I loved it in unexpected ways.

Just a sad rendition of a dysfunctional family. It’s redemption came at the end with some forgiveness and letting go. Overall it was just too sad for me.

Relationships and human condition seem to be Ann Patchett specialty. The Dutch House is no exception. The emotion and understanding of relationships told in the story of families and how complicated they can be is beautifully captured and for anyone who has lived through complicated family dynamics, they will relate to the characters and their experiences.

Too many characters and too much detail and too boring

Boring. No story line, no substance.

This is a compelling tale of a family, a house, love, anger, acceptance and forgiveness. It was hard to put it down.

This book was a really interesting story about family dynamics and the way we view the past. The portions about time passing and patterns being established I really liked. That said, I found the ending less than what I hoped it’d be, and I think the book could’ve been maybe 30 pages shorter. All in all a good time!

She is a good writer with good descriptions but this book never really hooked me. I stuck with it because I thought it would improve but it ended up never going anywhere.

This novel is unlike any other I’ve read in that it conveys the depth of anger and unforgiveness and the violence those emotions wreak on humans and relationships, while also containing a gentle undercurrent of connections and love that last beyond the damage. It also positions the physical environment, the house, as an enduring character and driving force in the relationships and the lives of all the other characters, regardless of their relationship to it. I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time.

It’s a story of love and hate, joy and heartbreak, otherwise known as a family.