Fiction

The Dutch House

The Dutch House

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-21 05:52:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ann Patchett
  • ISBN：0062963686
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Summary

From the New York Times  bestselling author of Commonwealth and State of Wonder ， comes Ann Patchett’s 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。

#1 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

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Reviews

cherry :） ，

i wouldve enjoyed the book so much more if halfway through i didn’t develop a reading slump because of school

Jana ，

Good story read by Tom Hanks。 A little confusing with the random jumps from past to present and back again。 I’d say not quite 4 stars。

Lindsey Arnold ，

I rate this 2 out of 5 stars。I personally felt this book was a snooze fest。 The story was just ok and the writing was boring。 I read it for a book club and didn't enjoy it at all。 I rate this 2 out of 5 stars。I personally felt this book was a snooze fest。 The story was just ok and the writing was boring。 I read it for a book club and didn't enjoy it at all。 。。。more

Jason Allison ，

Stunning and beautiful。 An amazing work。

Caitlin ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was well written but I did not like it。 I think， perhaps， I was not in the right state to read it。 I was frustrated for Danny and Maeve throughout the book， and I hate the ending。 The house has destroyed everyone who touched it and Danny is fine with his daughter living in it？ And Danny forgives his mother？ After everything？ Maeves line will stay with me though [paraphrased] - who leaves their children like that？ Men！ Men leave and go off on adventures like Odysseus and we sing their p This book was well written but I did not like it。 I think， perhaps， I was not in the right state to read it。 I was frustrated for Danny and Maeve throughout the book， and I hate the ending。 The house has destroyed everyone who touched it and Danny is fine with his daughter living in it？ And Danny forgives his mother？ After everything？ Maeves line will stay with me though [paraphrased] - who leaves their children like that？ Men！ Men leave and go off on adventures like Odysseus and we sing their praises！This is something I have talked about with Billy - how terribly the odyssey is from anyone’s perspective besides Odysseus。 But it is certainly more acceptable for men to leave than for women。 I think maybe it has to do with how the mother presented it - she wanted to help the poor so she went to India。 But she could never admit how self serving she truly was - she just wrapped it all In this guise of humility and self sacrifice when she was just making selfish choices。 She abandoned her children twice but always pretended it was for the greater good and couldn’t admit it was because she was selfish。 If you want to leave， leave。 Don’t pretend you’re doing it because you’re such an amazing person and really your children are just fine。 At least Odysseus was upfront - he wanted glory and to win a war so he went。 Elna couldn’t acknowledge her kids as deserving of her attention more than anyone else。 She killed Maeve with her second betrayal; worse than the first because it proved it never was the house that was the problem - she just couldn’t be a mother。 So maybe this is all Cyril in the end。 Elna should have been a nun。 Cyril was a bad father for obvious reasons， but he wasn’t the focus of the story， more of just a side note。 Andrea， again， easy and obvious。 Elna？ Thorny。 Also the fact that Danny just floated through life helpless in everything but real estate irritated me。 He never engaged， always directed， never driven in anything but buildings。 Did what Maeve told him， didn’t appear to actually care for Celeste。 Never reached for information just waited for someone to tell him。 Couldn’t connect with anyone and repeated the mistakes of his father。 Maybe something there about his refusal to connect with anyone besides his sister because of abandonment issues but who knows。 Again， I think it’s a good novel， I just didn’t like it。 。。。more

Emily Reel ，

Audible; enjoyed it b/c it was Tom Hanks。 The story drags on at times。

Joanna ，

What can I say？ I love Ann Patchett。 This is a gorgeous story about family and home and class and making our way in the world and forgiveness and sacrifice and how awful we can be to each other and mores The main characters are deeply flawed and so human and the times/places the book evokes are captivating。 I love how it moves forward and backward through memory—it feels much the way we live our lives with family—moving forward but with the past ever-present。

Jennifer Fleming ，

Great story about love， forgiveness and how the present colors how we see the past。 Tom Hanks as narrator was excellent

Misty Werkmeister ，

I loved the way you learn about this family！

Laura ，

The Dutch House was a disappointing read。 The two main characters had no depth， I could not connect with what they were about。

Amanda Smith ，

I’m not totally sure why I liked this book so much， but I did。 Tom Hanks being the reader was awesome， and the characters were complex in a nice way， and the book was just fun to read。 I liked it！

