Finalist for the Pulitzer PrizeNew 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 2019Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and BuzzfeedAnn Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling … 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.
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Glowing reviews of Ann Patchett’s newest novel The Dutch House impelled me to snatch it up as soon as it appeared on the new release shelf at the public library.
The story of siblings Maeve and Danny Conroy whose mother disappears and is replaced by an evil stepmother is like a fairy tale, especially when after their father’s death their stepmom exiles them from their home to fend for themselves. The abandoned children, like Hanzel and Gretel, have only each other.
The story of family trauma and the inability to move on resolves into a kind of Howard’s End moment, and it all centers on the Dutch House. The house is what divided the family. There are those who belong to the house, those who lust for it, those who love it, and those who desire it. Who controls the house is central to the novel.
The Dutch House is a historic mansion in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, built in 1922 as a country refuge for a wealthy Dutch family. WWII veteran Cyril Conroy was a frustrated architect who became a real estate tycoon. He bought the Dutch House and all its contents, planning to surprise his wife Elna.
Elna was unable to accept a life of leisure, living in a mansion. Cyril had pulled her from a convent to be his wife, dividing her from the vocation that kept calling her back. Elna had to make a choice. It wasn’t Cyril and her family.
Andrea wanted the house, and married Cyril for the house–and Cyril married Andrea because she loved it as much as he did. The siblings bond with Andrea’s young children. Andrea begins the process of disenfranchising Cyril’s children, appropriating Maeve’s bedroom for her own daughter.
Upon Cyril’s early death, the children learn that their father left Andrea his business, house, and money. Andrea proclaims that she never signed on to raise Danny and sends him to live with his Maeve.
There are a few times in life when we leap up and the past you’d been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you’re suspended, knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself.~fron The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Cyril left a trust fund for the children’s education as well as Andrea’s daughter’s education. Maeve had already finished college and was ineligible, so she encouraged Danny to use up as much of the money as possible, attending private school and then going to medical school. Danny had dreamt of taking over his father’s business; he loved repairing the buildings and the tenants. Maeve had planned on grad school but now had to support herself.
The siblings held their anger and resentment close, a deep bond between them.
We’d made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it.~from The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Danny asks his sister, what kind of person leaves their kids? And Maeve replies,
“Men! Men leave their children all the time and the world celebrates them for it. The Buddha left and Odysseus left and no none gave a shit about their sons. They set out on their noble journeys to do whatever the hell they wanted to do and thousands of years later we’re still singing about it.”
Each character in the book, including the caretaker’s daughter who became Danny’s nanny and the housemaid and cook, has a relationship to the Dutch House. It is the house that bonds them.
I connected with the characters’ attachment to a house; after moving as a girl, for years I hoped to grow up and be able to retrieve my first home for myself. I also appreciated how Elna’s vocation disrupted her family life; I have seen several clergy marriages crushed by the conflict of family vs. pastoral obligations. And–for seven years we lived near Elkins Park, our son born in the hospital there.
Patchett has given us another fantastic book, filled with memorable characters.
Loved the audio version with Tom Hanks
So far, this is the best of the book I’ve read for book club. Tom Hank’s narration added to the overall experience.
I was disappointed with this book. It just never grabbed me. I kept on thinking things would change and the never did.
You just can’t go wrong with Patchett.
Read this book to relish Patchett’s mastery of voice and diction. Her narrator is male, Danny, who comes of age during the course of this family saga, and we hear him: intelligent, funny, tender, aware, hurting, angry, and devoted–especially to his older sister, Maeve, who takes over the maternal role when they are essentially abandoned twice by the parents who, the reader is likely to conclude, should have put them first. The bond between Danny and Maeve is gorilla glue strong, a unifying thread to the novel, as is the Dutch house itself, the latter as vividly described and as real a presence as any of the characters in this brilliant novel.
Ann Patchett’s usual best!!
What a wonderful, evocative book. I enjoyed every page of this brother-sister-house alliance but the ending just blew me away. It wasn’t a bombshell ending. It was the only right and perfect ending that could have been written yet I had no idea what the author could do, would do, but it was elegiac, perfect. I was immediately swept up in his book from page one, a house who stood sway over its occupants. I could relate, being a house person myself, but this, the Dutch House, was something of a magical house that got under the owner’s skin and flowed through its blood, rendering them changed forever just for having lived under its roof amongst its unique furnishings and paintings. And it’s the story of a family, a uniquely connected family who lived precariously. The sister and brother had no one really, of blood, but each other. The decades march along and not much changes, the house, not at all. Growing older does not mean growing wiser. I read this book weeks ago and find myself coming back to it time after time, considering. And as for the house, well, I feel I can see perfectly every nook and cranny. I would give a lot to be able to walk through it’s doors and go inside. The house is really the partner to the characters, not their mortal partners bound to them through earthly ties. Just such a beautifully written story.
I absolutely loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
I’ve heard of Ann Patchett but hadn’t read any of her novels until now, and this seemed like an excellent opportunity to get started. And I really liked the book cover and was intrigued by the title as well. Having read this novel, I’m sure it won’t be the last of the author’s books I read.
Although most reviews are positive, some readers who are familiar with her previous novels felt disappointed, while others loved it as much, if not more, as her previous work. As I said, I have nothing to compare it with, but I enjoyed it. I loved the characters (most of all), I loved the setting, and the writing, that can be lyrical, touching, and humorous in turns.
