Reviews with content warning for Death - The Dutch House

Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

56 reviews

jeaninelynn's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I like how the plot of The Dutch House holds some surprises and suspense but for the most part feels simple. It feels like a story about mostly ordinary, although difficult, lives. This put an enjoyable emphasis on the richness of the characters and their interactions, and the unforced, genuine way Patchett writes them. I particularly liked how Patchett showed readers how the narrator’s perspective changed over time, while at the same time providing readers more insight than the narrator into how he and the people around him tended to repeat the past. Even though Patchett showed flaws in every character, she still made it possible to feel warmth and sympathy toward most of them. The story realistically showed how our past, and particularly our childhood, shapes the present and future, even when, to someone on the outside of our lives, it may seem obvious that we should move on. Patchett also effectively captured the emotional complexity of being reunited with people who caused pain that shaped our lives, and, relatedly, how our perspective on the past constantly changes with the present. I like thinking about the meaning of home and the emotions that can be attached to a building, too, so the way that homes and buildings and emotions were constantly wound up together, often with emotions being displaced from people and relationships onto buildings, was intriguing to me. Overall, the book left me with a familiar lump in my throat from a feeling that comes up so often in real life — wishing so badly that I could change the past and that things could have turned out differently, but also seeing the importance of moving forward anyway and appreciating everyone who has given love along the way.

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sarah_amy's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Tom Hank's narration scores most of the points in this novel. I love his art of storytelling. However, I found the story itself uninteresting. The characters had plenty of substance; I liked the relationship between the brother and sister in particular, but the plot itself was quite unmoving. 2 siblings unable to move forward from the past until they eventually do.

Content Warnings