The lives of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy are overshadowed by their childhood home, 'The Dutch House', an elegant glass mansion located in Elkins Park - … I loved the audiobook. Cyril and Andrea marry. She hates it. I definitely want to read this book. Elna decides to help take care of Andrea (partially as a penance for abandoning her family). One day, their father brings home a woman, Andrea Smith, who … When he starts making money as a medical intern, he's able to make his first real estate investments and pursue that instead. In Part I, Danny and Maeve are raised by their father Cyril. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Even if you feel like I did, I think you’ll probably still find something of value in this story anyway. "[6], Kirkus Reviews gave the novel a rave review, writing, "Casually stated but astute observations about human nature are Patchett's stock in trade, and she again proves herself a master of aging an ensemble cast of characters over many decades. That said, there were parts of the Dutch House didn’t entirely resonate with me. The novel tells the story of Danny and Maeve Conroy over the course of five decades. It was built in 1922 by the VanHoebeek family, a husband and wife originally from the Netherlands who made their fortune in the tobacco industry. Elstowe Manor, the crown jewel of the estate, was built in 1898 by William L. Elkins, the prominent Philadelphia businessman who, along with Peter A.B. The house of the title is a neoclassical beauty surrounded by linden trees in Elkins Park on the fringes of Philadelphia, built by the Dutch VanHoebeeks in the 1920s. It seemed a little too far out the story of the mother that goes to India and comes back… What mother leaves 2 children? They return to the street outside the Dutch House every time Danny is back in town for a visit. The only thing Cyril provided for is an educational trust for Danny, but not Maeve. After their father dies, the two siblings are forced out of their home by their stepmother, Andrea. Cyril Conroy, a self-made real estate mogul, bought the mansion in 1946 to surprise his wife Elna. Fluffy explains how Elna had hated the Dutch House and never felt at ease there. The Dutch House (Harper), Ann Patchett’s masterful eighth novel, is a fierce, intimate, and unstoppably readable saga of family life. The children live with their parents in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, in the astonishingly grandiose and old-fashioned Dutch House. They grow up in a grand house, known as the Dutch House. Elkins Park is notable for its varied architectural styles (among them: Modern, American colonial and Dutch colonial, Queen Anne, English Cottage and Tudor) its wealth of homes designed by renowned 19th and 20th century architects such as Horace Trumbauer, Louis Kahn and Robert A.M. Stern and its diversity of religious institutions. As much as I enjoy flashier mystery or fantasy or adventurous stories, there is a special place in my heart I reserve for subtle stories that are elegantly told. The Dutch House is a mansion located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Although I haven’t read any of Ann Patchett’s other books so perhaps I should start with Bel Canto? Elna dislikes the Dutch House. For the Detailed Plot Summary, click here or scroll all the way down. Danny marries his girlfriend Celeste, and they have two children, May and Kevin. The house is nicknamed The Dutch House, after the wealthy Dutch family that once inhabited it. Elna moves in with Maeve. I am sure this book is great for our Book club discussions. Set in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (a Philly suburb I called home for nearly a year), the fictional Dutch House was built by the VanHoebeek family in 1922 and strategically situated on a spectacular property. It was built in 1922 by the VanHoebeek family who orginally came from the Netherlands. One day, their father brings home a woman, Andrea Smith, who he later marries. Perhaps returning to their Children seemed like the opposite of love to Elna. I loved Bel Canto but haven’t read anything else by Patchett. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is published by Bloomsbury (RRP £18.99) To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Share your thoughts below! The Dutch House: A Reading Guide. When Cyril dies from a heart attack, Andrea bans both Maeve and Danny from the house, which is now hers along with Cyril's entire business. In the novel, it was built by the VanHoebeek family from the Netherlands, but it was purchased by the narrator Danny Conroy’s father in 1946 as a surprise to the narrator’s mother. A poor Brooklyn kid, Cyril amassed a tidy fortune in suburban Philadelphia investing in real estate, starting in 1946 with the Dutch House, an architectural marvel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. I’ve taken bits and pieces from great houses I’ve been in over my life and run those details together — carved wooden panels, the dining room ceiling, a tiny kitchen in a grand house, the staircase, the ability to see through certain houses. The important thing is that the Dutch House in the book conjures up that feeling. Still, I