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2lax_cooper's review
emotional
reflective
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
savyelizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Violence
hellokaley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After loving Tom Lake, I wanted to try Dutch House and I’m so glad I did. This story is a different style than my typical read, but I really loved the sweeping family epic while still drilling deep into the details story and characters. Ann Patchett has a beautiful way with words and character development and I really love her style and stories. I don’t always love stories that jump chronologically but I really liked the delivery in The Dutch House.
I loved the sibling relationship and bond and I could listen to Danny and Maeve’s banter all day.
Tom Hanks’ performance was marvelous and I absolutely think audio is the way to go with this one. I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time.
I loved the sibling relationship and bond and I could listen to Danny and Maeve’s banter all day.
Tom Hanks’ performance was marvelous and I absolutely think audio is the way to go with this one. I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
alexiasp's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book is definitely not for me; maybe it's for someone who likes to study family relations, where each member is very competitive and everyone acts exclusively in their interest. The history of the Dutch house was interesting, but other than that, there wasn't much...plot? The book is definitely elegantly written, but that just isn't enough for me. The first half is definitely stronger than the other. The audio narration by Tom Hanks was fantastic. He put me to sleep many times😂😂
squiggidy's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookishonereads's review against another edition
3.0
Herein lies the fascinating story of a familial love triangle — a mother, daughter, and son who seem fated to be either an estranged or unhappy family. You may know who to root against, but who to root for is a trickier question with this cast of beautifully flawed characters. Even the Dutch House itself, the home that’s both the undoing and the salvation of this family, is a mixed bag. Puzzling over who and what to love in this novel is all part of its intrigue.
candlereader's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up because the first third of the book had some merit and the writing was smooth. Note: I read this book in hard copy and did not listen to the audiobook narrated by Tom Hanks. Perhaps if I had, this book would have landed differently for me.
I picked this up because I loved Bel Canto by the same author. To my disappointment, this book has none of the ethereal depth and beauty of Bel Canto. It reads like a standard and predictable family saga, with no distinguishing features. I would never have guessed that these two books were written by the same person.
Patchett is a competent writer and the prose is fine, but this is a character-driven novel, and the character development is weak. Danny, the narrator, never felt real to me--there was no richness or nuance in terms of what brought him joy or pain, what made him tick. And he, as well as all the other characters, never seemed to evolve. Decades after we first meet them, they are more or less the same in their interests, habits, and foibles. They never meaningfully change. They never mature. So whereas I liked and had sympathy for them earlier in the book, toward the end I was tired of them. And there was not that much at stake plot-wise, either. Nothing to compensate for the dull characters.
Ultimately, I think whether you like this book is dependent on whether you like (and believe in the moral soundness of) one of the main characters, whom the novel is clearly designed to lionize. If you do, then this story will probably be poignant and meaningful to you. If you don't (as I did not), then the story will probably come to seem petty and even pointless. In a character-driven novel, you have to believe in the characters or it falls flat, and this one fell flat for me.
I picked this up because I loved Bel Canto by the same author. To my disappointment, this book has none of the ethereal depth and beauty of Bel Canto. It reads like a standard and predictable family saga, with no distinguishing features. I would never have guessed that these two books were written by the same person.
Patchett is a competent writer and the prose is fine, but this is a character-driven novel, and the character development is weak. Danny, the narrator, never felt real to me--there was no richness or nuance in terms of what brought him joy or pain, what made him tick. And he, as well as all the other characters, never seemed to evolve. Decades after we first meet them, they are more or less the same in their interests, habits, and foibles. They never meaningfully change. They never mature. So whereas I liked and had sympathy for them earlier in the book, toward the end I was tired of them. And there was not that much at stake plot-wise, either. Nothing to compensate for the dull characters.
Ultimately, I think whether you like this book is dependent on whether you like (and believe in the moral soundness of) one of the main characters, whom the novel is clearly designed to lionize. If you do, then this story will probably be poignant and meaningful to you. If you don't (as I did not), then the story will probably come to seem petty and even pointless. In a character-driven novel, you have to believe in the characters or it falls flat, and this one fell flat for me.
graceyourface's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
jenrsm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
hbode's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75