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bearlynormalursa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Mental illness, Grief, and Emotional abuse
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
2.0
I'll be honest, this was a 1 star until May got a voice and she alone bumped it up to 2 stars lmao. This was a slog of a read with no point and just petty family drama with a shitty step-mother.
The characters are just a nightmare filled with hate, even at the end there's not *that* much character progression between them it's more just "I don't even care anymore" and I felt the same. I disliked essentially all the characters except May and the 2 sisters who took care of the kids at the start. May absolutely didn't read like she was a child for most of it and I honestly had no idea what age she was at any given point (though that goes for most of the characters honestly, more on that later). Characters were just stuck in a rut and didn't really change.
The way time was presented was very confusing. It starts with the 2 siblings as children, and ends with them old. But the timeline is not linear, it'll just randomly skip around without warning for not really any reason. One moment the main character is a teenager, the next sentence is "I got married with 2 kids" and then back to him being a teen again. It feels like it hops around it's timeline more than zelda hops around it's timelines. I barely knew what year it was or how old the characters were unless it was explicitly said - which it wasn't always.
Despite there really not being much that happens, it's incredibly predicable. It's very "oh man this shouldn't happen or this will happen!" and hammers that home until it happens because who'd have seen that coming! Overall it honestly just feels pretty flat. If you dislike even 1 character, you're not going to have a fun time as every character shows heavily throughout (and some of the worst ones even attempt to have a redemption arc).
The characters are just a nightmare filled with hate, even at the end there's not *that* much character progression between them it's more just "I don't even care anymore" and I felt the same. I disliked essentially all the characters except May and the 2 sisters who took care of the kids at the start. May absolutely didn't read like she was a child for most of it and I honestly had no idea what age she was at any given point (though that goes for most of the characters honestly, more on that later). Characters were just stuck in a rut and didn't really change.
The way time was presented was very confusing. It starts with the 2 siblings as children, and ends with them old. But the timeline is not linear, it'll just randomly skip around without warning for not really any reason. One moment the main character is a teenager, the next sentence is "I got married with 2 kids" and then back to him being a teen again. It feels like it hops around it's timeline more than zelda hops around it's timelines. I barely knew what year it was or how old the characters were unless it was explicitly said - which it wasn't always.
Despite there really not being much that happens, it's incredibly predicable. It's very "oh man this shouldn't happen or this will happen!" and hammers that home until it happens because who'd have seen that coming! Overall it honestly just feels pretty flat. If you dislike even 1 character, you're not going to have a fun time as every character shows heavily throughout (and some of the worst ones even attempt to have a redemption arc).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Dementia and Chronic illness
kvalenti's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
beankels's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a quality book but it didn’t exactly draw me in. The characters aren’t exactly likable, but that’s the point. As an audiobook, it was originally a little difficult to figure out what era of their lives we were jumping to, but it didn’t end up being a problem as I got more familiar with the plot and characters. I ended up enjoying it more than I expected at the beginning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
shannonsnell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Abandonment
natalie027's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love that this story isn't told in a linear way. It jumped around in a way that kept me captivated, but it was always crystal clear where we were in the timeline - I was never confused about what was happening, which I was impressed by. The characters all felt unique and real enough that I was invested in (and frustrated by) their choices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Medical content
juliem2023's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death
my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Abandonment, and Chronic illness
kmcfall's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is about self-discovery and family. And also family trauma, transference, and . . . living into your true self, even in your fifth decade.
The writing is beautiful. First person narration works for this book. I love the way Patchett explored a sibling relationship that was forged by shared childhood trauma.
I loved how the Dutch House essentially became a character.
Negative critiques: Danny and Maeve's mom, Elna, did not seem like a real character to me. She was not relatable to me at all, though we finally learned why she could not live in the house. Maeve and Celeste deserved more character development, too.
I did like Elna's redemption. That was beautiful.
That said, Ann Patchett is so deft at creating tales that speak to the core of our existence, and I really loved this book!
The writing is beautiful. First person narration works for this book. I love the way Patchett explored a sibling relationship that was forged by shared childhood trauma.
I loved how the Dutch House essentially became a character.
Negative critiques: Danny and Maeve's mom, Elna, did not seem like a real character to me. She was not relatable to me at all, though we finally learned why she could not live in the house. Maeve and Celeste deserved more character development, too.
I did like Elna's redemption. That was beautiful.
That said, Ann Patchett is so deft at creating tales that speak to the core of our existence, and I really loved this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment