New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2019
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed
Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, delivers her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed
Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, delivers her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The Dutch House has the richness, allusiveness, and emotional heft of the best fiction.” (Boston Globe)
“As always, the author draws us close to her protagonists swiftly and gracefully.” (Wall Street Journal)
“Patchett’s prose is confident, unfussy and unadorned.” (New York Times)
“Patchett’s splendid novel is a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of obsession and forgiveness, what people acquire, keep, lose or give away, and what they leave behind.” (Publishers Weekly(starred review))
“This richly furnished novel gives brilliantly clear views into the lives it contains.” (Kirkus Reviews(starred review))
"You won’t want to put down this engrossing, warmhearted book even after you’ve read the last page.” (NPR)
"Ann Patchett spins a dark, compelling fairy tale in The Dutch House." (Entertainment Weekly)
“A big-hearted, capacious novel...” (Chapter 16)
“The Dutch House is unusual, thoughtful and oddly exciting, as well-told domestic dramas can be.” (Columbus Dispatch)
“Patchett’s storytelling abilities shine in this gratifying novel.” (Associated Press)
“As always, the author draws us close to her protagonists swiftly and gracefully.” (Wall Street Journal)
“Patchett’s prose is confident, unfussy and unadorned.” (New York Times)
“Patchett’s splendid novel is a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of obsession and forgiveness, what people acquire, keep, lose or give away, and what they leave behind.” (Publishers Weekly(starred review))
“This richly furnished novel gives brilliantly clear views into the lives it contains.” (Kirkus Reviews(starred review))
"You won’t want to put down this engrossing, warmhearted book even after you’ve read the last page.” (NPR)
"Ann Patchett spins a dark, compelling fairy tale in The Dutch House." (Entertainment Weekly)
“A big-hearted, capacious novel...” (Chapter 16)
“The Dutch House is unusual, thoughtful and oddly exciting, as well-told domestic dramas can be.” (Columbus Dispatch)
“Patchett’s storytelling abilities shine in this gratifying novel.” (Associated Press)
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of September 2019:
The best authors make the pages they write come to life: their words
and characters shimmer with authenticity, motivation, and desire. The
story can be simple or complex, familiar or otherworldly, but without
connection, it is nothing. In Ann Patchett’s eighth novel, The Dutch House,
everyone and everything bustles with vitality. It is a story about the
interminable bond between siblings and it is an absolute joy to read.
The novel follows a brother and sister who grow up in a fairy tale—a
huge house, a loving father, and a caring staff. The only thing that’s
missing is their mother, who had a more fraught existence, and fled the
pressures of managing the household when they were young. When their
father dies and leaves his fortune to their stepmother, the kids are
left to fend for themselves, going on to live a drastically different
life than they had imagined. The house of their youth haunts them
through adulthood, and revenge is their desire—but not in the way you
imagine. The Dutch House is moving and thoughtful—a quietly brilliant novel that has quickly become a favorite. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Book Review
Product details
- File Size: 1586 KB
- Print Length: 352 pages
- Publisher: Harper (September 24, 2019)
- Publication Date: September 24, 2019
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07PRXT94R
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
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