realize this is a very subjective opinion, so people (or book clubs!) “The Dutch House” is a sibling story — that of Maeve and Danny Conroy, a brother and sister growing up comfortable in Elkins Park, Pa., in a house … Instead, Maeve helps to take care of the girls and Danny. The Dutch House is one of those books that reminds my why I love reading so much. Maeve and Danny’s mother abandoned their family when they were young, so they are raised by their father and the household help instead. This disrupts Maeve's plans for grad school. Thanks for your thoughts. On the Market: Turn-of-the-Century Manor in Elkins Park Save for its kitchen and bathrooms, this elegant house has been only minimally updated since it was completed in 1903. It’s now shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. You will close the book half believing you could drive to Elkins Park and see it. It’s neither too sparse or too flowery, instead it’s crisp, clear and confident in an unassuming way. Maeve discovers a scholarship trust and uses it to send Danny to Choate Rosemary Hall, Columbia University and to Columbia Medical School. See The Dutch House on Amazon. The Dutch House is a novel by Ann Patchett, published in 2019.It tells the story of two siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, and how their abandonment as children leaves them reliant on each other.. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($1, $2, or $4) or joining the Patreon! Believe it! Cyril Conroy, a self-made real estate mogul, bought the mansion in 1946 to surprise his wife Elna. Why did you set The Dutch House in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania? Like Hansel & Gretel, Maeve and Danny are forced to lean on each other and, as adults, are trying to pick up the pieces of their childhood and find a way back home. So if that’s what you’re interested in, you might want to skip this. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Maeve and Danny's mother abandoned their family when they were young, so they are raised by their father and the household help instead. In Part III, Maeve gets very sick (she has diabetes), so Fluffy reaches out to Elna, who shows up at the hospital. I used to babysit the president’s daughter and spent a lot of time in that house. It was published by Harper on September 24, 2019. It begins in the late 1940s, when Cyril Conroy surprises his wife, Elna, with a glass mansion in the posh Philadelphia neighborhood of Elkins Park. “The Dutch House, as it came to be known in Elkins Park and Jenkintown and Glenside and all the way to Philadelphia, referred not to … When Danny is 3 and Maeve is 10, she falls ill and abandons the family to work with the poor in India, later relocating to New York City. I find Ann Patchett’s writing very pleasurable to read. Maeve runs into Fluffy, their former nanny, one day. will likely have differing views on this, and it’s no reason not to read the book. [5], Publishers Weekly gave the novel a rave review, writing, "Patchett's splendid novel is a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of obsession and forgiveness, what people acquire, keep, lose or give away, and what they leave behind. Glad to hear I’m not the only one that thought it seemed like her personality didn’t make a ton of sense. And I found the character of their mother a little improbable as well, since her motivations and personality just didn’t make sense to me. Their children, Danny and Maeve, were raised in the Dutch House. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 : NEW YORK, NY POSMAN 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue 7:30 PM. Elna dislikes the Dutch House. I totally agree! The siblings are raised together in the Dutch House by their father and their stepmother Andrea. It certainly made me think about my own childhood and the stories I’ve formed around it. Did you read this or would you consider reading it? After the VanHoebeeks died, the house went up for sale. In Part II, Danny is in college now. The fictional Dutch House of the title is located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where the author spent weekends as … The household help, Sandy (housekeeper) and Jocelyn (cook), help to raise them as well. Maeve has an adversarial relationship with Andrea. Elna tells them how she had wanted to be a nun before she married Cyril, and that she'd been at the convent the times she disappeared. One night after almost being seen by Andrea, they agree it's time to stop visiting. (The Detailed Plot Summary is also available, below). One day, Elna suggests visiting Andrea. Patchett is the author of seven novels and three works of nonfiction, the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, England's Orange Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year, and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. On the most basic level, The Dutch House is a book about two people piecing together the fragments of their youth. Fluffy didn't tell Maeve in fear of upsetting her. The house was completed in 1922 by the VanHoebeeks, who made their fortune in cigarette distribution. Maeve reclaims a painting of herself that's still there. One day, Cyril brings