Let me start by saying I am not a reviewer who gives you a synopsis of the book; you can read the inside cover for that. I have read two other books by Ann Patchett and this is by far my favorite. She does a fine job of exploring the human psyche while keeping the story moving along. My one criticism of this book seems to be a common problem with authors today; they realize they need to wrap the book up and so hurry the plot in the latter part. As a book lover, if the book is good I don’t care how long it is: Make it 500 pages if that’s what it takes to tell the story well. I would recommend this book as a book club read as there are many characters and situations that bear discussion.

Ann Patchett never disappoints and she didn't this time either. I LOVED this book and all the characters.

Thank you to HarperCollins / Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a character driven story about the Conroys—Elna (mother), Cyril (father), Danny (son), and Maeve (daughter). Cyril runs Conroy Real Estate and Construction, and his first order of business is to buy the Dutch House for his wife. The Dutch House is an estate, located just outside Philadelphia (Elkins Park), that was originally owned by the VanHoebeeks, who finished the house in 1922. It was made up of mostly windows, and at the time it didn't matter because it wasn't located near a road or neighbors. Now the Buchsbaums live across the street. Unfortunately, Elna ends up leaving because she hates the house. Cyril tells Danny that she was crazy and moved to India. In comes Andrea Smith, the kids' new step mother. She loves the house, and she eventually wants it to be hers. The saga continues from there.

I really enjoyed this at first. I loved learning about this dysfunctional family and their not so humble abode. The writing is your basic good fiction writing. There was nothing in the writing that I haven't seen done before. I've never really read a story like this one though. I have learned that stories about family drama is a favorite trope of mine. Even though this book wasn't my favorite, I would still recommend it to anyone who loves that same trope.

Andrea and her two daughters, Bright and Norma, were my least favorite characters out of all of them. Cyril probably comes in second place for most hated. Andrea didn't like Cyril's kids, but she put up with them until some events happen with Cyril. Kicking the kids out of the Dutch House broke my heart. Maeve pretty much saves them. She has a one bedroom place, and she lets Danny stay with her.

I didn't really have a favorite character. They all got on my nerves at some point, but they were very well developed. I could distinguish who was who, and they all had different personalities.

I love the bond that Maeve and Danny has. They can argue all they want, but in the end they will always look out for each other. That was the best part of the story.

The story became boring after the 60% mark. I wasn't interested in anything that was happening. I think it was just a little too long for what the story was. Overall, it wasn't a bad book. I wouldn't reread it, but I would recommend it. I think someone could become really invested in a story such as this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I'm very parsimonious with my 5 star reviews but the Dutch House deserves 5 stars in my opinion. I've read one other Ann Patchett book, Bel Canto - which was also a 5 star book. What did I love about this book? I loved the twists and turns that surprised me and kept me reading. I liked all of the characters and cared about each of them, even evil Andrea. I enjoyed the narrative style which flashed back and forth through time, but not in a confusing way. Another great book!

Beautiful writing as one would expect from Ann Patchett, and an intriguing setting and storyline, but I found it difficult to get close to these characters.

Beautiful prose. Well thought out and presented. I haven't read a book of her's that I didn't absolutely love and this was no exception.

Following his service in World War II Cyril Conroy begins his career as a successful real estate investor. As one of his first investments, he buys a home for his family. That home happens to be the Dutch House on an estate in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He buys it as a surprise for his wife. Unfortunately, she is never comfortable living in the house and one day she leaves abandoning her husband and two children.

Because of growing up without a mother, her two children, Maeve and Danny, become very close. As the years pass and they grow older, their relationship continues to flourish and it is in this book that they tell their story. Their tale includes the unfortunate circumstances brought about by their father’s remarriage to a woman with two children of her own. To their dismay their father dies suddenly of a heart attack and they are exiled from their home and are left in poverty when their stepmother inherits all of the family’s wealth and possessions.

Following their exile, the house seems to take on a life of its own as a symbol of their past lives. And the memories of life in the Dutch House continue to evolve over time as the two frequently park on the street in front of the house and reminisce about what is was like for them growing up there. Circumstances eventually force them to seek out the truth of events that haunt them from their past and then finally to reconcile with their stepmother and members of the former house staff.

