Welcome to Litsy!

Two 5-star reads in one day!! I‘ve been a longtime fan of Patchett‘s books- though it‘s been a while since I last picked up one of her books. But, I couldn‘t resist getting this one on audio when I saw that Tom Hanks performed it! It was a little distracting at first to have Hanks‘ familiar voice in my earbuds so close, but it wasn‘t long before I was absorbed in this understated but still epic family drama surrounding the bond between siblings!

I listened to this upon recommendation from a FB reading group. I‘m so glad I did. It is narrated by Tom Hanks, who was the perfect choice for this novel. I‘ll definitely read another Patchett book, too. It is a novel of three generations of a family living in a house that is somehow another character in the book. Just kind of moseys along like a wandering stream - sad in places. Strong sibling vibes.

A coming-of-age family saga with a host of seemingly ordinary characters, and a grand house at its heart. The simple writing reminded me of 'Stoner', and the ending, of 'Howard's End'. Somewhat seious in tone but perhaps because I really liked the first part of the book, didn't find it too boring overall (anyways, its not too long, just above 300 pages).

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now, I checked out the audiobook from my local library. I love the audiobook so much!!! Tom Hanks was the narrator of this book!!! He did an amazing job on reading the book!! I rated this book a 4 out of 5 stars!!!

It‘s Ann Patchetts birthday today. I took this from the above artists (Jane Mount) insta. I have this habit of thinking that Ann Patchett and Geraldine Brooks are the same person. It‘s annoying.

I loved the complexity of the family relationships and the imagery of the house. I read this book a while ago and yet I still miss the characters.

Listening to the book with Tom Hanks narrating. I‘m half way through. First part was a little confusing with the time jumps but it‘s coming together nicely. It took a death for the story to pick up, but it‘s become more coherent since that happened. Hanks is of course brilliant.

#whartonbuddyread I now see what you meant about Patchett having already written the sequel to Custom of the Country. Character driven family saga but also a particular insight into how economic motivators cause wedges between people, how the inability to communicate effectively is a communication nevertheless and how an author can dress someone up in a role, keep them largely offstage and yet have them be the pivot point of the book.

Tom Hanks was a brilliant narrator who brought this quiet little story to life. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much had I read the book. I struggled between 4 and 5 stars but settled on 4 because the 5th star would have been solely for Tom Hanks.

I loved this part near the end:

"You have to serve those who need to be served, not just the ones who make you feel good about yourself."

#manicMonday #LetterD
📚tagged!
🖋Don DeLillo , E.L.Doctorow
📺Downton Abbey 🎞Dazed & Confused
🎸The Doors
🎤Downtown Train - Tom Waits
Anyone can play!

Going Dutch in BKK✨

This is my favourite novel. My another fav from letter D is Dark matter by Blake Crouch.

#LetterD #Alphabetgame
Thanks for this amazing idea @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Two siblings are forced from the home they grew up in after their father‘s death. Through the years Danny & Maeve are haunted by their childhood home, the stepmother who didn‘t want them, & the mother that left them.

This was fine? Very slow & not a whole lot of plot. For all that it‘s 1st person, we don‘t get any depth to the emotion which made it tough to connect. And there‘s a lot of timeline switching in a book that spans decades. 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

I want to be home sleeping, but no. It‘s time for a doctor‘s appointment. 🙃

Andrea is the modern-day evil stepmother from hell, isn‘t she!? I listened to the audio, which was done so well by Tom Hanks. I never lost interest, though it is a slow moving book. I didn‘t like the interaction between Celeste (Danny‘s wife) and Maeve. I identified more with Danny‘s feelings near the end than Maeve‘s though I can understand why she would feel the way she did. There were other interesting happenings at the end of the book, as well

Andrea is the modern-day evil stepmother from hell, isn‘t she!? I listened to the audio, which was done so well by Tom Hanks. I never lost interest, though it is a slow moving book. I didn‘t like the interaction between Celeste (Danny‘s wife) and Maeve. I identified more with Danny‘s feelings near the end than Maeve‘s though I can understand why she would feel the way she did. There were other interesting happenings at the end of the book, as well

Good, but I‘m not sure why? I mean, Tom Hanks narrating it did not hurt! I enjoyed listening to it, the story was fairly engaging and the characters were interesting. Kinda gave me The Goldfinch vibes (tho it‘s nothing like it, maybe I just don‘t read this type of fiction enough). Prob wouldn‘t read it again.

Didn‘t love it. A melancholic story with few sparks of excitement and mostly sadness. Had to push to get through it.

Confession: I am not a huge Ann Patchett fan. All of the books I‘ve read by her have been 3-star reads for me. Bel Canto, Commonwealth, State of Wonder—all were ok, I liked but didn‘t love them, and I barely remember the plots. But this one? I tore through it in 2 days. I was fully invested in the characters and the plot and the setting. Great read. 👍🏼👍🏼

Danny and Maeve‘s stepmother, Andrea, is a real piece of work. Loved this book. Tom Hanks narrating the audiobook makes for outstanding listening.

Posting this one early since I won‘t have a chance tomorrow. Busy weekend!

#Stepmoms #MayMoms
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

“I see the past as it actually was,“ Maeve said. She was looking at the trees.