Bethany ，

3。5

Pat Delwiche ，

Ann Patchett is a great storyteller。 The entire story is about a house， but of course， it’s about way more than the house。 The narrator was male， which struck me as odd for an Ann Patchett book， but maybe I struggled with his role because something about his character wasn’t complete。 Three-quarters of the way through the story， someone mentioned Danny， and I momentarily thought， “Who the heck is Danny？” before I realized， oh yeah， that’s the narrator。 It was really a story about love and marria Ann Patchett is a great storyteller。 The entire story is about a house， but of course， it’s about way more than the house。 The narrator was male， which struck me as odd for an Ann Patchett book， but maybe I struggled with his role because something about his character wasn’t complete。 Three-quarters of the way through the story， someone mentioned Danny， and I momentarily thought， “Who the heck is Danny？” before I realized， oh yeah， that’s the narrator。 It was really a story about love and marriage， and parents and children。 I guess the best feature of the story is how the reader waits to find out who the loony one is， only to discover a bit of everyone’s failings or weaknesses in oneself。 。。。more

Shannon ，

Caught me right away。 So good。

Heather ，

Tom Hanks performed the audiobook and nailed it。 Pretty sure all of the 5-star reviewers listened rather than read。

Angela Ries ，

3。5 stars…listened to the audible and loved Tom Hanks。 Just moved a little slow for me。

Tamye ，

What a wonderful book！ I didn't want it to end。 Tom Hanks does an amazing job at bringing the character of Danny to life in the audiobook version as well as that of Maeve and the rest of the characters。 This story， which takes place over the span of five decades， chronicles the life of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy， who through everything that transpires in their lives individually， really lived for each other and their connection to the Dutch House。 Very highly recommended。 #indigoemployee What a wonderful book！ I didn't want it to end。 Tom Hanks does an amazing job at bringing the character of Danny to life in the audiobook version as well as that of Maeve and the rest of the characters。 This story， which takes place over the span of five decades， chronicles the life of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy， who through everything that transpires in their lives individually， really lived for each other and their connection to the Dutch House。 Very highly recommended。 #indigoemployee 。。。more

Emily ，

The best thing about this book is that Tom Hanks narrated the audiobook。 I'll listen to Tom Hanks narrate anything。 The best thing about this book is that Tom Hanks narrated the audiobook。 I'll listen to Tom Hanks narrate anything。 。。。more

Marcella ，

Tom Hanks really has a lovely and frank voice for reading this audiobook full of long-winded family reckoning， the protagonist slowly coming to terms with all the complex characters of his past -- complex perhaps only because his memories tell him they are bad people， but his reunions suggest that they are merely human。 It was pretty good， but not incredibly compelling to me。More reviews on my StoryGraph page。 Tom Hanks really has a lovely and frank voice for reading this audiobook full of long-winded family reckoning， the protagonist slowly coming to terms with all the complex characters of his past -- complex perhaps only because his memories tell him they are bad people， but his reunions suggest that they are merely human。 It was pretty good， but not incredibly compelling to me。More reviews on my StoryGraph page。 。。。more

Al ，

Four star book， five stars for the audio。 Patchett writes with such skill， depth， and humanity， and Hanks's narration pushes it over the top。 Four star book， five stars for the audio。 Patchett writes with such skill， depth， and humanity， and Hanks's narration pushes it over the top。 。。。more

Rachel McDonnell ，

Not just about a house。 And surprisingly， not in Holland！

Tasha Slone ，

An absorbing read。 Author bring two children to life in this tell。 You seem them struggle against abandonment， rejection and overcome their past。 Wonderfully written。

Maddie Lee ，

3。5 starsan inarguably beautifully book， i just don't think this kind of story is my cup of tea; the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars in the end。 pratchett is a wonderful storyteller， maybe this is just bc i thought tom hanks did a great job with the audiobook， but i loved the oral feel of this book， as though danny were sitting in a creaky rocking chair relaying the entire story to me with all the gift of retrospect。 pratchett creates such lifelike characters and paints realistic portrai 3。5 starsan inarguably beautifully book， i just don't think this kind of story is my cup of tea; the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars in the end。 pratchett is a wonderful storyteller， maybe this is just bc i thought tom hanks did a great job with the audiobook， but i loved the oral feel of this book， as though danny were sitting in a creaky rocking chair relaying the entire story to me with all the gift of retrospect。 pratchett creates such lifelike characters and paints realistic portraits of everyone without sparing their flaws， yet still endearing them to you。 you can't help but feel fond towards them even as they make questionable decisions。 the dutch house is in itself a character， the descriptions are lovely and the weight of this building pulls all the characters down into its gravity。 it feels a bit like the painting in The Goldfinch， in the way that it's not always present in the narrative but everything is inevitably linked to it somehow and it circles back to be all about the house in the end。 i'm suspicious of it but i will credit pratchett for creating such a mesmerising building。 her writing is incredibly evocative， though to be honest i'm not sure what emotion she evoked in me。 i said that the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars on goodreads， because towards the end i found myself getting gut-wrenchingly invested in the outcome of these characters lives。 i picked up this book on the premise of "a dark fairytale"; i mean yeah， i guess that's true， but i think i set my expectations askew by hanging the fairytale sign above it。 the only reason i would give this book anything less than 5 stars is bc i just don't think sprawling family histories are in my particular interest， i thought it was excellently executed and i can recognise that while also acknowledging that it's not getting a spot on my top shelves。 。。。more

