The Dutch House

des), told through flawed but likeable and admirable characters. Patchett continues to impress me: in my top five books for the year. Also, flawlessly narrated by Tom Hanks, the perfect Danny boy of the book.
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"Do you think it's possible to see the past as it actually was?" Sometimes a concept is so simple you think you've read it somewhere before, but then an incredibly talented writer makes you think of it in a different way. What a beautiful book. I love everything Ann Patchett writes. This book is a masterpiece. It is so touching, about the love between siblings and between family.
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Ann Patchett’s books are always so unique and interesting. This is especially riveting as it follows the members of a single wealthy, dysfunctional family whose relationships all seemed to revolve around a monstrosity of a house whose pretentiousness and symbolism were at the heart of everything good and bad that the family endured over some 50 years. It says so much about family loyalty, privilege and sibling relationships, especially in the light of parental neglect.
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I really debated between rating this book a '3 star' or '4 star.' I am disappointed that it is not a '5 star' for me, as I anticipated. It is, after all, Ann Patchett. It's a given that it is definitely extremely well written and, as always, she has crafted a master 'people book' with the creation of strong characters. I simply didn't find it as compelling or captivating or intricate as her other novels.