This book is about the loss of not only family but also of the loss of an inheritance. This loss is deep and is shared by the siblings, Danny and Maeve, as they narrate their story of a brother who becomes very dependent on an overprotective sister. Fortunately, as the two age and mature, they find that being able to forgive those who have wronged them is a valuable life lesson learned, even if it comes late and with a price.

The narrative progresses through the years inside and outside of the Dutch house revealing the wealth of secrets, the shared memories, the grief and loss, the sibling love, the ruined family, and the ending reconciliation. As these themes serve to augment the story of the Conroy family, they also add realism to the lives of the characters and serve to further engage the reader in the book itself.

When you open the book you open the door to the mysteries and secrets of the Dutch House. It is a story that is at the same time both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Patchett deftly crafts an entertaining family saga and a cast of memorable characters with a plot that eventually brings the account full circle.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EBook ARC.

A HUGE thanx to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a review copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.
I appreciated being able to read the ARC months before the publishing date.
I have not read any Ann Patchett books so I was in for a surprise. The cover scared me and I thought it was going to be a rigid read. I will definitely pick up this author from now on.
I loved the book! I believe it may quite likely be on my top 5 reads for 2019.

When Cyril Conroy bought the enormous, lavish Dutch House as a surprise for his wife, he thought of it as a grand romantic gesture that would set their family on a path to success. In reality, it was the house that tore them all apart. Over the course of their lives, Conroy's two children consider where everything went wrong, the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma, and the fluid nature of memory.

This is not a novel for lovers of action and plot-driven narratives. After finishing this book, I tried to describe it to someone and realized I couldn't put my finger on much at all that really "happened". The movement, development, and growth all stems from the characters and their personal interpretations of the family's history. Nothing happens, but so very much happens. Ann Patchett has such an incredible gift for creating complex, human characters that really resonate. The Dutch House is a quietly powerful novel, with a unique sense of place and time, and I loved every page.

The Dutch House is my 5th Ann Patchett book and it easily my favorite. It will certainly be in my top reads of 2019. I loved it!

I can hardly put my thoughts into words. It was one of those books that a fellow reader described as a "rare literary page-turner ". I couldn't agree more. It is an expertly crafted book featuring complex characters, including a majestic house, whose story is formed through a complicated family history, a dynamic sibling relationship and nostalgia.

I absolutely adored the way Patchett incorporated the power of memory. How these seemingly small snippets of time shape who we become and even more importantly, how we remember them. As a Mom I wonder what my kids will remember when they look back on their childhood. I've come to the conclusion that it won't be the big things- it will be these small, impressionable moments. Those moments that I couldn't plan for even if I tried.*sigh*

I loved this book. This would make a great book club choice as there is alot to discuss and unpack.
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Thanks to Harper Collins for the ARC.

Ann Patchett is back in full form in this wonderful book. Those of us who have read her books regularly will be delighted to read another well written novel that explores its characters in depth and moves with no urgency through the various stages of the Conroy’s family life and its members’ various relationships with one another, with life, and with the Dutch House. Only readers who revel in fast action, soppy romances, and closed room mysteries will be disappointed. All other will embrace the many facets of The Dutch House.

Ann Patchett draws the reader into The Dutch House. Especially poignant is the relationship between Maeve and her younger brother Danny. We grow up with them as we learn about their family and secrets are revealed. I was pulled into this novel from the beginning and stayed fully engaged through to the end. I will definitely be recommending The Dutch House to my book groups.

Ann Patchett has written another captivating novel.I was drawn in from the first pages drawn in to The Dutch house the two siblings their relationship the sweep of years emotions life. their connection.Highly recommend this wonderful novel #netgalley#harpercollins

Ann Patchett never disappoints! The story is interesting, the characters are wonderful & you find yourself actually caring about why the Dutch House is such a source of fascination & aggravation to Danny & Maeve. This would be a wonderful novel for bookclubs; so much to discuss! I think I'll actually reread it when it's published.

Ann Patchett can be really hit or miss for me. I loved Bel Canto but did not like State of Wonder. SO, I was very pleased with how much I loved The Dutch House! I also really love stories that sweep decades and this one covers five! It is dark, but not hopeless. Definitely give this a read.