“But we overlay the present onto the past. We look back through the lens of what we know now, so we're not seeing it as the people we were, we're seeing it as the people we are, and that means the past has been radically altered.”
—Ann Patchett, the dutch house, p35

Book #10 of the year: “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett

I found this one on a table at JFK in New York! This fictional work follows two siblings through the decades of their lives after their mother leaves and father remarries. Dealing with themes like abandonment, loss of security, resentment of parents, and sacrifice, it‘s a good read that‘s not overly sad or emotionally gripping.

Tedious and plotless

Lazy Sunday reading soundtrack. #readingsoundtrack

Loved everything about this one! 💗
🌷🌷🌷🌷

This one was tied with my other #July pick. Got two copies as gifts from @AmyG and @Sleepswithbooks 😊♥️
#12booksof2021 @Andrew65

Finally getting to The Dutch house, the perfect book for my new book marks maiden....marking and Ollie already knows what being a great reading buddy is all about.🐾 Thanks again for sending this one to me! @sharread 🌷
#dogsoflitsy

#12Booksof2021 June

@Andrew65

A recent death in the family has prompted a necessary and long road trip. Thanks to @BkClubCare Recs, I had already requested some top quality audiobooks including this gem. I also love the story about how she selected (or rather commissioned then selected) the cover art! Tom Hanks doesn‘t disappoint as audio narrator.

#12BooksOf2021 #February …

I had a couple really, really good reads in February, so this one was a rough choice to make. But, Patchett‘s familial tale won (over Wintering by Katherine May).

The Dutch House is spellbinding, in that there are so many feelings and emotions taking place in this book. Greed, hope, love, revenge (to a degree), and never forgetting. Patchett‘s writing made me fully virtualize the situations taking place in my mind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finally read this one. If I would have realized it‘s only kind of about the house and only kind of about the girl on the cover, I probably would have read it sooner! I enjoyed the relationships in the book, especially between the siblings at the center.

Loved how this book spans an entire lifetime of the bond between a brother and sister!

I know I'm fairly late to this party but I'm happy to have finally arrived nonetheless 😊 I loved this book! Totally lived up to the hype.

I ordered my first e-reader just now after taking my sister's for a testdrive. So excited for it to arrive. My tbr is about to get a whole lot bigger!

#ereader #hypedbook #readyfortheweekend

3.75⭐️ I thought it was a really good book, but felt as though it dragged in places and as though it lacked an oomph to it. I realize that it wasn‘t meant to be that sort of book and that it was supposed to be that way, I wish there had been a little bit more oomph in the story. #2021 #fiction #literaryfiction #bookreview #bookstagram

This was my #bookspin selection for July

I never read a book where the cover matches the book so well. Beautifully written with descriptive details about a Dutch House and the people that live there. Character driven at it's best I was invested in the two sisters wholeheartedly. The people that live there aren't Dutch and the house isn't Dutch either. Cute story funny at times too. #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#66
I really enjoyed this book, the storyline and characters kept me interested right from the beginning and Tom Hanks did a magnificent job

The story of a family, the story of two siblings, the story of a grand old house. Beautifully written, and how the story comes full circle at the end was just incredible to me. @Sleepswithbooks and @AmyG thanks to you both for sending this to me ♥️♥️

Wonderful Patchett, for the most part. I don't know, somehow the characters' issues were so blatant that I got cross with them for holding on so dearly to their upsets and not getting therapy 😂 maybe I'm just in a weird mood. Still highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So I finally signed up for Scribd and am enjoying The Dutch House so much so far!

Good writing; fair story; read it quickly

2n5 🌟

I have had mixed feelings about this author in the past, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. I read it in audio format, a great book to keep you company cleaning house, the characters were finely drawn, I was very pulled in to the story. I loved musing on the theme of home, what makes the Dutch house a home or not one, you know? It was good.

@Sleepswithbooks you‘re the sweetest!! Thank you so much for sending this to me 😊♥️ I‘ve been wanting to read this for so long!
#litsylove

The central story of this book is the arc of the relationship of brother and sister Danny and Maeve, and it‘s fabulous. What I didn‘t like was the house used as a plot device, as for me it wasn‘t fleshed out in a way I found convincing. I think the book would be stronger without it. But otherwise great characters, great exploration of relationships.

Last night of vacation and I'm trying to get some quality reading in while I can. I was able to read THE RISE OF KYLO REN while waiting for a friend to get ready earlier. Will probably post a review later.

#authoramonth I rarely read 2 books by the same author back to back.After Commonwealth, I knew I had to dive into this.When Mr Conroy goes from rags to riches in real estate, the idea of a grand house as a gift to his wife seems like the thing to do.It triggers a series of events that will be his family‘s undoing . Mother leaves ,Maeve & Danny ,the kids , bond tightly to each other trying to make a life for themselves & sense of it all. Grt. Read!

Different than I expected — some may find it too slow but if you think of it as a slice of life novel, it really shines. By the end, you feel like you really know these characters, you hurt for them and also want to shake some sense into them. Tom Hanks‘ narration is fabulous. #AuthorAMonth

This is my favorite author so far from #authoramonth this year 🙃📖

@Soubhiville