Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley, I was fortunate to receive a copy of Ann Patchett’s latest book, The Dutch House, in exchange for my honest review. I was a big fan of Bel Canto and Commonwealth, so my expectations were quite high going in…

The story focuses on Maeve Conroy and her younger brother Danny, siblings whose father Cyril started his huge real estate empire right after the end of World War II. Cyril’s family zoomed from poverty to extreme wealth, and his early purchase of a gigantic estate known as The Dutch House in the Philadelphia suburbs began the slide into the dark lives his family is destined to live over the next fifty years.  

The story is told by Danny, as he and Maeve find themselves exiled from The Dutch House by their stepmother. Following the exile, the two wealthy siblings find they have only each other to rely on as they go from the wealth of their childhood to the poverty their parents had experienced.  

The Dutch House is on the surface a story of inheritance and forgiveness, also revealing a story of how people want to see themselves vs. who they really are. There is suspense, excellent characterization, and the kind of entertainment for which Ann Patchett has become so popular. Expectations met. Five stars.