While visiting a favorite bookstore, I saw an advance review copy of a book I’ve been anticipating for months. The ARC was not for sale, it was only for teasing. I was able to get hold of an early release digital copy, however, (thank you HarperCollins and #netgalley) and I inhaled it. I expected nothing less from Ann Patchett. Bel Canto and State of Wonder made me a ride-or-die fan of Patchett’s fiction and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage won me to her nonfiction. The Dutch House is a story of a brother and sister and of the house in which they grew up. I cannot remember reading such a uniquely woven telling of a story. It sort of....french-braided itself (?) through time, picking up a piece of the story and weaving it in and then adding a another piece from a completely different section of time. I’m not sure why it worked so beautifully, but it did. This novel is full of characters and heart and place and story, three generations of story that became deeper and richer as each new layer was added. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #thedutchhouse

Danny Conroy as the narrator in this novel could be considered the main character. Or is it Maeve, his sister, who is most central to the story? Or maybe their absent mother, who abandoned them when Danny was a baby for reasons never explained to them, whose loss was the focus of their lives? Or was it the Dutch House, the extravagant mansion where they grew up and experienced so much loss? Patchett has woven an intricate story of love and betrayal, thanks to the complex characters developed through Danny's eyes. Even though we know he is an unreliable narrator due to the intensity of his emotions, he is a sharp observer of those around him and can describe people and situations in an engaging fashion. The plot moves around in time, but it makes sense as events shift back and forth between childhood, teens, early adulthood, and a present of sorts. Finally, the Dutch House embodies complex family relationships, their ebb and flow, secrets, failed expectations, and resolutions.

Be prepared to devour Ann Patchett’s new novel, The Dutch House, in a couple of sittings. The story pulled me in and served up a generous dose of everything I love about Ann Patchett’s writing: characters who are familiar yet enigmatic; plot twists that are surprising yet satisfying; and Patchett’s always-keen eye for description.

Populated by a cast whose lives are intertwined through their connection to the magnificent Dutch House, Patchett’s expert storytelling tempts the reader to fill in the blanks and guess at hidden motives right along with Danny Conroy, the narrator. Several times, I was reminded of Patchett’s The Patron Saint of Liars (another favorite), not because of the story line, but because of the novel’s exploration of family ties and tangled relationships. The Dutch House exposes similar complications of competing loves while candidly exploring the long, hard work of forgiveness. What’s different for Patchett fans in this book is her focus on the far-reaching impact of an absent mother upon a son. Young Danny, expelled from the house by his father’s second wife, must depend upon his older sister, Maeve, and the reader’s heart aches for both of them.

The opulent Dutch house itself is reminiscent of settings in several of Patchett’s previous works: the vice president’s expansive home in Bel Canto, for example, as well as the grand hotel turned home for unwed mothers in The Patron Saint of Liars. The Dutch house is different, though, in its power to evoke a response from the reader. This lavish mansion, and the emotions it arouses in the characters, prompts readers to consider their own dreams—those yet to be fulfilled and those abandoned—dreams that stir when one thinks of “home.”

This book is a worthy read, and I plan to recommend it to both of my book clubs!

I have a shortlist of authors whose books are a must, and Ann Patchett is on it—I know that whatever she publishes will be beautifully written and compelling, and “The Dutch House” is no exception. Beginning in the 1950s and spanning around 50 years, the novel is narrated by Danny Conroy and (unlike Patchett’s previous book, “Commonwealth,” which covered the same time period but sprawled among the multiple perspectives of members of a large, blended family) is closely focused on Danny and his older sister Maeve and the impact their childhood home has had on their lives. I don’t want to give too much of “The Dutch House” away, but suffice it to say that Maeve and Danny have a missing mother and a new stepmother as the book begins, and the absence and presence of both these women in their lives—and the devastating consequences that result—can be directly traced to the Dutch House. Patchett moves back and forth in time throughout the novel, bridging these jumps with trips the adult Maeve and Danny make to the Dutch House throughout the years, where they smoke cigarettes in their car and reminisce about how the house changed their lives; I particularly liked this structural manifestation of the emotional hold the house, and their past there, has on Maeve and Danny throughout their lives, constantly pulling them back. So much more to say, but Imreally believe this is a book whose many charms should be left for readers to discover themselves. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this,book in return for my honest review.

A beautiful novel about memory, the bond between siblings and the power of place. The main characters Maeve and Danny are memorable and real. The Dutch House is an immersive reading experience. You feel like you are part of the family, part of The Dutch House itself. I had read the Tom Hanks was doing the audiobook and the casting is perfect. As I was reading the book, I heard Tom Hanks' voice in my head with every line.