The Dutch House
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Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| The cover art is stunning. Is t based a bit on authors childhood/parental divorce? |
Anonymous
I don’t know about the authors Own history but it’s well written (the book) and doesn’t focus too much on the marriages themselves (IMO) |
Anonymous
+1 seriously just bizarre. For those who do like Ann PATCHETT, I’ve enjoyed many of her books including Dutch House (happy to try and discuss ending OP but it’s been awhile). For me her most perfect book is Tom Lake. Can’t recommend enough. |
Anonymous
| This is my least favorite Ann Patchett book. I really liked Bel Canto and loved Tom Lake and several of Patchett's short stories but barely made it through the Dutch House! |
Anonymous
| Another good Ann Patchett book is State of Wonder. I could not put it down. |
Anonymous
Same. Although I don’t remember all the details, I loved it and it is a book I think of often. It was a deeply personal book for me. I have a parent similar to the mother in the book, though not that extreme. It was really therapeutic to read, as I am surrounded by people who think my parent is amazing. It also helped me really understand that I can’t control them - only my response to them. I just finished Tom Lake and I don’t like it as much. With that said, Tom Hanks was great as the Dutch House narrator, and Meryl Streep also was for Tom Lake. I listened to half of both books and read the paper form for half. |
Anonymous
| The secret to this book is that the protagonist, the narrator, is someone who we identify with, but at the end, we realize it was HIS perception of absolutely everything that was flawed. He was wrong about everything. |
Anonymous
| Loved it, and absolutely adored the audiobook. Usually, celebrity narrators will take me out of the story, but Tom Hanks was perfect. |
Anonymous
well we lost our house that we absolutely loved b/c of a health crisis and it haunts my siblings and i. We try so hard to get past it but that house meant so much more than just a building to us that we lived in for a time. I think having that specific pain of grief and love over something as simple and complex as a family home described so well is what made the book so good to me. she described things i thought unique in my experience so well it physicaly hit but apparently other people have felt those things, it made me feel seen for lack of a better descriptor. it also put in words complex emotions and thoughts i had so i was able to share it with my spouse who was better able to understand and help me navigate some of the strange behaviors i have developed b/c of my strong feelings about the house. |
Anonymous
Same |
Anonymous
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I enjoyed listening to Tom Hanks reading the book. I forget what a great actor he is. But I probably will not read anymore of Ann Pachett's books.
This story had major holes. The dad was an ass, leaving everything to the stepmom. Then why did dad try to teach the son (Danny) the family business? For example, takes young Danny with him to collect the monthly rent. It did not make sense that there was no succession plan for Danny. Just a trust fund for college tuition. The ending was fixed with a wave of a magic wand. Sewn up nicely with Danny's daughter becoming a mega-successful actress and buying back the Dutch House. I read Tom Lake before The Dutch House. The world of acting and actors seem to be a recurring theme. I have no interest in that world. Of course, her other book, Bel Canto was made into an Opera. |
Anonymous
Same. Loved it but I forget everything. |