The Dutch House

 The Dutch House

by: Ann Patchett

Read by: Tom Hanks

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested. - Description from Amazon

Who doesn't love Tom Hanks voice? He has been one of my favorite actors for a very long time. When I think of a lot of my favorite movies he is in them. He did such a wonderful job of narrating this story and really holding your attention and wanting to know what was going to happen next. 

I really did enjoy this story. It was a nice one to finish off my long drive with. It is a story that does jump back and forth between the past and the present. But hearing the description of the house truly made me wish that I could see it personally. 

Sometimes we are running from things in the past that we don't realize that we are running from and eventually we have to face them and come to term with what has happened. We can look and see what things we have learned from the past.