home Andrea, a young, pretty woman with two young girls, Norma and Bright. Elna had started disappearing for periods of time, and Cyril finally told Elna not to come back because of how upset Maeve was each time she disappeared. The ersatz Hansel and Gretel are Danny and Maeve Conroy, the observant (albeit self-centered) narrator and his brilliant older sister. Maeve and Danny are siblings who grow up in a grand house in Elkins Park. I did not care that much for the book. It just didn’t sync up with me as a character. Ann Patchett's 'The Dutch House,' Reviewed Patchett's new novel is a story of paradise lost, dusted with fairy tale. This would also be a fantastic book for book clubs to debate over the ending and discuss whether it makes them think about the roles they’ve cast the people in their lives into. For years, memories of the house haunt the siblings. The guilt and shame for some women who abandon their Children overpower their love. Cyril marries Andrea, who falls in love with the Dutch House – so called after its builders, the VanHoebeeks (“Van Who-bake, mis-pronounced as Van Ho-bik by everyone in Elkins Park”), who had made their fortune selling cigarettes in the run-up to the First World War. Maeve and Danny’s childhood has a fairytale-eque quality, as if Cinderella and Hansel & Gretel were mixed together. I thought Bel Canto was a lovely book, and State of Wonder was just okay, but still well written. The Dutch House is a fictional mansion located in a suburb of Philadelphia called Elkins Park. People who enjoy family dramas or have liked Patchett’s work in the past should definitely consider this title. Norma has recently moved back to the Dutch House to take care of Andrea, and Bright is estranged from Andrea. The Dutch House is a lovely and interesting story. When Andrea passes away, May asks Norma not to sell it yet. DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 TIME: 9:30am – 11:30am* LOCATION: Congregation Keneseth Israel, Elkins Park, PA** Reading & Conversation with Author Ann Patchett Join us and meet author Ann Patchett as she presents her new novel, The Dutch House! ‘The Dutch House’: Ann Patchett tells us why she set her new novel in Elkins Park. Danny and Maeve occasionally park outside the Dutch House and spy on Andrea voyeuristically. Instead, he goes to medical school. She also chose Elkins Park given its proximity to New York, which she already knew would feature in the novel. Books Like The Four Winds: 8 Great Books to Read Next, 50 Best Uplifting, Feel-Good Books to Read, 50 Best Books About Libraries or Librarians, 15 Best Websites for Free Audiobooks Online (Updated for 2021), Every 2021 Book to Movie & TV Series Adaptation. The Dutch House is a family saga that centers around siblings Danny and Maeve. Patchett was inspired to use Elkins Park as the novel's setting because when she was a student at Sarah Lawrence College she would spend holidays and weekends in Wyncote, Elkins Park, and Jenkintown. See the archives. Widener, built the Philadelphia Railroad Company and the streetcar monopoly, the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, through acquisitions of smaller lines and political opportunism. Danny is now quite wealthy. The conclusion of the novel felt a little too quaint or simplistic and a bit devoid of realism. Flipping through its pages, I feel myself drawn into the understated and engrossing story of Danny and Maeve Conroy. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, her most recent novel, was released on September 24. Seemed like her actions were molded to fit the plot as opposed to a real person you could imagine. And I’m sure many people will like the ending just fine. He finishes medical school despite being uninterested in working as a doctor, hoping to please Maeve. May and Kevin spend more time at the house, and May falls in love with it. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 : PHILADELPHIA/ELKINS PARK, PA OPEN BOOK BOOKSTORE 10:00 AM, Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Road. Maeve still works as a bookkeeper at a grocery store in a nearby town. I mean I think some mothers would, but someone who was that concerned about helping others but couldn’t see how her actions would affect her children? But The Dutch House is no fairy tale and instead the book provides a sober reflection on how the stories we tell ourselves are shaped and whether the roles we cast people in should be considered or reconsidered later, with more maturity and perhaps more empathy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I’ll put this one my list and see if I can get to it. "[8], Writing for The New York Times Book Review, author Martha Southgate gave the book a positive review, saying, "This novel takes a winding road through the forest and doesn't rush to a finish, nor is the ending wholly surprising. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. The novel is narrated by an adult Danny Conroy. When Danny is 3 and Maeve is 10, she falls ill and abandons the family to work with th… It didn’t quite bring the story to a satisfying conclusion for me, but it’s such a well-written and engrossing family drama that I enjoyed it very much anyway. When May becomes rich and famous actress, she buys the house. