Pages: 337

Publisher: Harper

Published: September 24, 2019

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Large Print Hardcover from Local Public Library

Available Formats: Digital, Audiobook, Hardcover, and Paperback

My Review: For me, this was a much better audiobook than the physical book. The story is interesting but Tom Hanks kicked it up to another level. I could listen to him all the time. His narration is what made this a 4 star read for me. The physical book did make me want to rush back to it.

It was a very interesting story how a house seemed to prevent the siblings from moving on with their lives. How many of us let something hold us back in our lives?

This was my first Ann Patchett novel and I am sure it won’t be my last.

From Goodreads: 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 unshakable 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.