28 January 2021
The Dutch House
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.
| Title | : | The Dutch House |
| Edition Language | : | English |
| ISBN | : | 9780062963673 |
| Format Type | : |
Readers Also Enjoyed The Dutch House
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So close to be a masterpiece, a dysfunctional family story starts in this humongous, grandiose mansion, where ex inhabitants had died and left their belongings including their portraits hanging on the...
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This was an absorbing read even though the narrator was infuriating, self-absorbed, oblivious, selfish, and annoying. It follows two siblings, Danny and Maeve, and their childhood home, The Dutch Hous...
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4.5 starsSometimes in a novel, a place is such a strong and integral part of the story that it deserves as much attention as if it were a character. The house in this novel exerts so much influence ov...
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Ann Patchett's latest novel proves to be a absolute delight to read with its echoes of the darkest of fairytales with the requisite wicked stepmother in the form of Andrea. We are provided with Patche...
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Reading Road Trip 2020Current location: Pennsylvania“Swear to God, you really were that boring.”The night my book club discussed Ann Patchett's Bel Canto some ten years ago, I clutched my copy of ...
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E-book - ( own)... and Audiobook.... ( own), narrated by Tom Hanks. Having read and loved other books by Patchett, [“Commwealth”, “Bel Canto”, “State of Wonder”, “This Is The Story of A ...
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AttachedThe Dutch House is a story of siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, their obsessive connection with the iconic family house they lived in as young children and how their lives unfolded over the ye...
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2.5 stars:Danny and Maeve are siblings who can’t overcome their past. Abandoned by their mother at an early age, Maeve, the oldest, assumes the mother role. Everything changes further when their emo...
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The Dutch House is a family saga that centers around siblings Danny and Maeve. Their father strikes it rich and buys a lavish mansion known as The Dutch House as a surprise for their mother, and that...
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Patchett is way up there on my, can't wait for next novel, list. Her characterizations, her insight into flawed families and her wry observations of human nature, are always top notched. In this, her ...