November Online Book Club: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
At its core, this book is about a brother and sister who cannot overcome their past wounds.
I totally recommend you choose the audiobook version of The Dutch House. Tom Hanks brought to life the main characters Danny Conroy and his sister Maeve in a way that reminded me of his performance in the movie Big. Hanks is great at capturing the coming of age angst that happened because their mother abandoned the family and their grand house oddly filled with the former residents’ belongings. Spanning five decades, there’s a fairly large cast of characters and quite a bit of time-hopping between chapters. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed the book version as much, what with all the flipping back and forth to keep track of times and places.
This is a great book club choice because there are so many issues to discuss related to the story. Rarely does our in-real-life book club agree, but this time we all raved about the book because of Tom Hank’s reading! The best book club books have flawed characters who make controversial decisions. When we tried putting ourselves in the shoes of the people within the story, they didn’t fit. I disliked many of the characters for various reasons, but there was plenty to think about. We had a great conversation about mothers, fathers, the role of the house, family, wealth, and marriage. Usually whoever leads the discussion for the month brings a list of questions. But this time we were all so fired up, I don’t think we made it past the first question or two.
Ann Patchett is the author of several non-fiction books, two children’s books, and nine novels including Bel Canto, one of the early books our club read back in 2003 that was made into a movie in 2018.
I hope you try this one and let me know what you think!
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.