This is the story of a family, or, to be precise, of two siblings and the people they meet along the way. Maeve and Danny become a family-unit through unfortunate (and at times bizarre) circumstances. Their mother leaves when Danny, the younger of the two, is only three years old, and Maeve becomes his sister/mother/life coach/career advisor and many more things. Their father, Cyril, a real estate magnate, is consumed by his business and never explains much, either about his background, their mother, or the house, the Dutch House of the title. When he marries Andrea, who has two daughters of her own, things change, and when he dies, things take an even more dramatic turn.
The story, such as it is, is narrated in the first person by Danny, who claims to have intended to tell the story of his sister (a rather extraordinary individual I’d love to meet in real life), but he realised that this could not be done in isolation from his own and from that of many others who had also played parts in the events they might not have been fully aware of at the time. Although there is an overall chronological order to the novel, Danny’s memory sometimes circles back and forth to moments or events that are related or linked, at least in his mind, to what he is thinking or talking about at the time. He explores the memories around the Dutch House (a seemingly mysterious place although things don’t go in the direction readers might expect), and how the different people seem to have contrasting versions of what went on and totally different feelings about it as well. Was their mother a saint, or a heartless woman who abandoned her children in her eagerness to help unknown others? Was Andrea a greedy woman (the wicked stepmother of fairy tales) who married their father for his money and then threw them out? Or did she truly love him and resented them for their connection to him? Was Maeve domineering and manipulative or selfless and generous? Why didn’t Danny’s wife, Celeste, and his sister get on? What power did the Dutch House have over its inhabitants?
As I have already mentioned, I loved the characters. Although we don’t get to know all of them completely (this is the story Danny is telling, and at times he can be remarkably lacking in insight and even curiosity), that is part of the charm of the story. This would make a great novel for book clubs, as there is much to discuss, and I am sure different readers will have totally different opinions on the characters and their possible motives and/or justifications. Interpretations are left open, and although there is an end (yes, a happy ending of sorts), the ending does not necessarily provide an explanation for everything that happens, at least not a definitive one. As is the case in real life, people are unknowable, and even those we think we know best can surprise us at times.
I also loved the house. The similarities to a fairy tale are mentioned in the description and in many of the reviews, and perhaps because we first see the house from the perspective of a little boy, there is something magical about it. There are secret drawers, paintings of previous owners, gold leaf decorations, hidden storage places, and the house seems to hold an ongoing influence over those who’ve ever lived or worked there. I would love to visit it, and the combination of grand mansion and some of the characteristics of a gothic castle work well and give it a strong personality, although it might not live up to everybody’s expectations.
I have read some of the negative comments, and I do understand them and don’t necessarily disagree with the points they make, although I feel they don’t detract from the novel. Some people note that there is no plot or story behind it and complain that it is slow. This is a family saga, and as such there is no conventional plot or a great revelation (there are quite a few secrets and misunderstandings that get cleared out, but that is not the same) at the end. Because this is a book about memory, family life, growing older, and forgiveness, it is not a straightforward narration or a page-turner where the main point is to keep the action moving. Life happens at its own pace; there are funny moments, sad moments, enlightening moments, inspiring ones, and disappointments as well. The writing is compelling, but people who love stories full of action and a quick pace should not attempt this novel, unless they are willing to try something different. Some readers also complain that some of the storylines are unrealistic… Well, this is a novel, and I’ve read some that required a much higher degree of suspension of disbelief than this one, but I am sure realism is not what the author was after.
I loved this novel and would recommend it to readers who appreciate a focus on character, beautiful writing, and some touches of magic and are fond of the adult fairy-tale. As usual, I recommend readers who aren’t sure if they’d enjoy it or not, to try a book sample and see how they feel. I look forward to reading more of Patchett’s stories in the future. I have the feeling that they won’t disappoint.
Listened to audio version, read by Tom Hanks, excellent. Realistic characters for the time period. Interesting paths characters take. Life comes full circle. Book spans almost 40 years.
A spectacular read! Ann Patchett is an author who is now automatically on my go-to list! The story revolves around a rather imposing mansion and the family that inhabits it. Patchett weaves her story from each character’s POV at various points in their lives, so the reader can see their growth and maturity. I enjoyed the novel very much.
Stories of family and forgiveness are not new and plenty of exceptional writers have written memorable ones. But, for me, reading THE DUTCH HOUSE was like having the story told to me by Scheherazade. I was captivated on every page, every paragraph. And when I had to put the book down to tend to other things, I didn’t want to let go of the world of Danny and Maeve Conroy. I counted the minutes until I could take them up again. As always with Ann Patchett, there were sentences that I read over and over—just to linger and savor their construction, their depth, and their rightness (“I had not been born with an imagination large enough to encompass this moment.”). I loved this book; it will stay in my memory for a long time.
I enjoyed it all – the house, the characters, the storytelling and narration. Tom Hanks was a great voice for Danny. The story spans five decades, told from son Danny’s perspective, with continuous reference to the Dutch House. It’s a simple but creative story that meanders through a lot of thoughts and discussions involving Danny and his older sister as the pieces get set into place. It begins when their father buys the Dutch House, much to the surprise of their mother. The more I think about this story in hindsight, the more I believe I enjoyed it.
The audio version with Tom Hanks narrating is delightful.
Just couldn’t get into it. I know it is getting good reviews but not my book.
A surprising novel about permanence and forgiveness, stretching the idea of what it means to be family. The audio version is read by Tom Hanks, who is superb.
nice read – a bit predictable.
Great story and interesting characters!
An absolutely lovely story about the lives of two siblings and a very remarkable house. Sweeping yet intimate. I feel like Danny and Maeve are old friends, and I’m sad to part with them. The story made me realize I rarely read about a mature, caring adult relationship between siblings; I loved experiencing this one through Danny’s eyes.