This is an audio book read/performed by Tom Hanks, I could listen to Tom Hanks read the dictionary; wonderfully done!
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, published in 2019, is a sweeping multi-generational drama that was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Synopsis
The novel follows Danny and Maeve Conroy, two siblings who grow up in a lavish estate outside Philadelphia known as the “Dutch House,” which their father purchased after WWII. Their lives are defined by abandonment and exile: first when their mother leaves the family, and later when their father dies, leaving their “wicked” stepmother, Andrea, to cast them out.
Narrated by Danny over five decades, the story centers on the unshakeable bond between the siblings as they navigate poverty, adulthood, and their mutual obsession with the past. They frequently return to park outside their former home, ruminating on what they lost and struggling to move forward.
NPR: Described it as an “engrossing, warmhearted book” that explores “unconventional families we cobble together”.
Kirkus Reviews: Called it a “thoughtful, compassionate exploration of obsession and forgiveness”.
Critical Perspective: While many loved the prose, some readers found the pacing slow or the male narrator, Danny, frustratingly oblivious compared to his more compelling sister, Maeve.