THE DUTCH HOUSE BY ANN PATCHETT

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

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.

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Release date 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

MY REVIEW

I’m not sure this book would be for everyone but I absolutely loved it! It is a slow burn and you’re never totally sure where the story is going to go. There is also no huge climatic ending. However, I am a huge fan of family sagas and this one was perfect. I loved Danny (possibly because he narrated the story and I switched back and forth between reading and Audible and Danny was TOM HANKS). I also loved the relationship between Danny and Maeve and can only hope my own children would cling to eachother this tightly in good and bad. If you are a fan of Ann Patchett’s writing and enjoy stories of family, faith and forgiveness then I highly