Alex Adkins ，

On a binge due to the acute realization that I live across from Patchett's Nashville book store， Parnassus Books， I felt compelled to read this。 I wanted to love it， but it felt like what was to be admired and ruminated on was too distant and boring， i。e。， the TKAM trope of a father raising children， revenge， sibling dynamics of the 20th century， and what makes a home。 It felt like I was in a college English class。 Sure， this is a well-written book and could be solid for a book club， but I would On a binge due to the acute realization that I live across from Patchett's Nashville book store， Parnassus Books， I felt compelled to read this。 I wanted to love it， but it felt like what was to be admired and ruminated on was too distant and boring， i。e。， the TKAM trope of a father raising children， revenge， sibling dynamics of the 20th century， and what makes a home。 It felt like I was in a college English class。 Sure， this is a well-written book and could be solid for a book club， but I wouldn't classify it as a page-turner。 。。。more

marina ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was really nostalgic in a way。 Not for me， but for Danny who has lived wondering the same thing he cannot find the answer to。 In the Dutch House， Ann Patchett explores his life and his close bond to his sister， Maeve。 The siblings grow up in a very fancy house， the Dutch House， without their mother supposedly because she hated the house。 If you can't tell by now， the house in this book is the main cause of everyone's problems， affecting every person who has lived in it。 For Danny， this This book was really nostalgic in a way。 Not for me， but for Danny who has lived wondering the same thing he cannot find the answer to。 In the Dutch House， Ann Patchett explores his life and his close bond to his sister， Maeve。 The siblings grow up in a very fancy house， the Dutch House， without their mother supposedly because she hated the house。 If you can't tell by now， the house in this book is the main cause of everyone's problems， affecting every person who has lived in it。 For Danny， this house represents his late father and bad childhood， but him and Maeve always seem to come back to it。 Its a common ritual they do in this book and every time they're in their car parked across the street from the house， they reflect on their childhood， the ups and lows， and their evil stepmom that kicked them out。 The reason why I rate the Dutch House 4 stars sis cuz it was super slow for me。 Before the last few chapters， I wasn't really moved by anything。 Danny and Maeve grow up， Danny starts his own family， they frequently meet up together and reunite with their nannies， and that was basically it。 Spoiler！ Danny and Maeve did meet their mom like 30 years after her disappearing （hell for that）， but I expected that。 Besides those parts though， the end got me going。 After the family goes back to the house for the first time together， everything starts heading south。 The house their mom once hated， now turned into the house she loves all thanks to the evil stepmom who is crippled and old。 I hate Danny's mom tbh and I feel for Maeve。 Her life was complete after being with her mom again， but then that bitch had to leave her to take care of the other bitch， all in the house she hated。 Like she puts everyone else over her children， she's so dumb。 Anyways， but there was this specific paragraph towards the end that really affected me: "Maeve almost died when her mom left and she would die when she came back"。 And a couple weeks after her mom started caring for her stepmom， Maeve died。 All her life， Maeve was such a strong person。 She was there for Danny and Danny was there for her。 All they had was each other so it was so sad she died before everyone she loved （and hated）。 As a reader， you feel like you live with Danny。 His life is pictured through his thoughts， struggles， and connections with his sister and his family and friends。 The ending， I thought， was necessary for all the characters。 Danny， especially， could finally focus on his family and develop a deeper relationship with his mom。 The Dutch House is great book for those who want to be deeply invested in a family's story， but in a different way。 The story of Danny's life will surely stay with you for the rest of your life。 。。。more

Sue Stearns ，

Great read。 I think it was more the feel of the writing than the actual story that made it so good。 4。5 ⭐️

Janice Starr ，

2。5 stars。 Got so repetitive and felt sorry for the main characters in a “lets move on way”！

Janet ，

Enjoyed this book。 The characters， the setting， the plot， all kept me riveted。 Going to pick up another novel by the same author soon。

Kimberly ，

I think my favorite part of this book was that I enjoyed listening to Tom Hanks in the audio version。 As for the story itself， I thought it was okay。 I didn't fall in love with any of the characters or the story。 I typically love stories with strong relationships between the characters， but in this case， at what cost？ I did like the element of forgiveness at the end。 I think my favorite part of this book was that I enjoyed listening to Tom Hanks in the audio version。 As for the story itself， I thought it was okay。 I didn't fall in love with any of the characters or the story。 I typically love stories with strong relationships between the characters， but in this case， at what cost？ I did like the element of forgiveness at the end。 。。。more

Jessy ，

I listened to this book and I think the reason I liked the book so much was because To。 Hanks narrated it and he was so good。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dutch House

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dutch House&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dutch House&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0