Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Dutch House

“We pretended that what we had lost was the house, not our mother, not our father. We pretended that what we had lost had been taken from us by the person who still lived inside.”

I’m so pleased that this was one of my book club reads for the year. It would have been a real shame to miss this one.

I’ve seen some reviews describe the house as a character in this story. I can’t go along with that but as a setting, it is central to this poignant exploration of family love and loss.

On the surface, it’s the sibling relationship that seems most important in this novel but for me, that was just another version of the parent-child dynamic that The Dutch House is really about. For our narrator, Danny, his older sister Maeve takes the place of the mother he barely remembers. Their difference in age, memories and childhood experiences drive this family history that spans about 50 years in post-war America.

There is a wicked stepmother and two step-sisters, household help as extended family, a physically absent mother and emotionally absent father.

While the ending was too tidy for my tastes, that was more than overcome by the compassionate, character-driven whole.

A highly recommended read but readers should beware triggers, especially around abandonment.

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horationelson's review against another edition

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sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

Overall, I liked this book, and will probably check out some other books by Patchett. The last twoish hours (of the audiobook) fell kind of flat. The

reappearance of the first Mrs. Conroy

felt like... a deflation? It was disappointing and unbelievable. Maybe I'm not as goodhearted as Maeve and Danny learned to be in the end.

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massivepizzacrust's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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readingwithkelso's review

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challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

REVIEW: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

The Dutch House is a family drama that tells the story of Danny and Maeve, a dynamic brother and sister duo, over the course of five decades. It is also the story of their childhood home or “the Dutch House,” which plays a pivotal role throughout the novel.

This book was absolutely perfect. I started this on audiobook and within an hour of starting I knew that I needed a print copy as well. I ended up finishing this one by reading along with the audiobook, which is narrated by the one and only Tom Hanks.

I absolutely loved the bond between Danny and Maeve. Their love and support for each other is something that all siblings aspire to. I have also fallen in love with the Dutch House and am going to need my future husband to build me a replica.

Surprisingly, the pivotal events of the book evoked extremely strong within me. There’s also a delicious twist at the end that I did NOT see coming.

All in all, this book caught me completely surprise and ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2020. This may have been my first Ann Patchett book, but it definitely will not be the last.

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curatoriallyyours's review

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The pace of the story at the beginning was unbearably slow to me, and I found the storyline and characters somewhat confusing. Things picked up about half way through with the introduction of Celeste, then it all started falling into place. Essentially this is the story of a messed up family, centred around an extravagant house that is not in keeping with its surrounds. The characters are not particularly likeable but as you start to piece together their lives, you begin to understand why they are the way they are. I found myself thinking about the nature of marriage and the way real estate can affect relationships. I also thought there were some points of incisive commentary about values and human nature that made me think. So, if that's what you're into, this book is for you. If a slow pace is not up your alley, avoid this book like the plague!

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