Scan barcode
A review by diannastarr
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I might be in the wrong on this, but the one thing that saved The Dutch House was Patchett's prose.
The only reason that I finished this novel was because of my "Gaitskill Goal." If not for Somebody With a Little Hammer, there is no doubt in my mind that I would've donated it to my local bookstore or held onto it as a re gift.
Spanning over five decades, this novel is a modern fairytale: with Danny Conroy as our narrator, it follows his childhood with his sister, Maeve, in the Dutch House. The siblings find themselves impoverish, there is an evil stepmother in the form of "Andrea," they have an inheritance that they are entitled to that they are stripped from, there is a mysterious "saint-like" mother, and there is a redemption.
However, while the author's prose is wonderful and sets a visionary ambiance, the plot itself feels almost heartless and devoid. The plot is told from the perspective of Danny Conroy, yet while is it difficult to emphasize with the narrator, it is also a challenge to loathe him as an unreliable pair of eyes. Danny Conroy is simply a presence, a grey slate who is no different than the other characters included in this piece. It is almost heartless, a chasm that Patchett should've filled in but failed to do so, instead expecting her audience to do the labor for her when there is a limited investment in the struggles at hand for there to be a desire to do so.
The only reason that I finished this novel was because of my "Gaitskill Goal." If not for Somebody With a Little Hammer, there is no doubt in my mind that I would've donated it to my local bookstore or held onto it as a re gift.
Spanning over five decades, this novel is a modern fairytale: with Danny Conroy as our narrator, it follows his childhood with his sister, Maeve, in the Dutch House. The siblings find themselves impoverish, there is an evil stepmother in the form of "Andrea," they have an inheritance that they are entitled to that they are stripped from, there is a mysterious "saint-like" mother, and there is a redemption.
However, while the author's prose is wonderful and sets a visionary ambiance, the plot itself feels almost heartless and devoid. The plot is told from the perspective of Danny Conroy, yet while is it difficult to emphasize with the narrator, it is also a challenge to loathe him as an unreliable pair of eyes. Danny Conroy is simply a presence, a grey slate who is no different than the other characters included in this piece. It is almost heartless, a chasm that Patchett should've filled in but failed to do so, instead expecting her audience to do the labor for her when there is a limited investment in the struggles at hand for there to be a desire to do so.