For me, the overwhelming themes of this novel are self-determination (for Danny and Maeve, and especially where Elna is concerned though I hesitate to elaborate for fear of spoiling the story for others) and the bond between siblings that both sustains and threatens to harm them both. Deprived at a young age of the privilege and luxury they were born into, Danny and his sister Maeve are forced to fend for themselves, eventually moving to New York but retaining strong ties to Philadelphia and the looming presence of their childhood home, the Dutch House. Maeve in particular who, a decade older than Danny, can remember their earlier lives, their father and their absent mother more clearly, obsesses for decades over the past and the calamity that exiled them. She decides her role in life is to care for Danny, pushing him in the direction she thinks best for them both and putting aside ambition for herself. Their relationship is central to them both. Danny goes along with her plans but yearns for a different life. We follow their paths over many years to a superbly poignant conclusion.

I am a huge fan of Ann Patchett’s writing. All the books I’ve read from her extensive back catalogue have been very different, though this one bears most resemblance to ‘Commonwealth’. Characters are key, especially here. Maeve is a terrific creation - brave, funny and utterly determined, if blinkered for most of the novel. Danny’s growing up is a journey I enjoyed very much. A couple of examples:

‘That night in my sister’s bed I stared at the ceiling and felt the true loss of our father. Not his money or his house, but the man I sat next to in the car. He had protected me from the world so completely that I had no idea what the world was capable of. I had never thought about him as a child. I had never asked him about the war. I had only seen him as my father, and as my father I had judged him.’

‘There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you’d been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you’re suspended, knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself.’

A great story that just flowed from the page, so beautifully written, and much food for thought here. I’ve no hesitation recommending it.

Ann Patchett at her best! I loved this book, it was great. I'm a fan of the author, and I'm happy to say this book is stunning inside out.
She's the queen of contemporary family dramas, and the Dutch House didn't disappoint. The design and the title of the book is even brilliant. You see the girl on cover and think 'who is she?, is she the one in the Dutch house? Is she Dutch, is it set in Netherlands?' All these questions spark, not even opening the first page of the book.
The story was so well woven, mysterious, dramatic and engaging. Of course it revolves around a family, Patchett's signature. There's also a house and all the events are linked to this house. We follow Danny, who grows up in The Dutch House with his sister Mauve. His father is a rich man and he bought this magnificent house as a gift to his wife. But, where is the wife and the mother? So, we start to learn more about the house and this family.
These 2 siblings are excellently created that all we can do it to take our hats off to Patchett. They were quite different and their relationship was really interesting to follow. Eventually, they were left to each other without a mother, and they slowly discover what's the secret and history of the house. The end, OMG, that end was excellent. Until there, I was enjoying it massively and whatever end Ann Patchett produced was absolutely fine. But, she sealed the deal with a jaw dropping one.

This was a five star addition to Patchett's excellent books. I adored it sentence by sentence. Her talent is admirable. All these metaphors, between the line meanings, the story & characters coming together slowly were amazing parts of this book. Definitely one you'd re-read.

Definitely, strongly recommended!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this amazing opportunity to read the book early. Opinions are my own.

Ann Patchett is an old-school storyteller. I usually finish her books in a state of wonder (pun intended for the Patchett fans!) and try to imagine her elevator pitch: 'It's a book about a house. Yeah just a house, you know, and the people who lived there.' The premise is always deceptively simple, no topical themes, no gritty hooks, just a story about quiet, powerful, ineffable love. I am an older sister and if he was a reader, I could think of no greater gift than to have my brother read this book. How often are the love stories of brothers and sisters told? This one broke my heart. I felt such empathy for all the characters, even the ones I hated for much of the book and that's always a bonus as my biggest criticism of any novel, no matter how eloquent, is when I can't make myself care about the people in it. For me, The Dutch House is far from my imagined elevator pitch - the house is nothing, the people, everything,