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The Dutch House follows Maeve and Danny lives over many, many years as they revisit and struggle to make sense of their childhood. Toward the end of World War II, real estate developer and landlord Cyril Conroy surprises his wife, Elna, with the keys to a mansion in the Elkins Park neighborhood of Philadelphia. Maeve and Danny still stake out the Dutch House, but mostly out of nostalgia. The Dutch House is a 2019 novel by Ann Patchett. Your email address will not be published. The reason I set the book in Elkins Park is because of my friend Erica Schultz (née Buchsbaum). HarperCollins published Ann Patchett’s eighth novel, The Dutch House, on September 24, 2019. "[10], "Tom Hanks reads audio for Ann Patchett's new novel", "Moser, Whitehead, McDaniel, Grandin, Boyer, Brown Win 2020 Pulitzers", "Fiction Book Review: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett", "Ann Patchett Spins a Modern Fairy Tale in Her Luminous New Novel", "Review: Ann Patchett's 'Dutch House' is modern fairy tale", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Dutch_House_(novel)&oldid=1005318254, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 February 2021, at 02:29. Their mother Elna left when they were younger. Intended as a gift for his wife as well as a symbol of their rising fortunes, the Dutch House is … Cyril and Andrea are indifferent parents. They (reluctantly) go and discover that Andrea now has a degenerative mental condition and doesn't recognize them. I have read some comments detailing disbelief that Elna would leave her Children. Plus, The Dutch House’s fairytale-esque elements appealed to me along with it’s beautiful cover, so naturally it was high priority on my list of books to read. In The Dutch House, Maeve and Danny are siblings who grow up in a grand house in Elkins Park. A masterpiece from the Orange Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth and Bel Canto! But if you allow yourself to walk along with Patchett, you'll find riches at the end of the trail. … The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is a fascinating study of the influence of home. Left with no one else, the two siblings rely on each other. Their father is more interested in his real estate holdings than in them, and Maeve and Danny's relationship with Andrea is fractious and later overtly hostile. Their children, Danny and Maeve, were raised in the Dutch House. Patchett’s new book is contemplative and quiet, spanning many decades, from 1945, when Cyril Conroy impulsively purchases a stately mansion in Elkins Park near Philadelphia. The family lavishes their fortune on a dwelling that features a ballroom and Delft mantels imported from a castle in Utrecht. The Dutch House Built in 1922, in the Philadelphia suburb of Elkins Park (then mostly farmland), the eponymous house takes its name from the VanHoebeeks. She speaks there Wednesday. What do you think? I was out of town for a while and have been otherwise wrapped up in some other stuff, so this review took a little longer to get up than I’d intended, but here it is! "[9], Donna Liquori of the Associated Press wrote, "Patchett's storytelling abilities shine in this gratifying novel. They grow up in a wealthy household but lose everything, their mother is presumed to be dead, Andrea plays the role of the evil stepmother, and their stepsisters Nora and Bright are brought in and given preferential treatment. The Dutch House is a mansion located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. The Dutch House. The Dutch House is a marvelously moving novel about a house, its inhabitants, their lives and the impact of the house on everything. The house is nicknamed The Dutch House, after the wealthy Dutch family that once inhabited it. Fluffy becomes their nanny, and Sandy and Jocelyn are a part of their lives, too. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, A family drama about two siblings making sense of their childhood. Our … Sitting outside their former home, they feel a sense of familiarity and closeness, they later must learn to let go of. Also, note that while their childhood borrows from fairytale-esque elements, this is not a fairytale-type book and doesn’t read like one. Maeve and Danny Conroy grow up in the storied Dutch House, a 1922 mansion in the Philadelphia suburb of Elkins Park that was commissioned by the VanHoebeek family, who made a fortune in cigarettes and filled their American home with European treasures, ornate mirrors, wood paneling, fanciful windows, and blue Delft mantels "said to have been pried out of a castle in Utrecht … Of course, this is an understated and somewhat interior novel, so if that’s not something that interests you, then maybe try something else. Instead, Maeve pushes Danny to pursue an expensive education (medical school), in order to drain the trust and prevent money from reverting to Andrea. It was built in 1922 by the VanHoebeek family, a husband and wife originally from the Netherlands who made their fortune in the tobacco industry. I was confused after finishing this book. 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