Anonymous wrote:I loved it and read it on a wonderful vacation but don't remember any of the details at all.

Same. Loved it but I forget everything.

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 wrote:It's been years since I read it so I can't remember it well enough to discuss anything, but just chiming in to say how much I deeply loved it.

Same

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strongly disliked the book and continue to be baffled so many people enjoyed it.

+1

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.

Loved it, and absolutely adored the audiobook. Usually, celebrity narrators will take me out of the story, but Tom Hanks was perfect.

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 wrote:It's been years since I read it so I can't remember it well enough to discuss anything, but just chiming in to say how much I deeply loved it.

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.

Another good Ann Patchett book is State of Wonder. I could not put it down.

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 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never read an Ann Pratchett and have no intentions of doing so. If someone can eloquently explain what makes her worth reading, I'd be grateful.

I mean if you've never read her, how do you know you have no intentions of doing so? And how do you even feel strongly enough to comment in a thread about one of her books (where the author isn't even mentioned in the title, so how would you even know it was her book??) when you've never read anything by her?

+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 wrote:The cover art is stunning. Is t based a bit on authors childhood/parental divorce?

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)

The cover art is stunning. Is t based a bit on authors childhood/parental divorce?

Anonymous wrote:Strongly disliked the book and continue to be baffled so many people enjoyed it.

+1