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4.0 

The Dutch House

By Ann Patchett
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

Pulitzer Prize Finalist | New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real SimpleGood Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed

From Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, comes a powerful, 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.

4908 Reviews

4.0
Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes“Listened to this narrated by Tom Hanks, did a fantastic job at giving Danny a personality through Ann Patchett’s impeccable storytelling. Familial relationships, relationship to place and space, siblings, and chosen family— what we owe to those who care/cared for us. Danny as a narrator was at times very compassionate, while at other times his father’s son a very self-centered man who doesn’t often think about those around him. I think this played into how he semi-forgave his mother— he didn’t care enough to harbor deep enough feelings, so he forgave her for doing a really terrible thing to him and Maeve. Really interesting to read this book at the same time as Demon Copperhead. Both stories of young boys growing up without parents but the privilege one has allows him to lead a very different life than the other boy growing up without any the same privilege/addictive tendencies. Danny responds to criticisms/corse correcting very well whereas Demon shakes it off/rejects help from those around him. Haven’t finished Demon Copperhead yet, but these comparisons are very fun to make.”
Characters change and growDescriptive writingBeautiful settingImmersive settingComing of age
“I wanted to love this book but it didn’t make me feel anything. The reason I’m giving 3.5 stars is for Tom Hanks narration!”

About Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.

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