Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 5/5

A family drama told largely through recollection in a loosely ordered, but well-timed set of memories. Danny tells the story — full of recognition of his then-obliviousness — of himself, his older sister Maeve, and their sometimes senseless path through life. Much of the story centers around the Dutch House — the outrageously lavish estate purchased by their newly-minted real estate mogul father at the end of WWII) — which purchase begins the unraveling of their family.

I’m a big Ann Patchett fan — her insight into character and how it is expressed and molded by events and situations is incomparable. While sometimes frustrating in the cluelessness of characters (as seen from our safe reader’s perch) and lack of closure, the story is ultimately a realistic portrayal of the way lives and relationships evolve and what we do and don’t learn from the path. It’s one of those books that gets even better the more you think about it after reading.

A HUGE thanx to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a review copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I've only read two other Patchett books, but she has already become a favorite author, and I was very excited to be granted this ARC months prior to its publication in late Sept., since her last novel, Commonwealth, made it into my top 5 reads for 2016 - and I am fairly confident this one will do likewise for 2019.

The storyline follows somewhat similar ground as that previous book, being, more or less, an intricate family saga covering decades of the ins and outs of the Conroy family, and in particular, how the titular family manse outside Philadelphia impacts and impedes various relationships. The focus is primarily on a pair of siblings, with younger brother Danny doing the narrating, and once again Patchett does not follow a linear chronology, but weaves the stories back and forwards from the late 40's to the early 2000's. I sometimes had trouble following this in her previous book, since there was a plethora of characters to keep straight, but this is an easier go, since there are really only about a dozen characters in total. Although Patchett's prose is not fussy or overtly calls attention to itself, it always flows beautifully and is a pleasure to luxuriate in. Just the kind of lovely, leisurely read one wants/needs for the beginning of summer. I hope it is a tremendous success for her.

Good story, how siblings get along in life. When parents fail children and the children work together to cope with it. How an old house can shape ones life.

The latest from Patchett is a triumph as always. For me, it just shows again that she is one of the best writing today. As always, her characters are so strong and fragile, so human, and the spin on the fairytale is so clever. I loved every page, and I’m so sorry that Danny and Maeve’s story has ended. Bravo as always, and I’m going to sing the praises of the book to everyone

A disappointing novel dominated by an extremely self involved and unlikeabkr main character. There is not much to recommend in ‘this slowpaced story. I really didn’t like the way Parchett wrapped up the storylines in a peremptory way in the last few chapters.
This novel reminded me of a John Irving / Ann Tyleresque story that failed.

A remarkable story. Sweeping and merciful. With pinpricks of familiarity and loss. And love. I read the prepub (thank you, Netgalley) carefully. Sometimes doubling back to make certain of the author’s meaning.
The portrait on the cover depicts beautifully the aloneness that each character must singularly endure.
My only complaint...the ending was too summarily wrapped up. I needed more time.

** spoiler alert ** I was granted access to this gem through NetGalley and scarfed it straight down. I don't know what it is about Ann Patchett, but I am utterly enchanted by her work. Each book is different, yet they are all approachable and unexpected. I am never disappointed (except perhaps by The Magician's Assistant) This is an epic family story writ small, as large as a grand, imposing house and as minute as the invisible threads of loyalty that bind a brother and sister. Danny and Maeve never recovered from being thrown out of the Dutch House, their family home, by their stepmother after their father's death. Now that they are grown with families of their own, the house has become a touchstone that ties them to their dead, largely mysterious father and missing mother, who abandoned them when Danny was a toddler. The mystery and myth that surround their parents haunt them until they finally confront the occupants of the Dutch House one last time, and learn the truth about their father's silence and mother's disappearance.

Reader, I loved it. There is nothing I adore more than a quiet domestic drama steeped in grudges and mystery. Get thee a NetGalley account post-haste or enjoy the delicious wait until September.
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I may be biased because I love everything that Ann Patchett writes, so there was no doubt in my mind I would like The Dutch House. I knew nothing about it when I picked it up and I couldn't put it down for 3 days, Ann Patchett does a wonderful job weaving difficult family relationships through decades that all center around a house.

Ann Patchett pulls the reader into the lives of Danny and Maeve and their dependency on each other when their family falls apart.

As I was reading Dutch House I started thinking about what makes a novel great, heads above all others. Characters whom you care and think about even after you’ve finished the last page. A storyline that grabs from the first word and has you turning pages faster to see what’s going to happen, then slower because you don’t want the book to end. And maybe not as critical, but still important, especially in this novel, place, where the novel occurs, where it’s set. And although the locales in this novel are set in the Upper West Side, and off main-line Philly, it’s the House itself that is most important. Because the Dutch House is a character unto itself, and the driving force of much of what transpires in the life of Danny and his sister, Maeve, and those around them.
I think Dutch House brilliant. The best novel I’ve read in two years, and I read all the time. I lived in Nashville for years, where Ann Patchett resides, and on the mainline, and NY, and I loved how she described these areas spot on, and as an aside made me wonder how she nailed them so perfectly.
This is a deeply personal novel between a loving brother and older sister who grow up in Dutch House with their hard to please father, two loving servants who feel like family, and a mother who left them long ago. It’s all they know, this huge house with its many quirks, and life carries on until their father marries Andrea who moves in with her two young daughters.
I would give more than 5 stars if I could, and am telling everyone I know, read this novel and savor it.

Ann Patchett describes the life of a brother and sister who spend many hours focused on how their journies might have been different if they and those they loved and despised had not lived in The Dutch House. Alternately loved and seen as a prison of sorts, the three-story house shapes the lives of the characters, turning them away and calling them back in turn. How can a house designed to bring in the light turn so dark?

There is no doubt that Ann Patchett is one of our greatest novelists. The Dutch House proves, once again, that Patchett can entrance and engage the reader as she invites us into the lives of her characters.

This novel is narrated by Danny, struggling under the weight of being deserted by his mother while living with his aloof father. His life is held intact by the devotion of his older sister Maeve and the house staff.

It is the marriage of their father to the very wicked Andrea that becomes the catalyst for much of what happens to Danny and Maeve in the novel. She is so well drawn that she is the wretched symbol of step-parenting. Essentially, Andrea’s actions cause Danny and Maeve to become a lifelong unit, and this co-dependence will impact every event in their lives.

I think the concept of blended families will certainly be questioned after reading this. Clearly, the Conroys did not become The Brady Bunch.

I was totally mesmerized by the novel and will highly recommend it to all my book clubs. I know that there is so much I want to share with others, that I cannot wait for the discussions.

Though this is a sophisticated and thought provoking novel, much like RUN (an earlier Patchett novel), that it can have a place in libraries and reading groups of High School students since there are so many who are members of challenging families, and will identify with the family situation.

I truly thank Netgalley for giving me the gift of reading this extraordinary novel. It’s certainly on my best books of the year list.