I see houses in much the same way - that they hold history and secrets - sometimes overwhelmingly so。 The book was a little slow moving for my usual taste but that is because I have grown into an impatient reader that needs dramatic things to happen！ I imagine many disagree wholeheartedly or actually find that the pace is the thing they enjoy about it the most。 。。。more
Irina Kramer
，
Family saga， a story of forgiveness， centered around a gorgeous house， I loved Danny and Maeve bonding， their fight with the past and finally acceptance of the missing mother。 Tom Hanks’ narration was great。
Andreea Josan
，
I finished it yesterday and I am still Unsure about the rating。 I listened to the audio， which was narrated by Tom Hanks and that aspect was wonderful。 And the book itself made me think how some things can change and affect the course of our lives， how wealth can come between people and how a grudge can waste a life。 But my problem with this book was that it didn't ping my emotional chords。 I couldn't relate withe any of the characters。 I finished it yesterday and I am still Unsure about the rating。 I listened to the audio， which was narrated by Tom Hanks and that aspect was wonderful。 And the book itself made me think how some things can change and affect the course of our lives， how wealth can come between people and how a grudge can waste a life。 But my problem with this book was that it didn't ping my emotional chords。 I couldn't relate withe any of the characters。 。。。more
Kaly Quarles
，
Maybe I missed the brilliance because I listened to the audio version， but this was painfully average for me。 Discovering the artist that painted the cover was a absolutely the highlight for me。
Alex
，
there is genuinely not a single interesting thing about this book except for the fact that tom hanks narrated the audiobook。
Lindsey Kormylo
，
The audible version， narrated by Tom Hanks， was choice！
Sara
，
Historical Fictionaudiobook （read by Tom Hanks）
Cassandra
，
Glad I listened to the audiobook-not sure if I would have made it to the end without Tom Hanks reading it to me。 Not bad， the plot & characters simply didn’t resonate with me。
Cheryl
，
Well written。 Interesting characters。
A。
，
sibling story and what we deem represents us and what is important
Nathan Marshall
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Good story， highly recommend the audiobook read by Tom Hanks， he is a wonderful narrator， orator？ Storyteller
Emily
，
Audiobook。 Definitely not my usually style of book， but I gave the audio a chance because it's read by Tom Hanks and a lot of people seemed to enjoy the book。 For me it was incredibly boring， but Tom did a great job！ Audiobook。 Definitely not my usually style of book， but I gave the audio a chance because it's read by Tom Hanks and a lot of people seemed to enjoy the book。 For me it was incredibly boring， but Tom did a great job！ 。。。more
Heather Hagberg
，
What a rollercoaster of emotion！ I loved it！
Brenda Worthington
，
A good read！
Abagail
，
It might have been 3 stars， but listening to Tom Hanks read it was 4 stars。
Katilipops
，
I do enjoy Ann Patchetts writing。。。 she somehow makes okay stories shine。 This is a more then okay story but in her hands she makes it a really compelling read。 I do love when a thing or place becomes it's own character too。 Some parts bothered me but it was a great start to the 2021 reading year。 :） I do enjoy Ann Patchetts writing。。。 she somehow makes okay stories shine。 This is a more then okay story but in her hands she makes it a really compelling read。 I do love when a thing or place becomes it's own character too。 Some parts bothered me but it was a great start to the 2021 reading year。 :） 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dutch House: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dutch House: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft