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As you might have guessed, everyone here at Parnassus loved The Dutch House. If you visit the store, you can find a whole wall of staff picks. Here is just a tiny sampling: Mary Laura says it “might just be the Patchett-est of all Patchett novels”; Cat adds, “The magic of Ann’s books is that she always get to the heart of some essential human connection in a way that is wholly unique yet relatable. The Dutch House is no different and you won’t be able to put it down. I couldn’t”; Sissy enthuses, “The brother and sister in this book began to feel like family — I just did not want it to end”; Jackie calls it “simply fantastic”; Niki says, “It’s really, really good. Please just trust us on this one.” Or, trust head shop dog Opie, who calls it “a tasty treat from Sparky’s mom.”
— Everyone
“Meeting the Conroy family and stepping into their elaborate Dutch house—part museum, part home, with all its secrets and charm, comfort and sadness—enthralled me as the mystery unfolded like a gentle call to arms. From poverty to wealth and from wealth to poverty, we see through Danny’s eyes the struggle to hold the family together against grief, greed, and the heartbreak of losing all that once bound them. Patchett paints a masterpiece here; there’s no looking away. It lingers in your imagination long after the story has been told.”
— Diane McGuire, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN
Audiobook performed by Tom Hanks.
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2019 | 2020 Audie Finalist – Audiobook of The Year & Best Male Narrator
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed
Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, delivers her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are.
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 unshakeable 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.
ANN PATCHETT is the author of seven novels, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, and Commonwealth. She was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written three books of nonfiction, Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer, Lucy Grealy, What now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College, and, most recently, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays.
Tom Hanks is an award-winning actor, producer and director. One of only two actors in history to win back-to-back Best Actor Academy Awards, Hanks has starred in over 40 films, including Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Big and Philadelphia. With his production company, Playtone, Hanks has produced several award-winning TV series including John Adams, Band of Brothers and Olive Kitteridge. In 2013, he garnered multiple award nominations for his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy. Hanks has received the AFI’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.