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A review by themermaddie
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
4.0
3.5 stars
an inarguably beautifully book, i just don't think this kind of story is my cup of tea; the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars in the end.
pratchett is a wonderful storyteller, maybe this is just bc i thought tom hanks did a great job with the audiobook, but i loved the oral feel of this book, as though danny were sitting in a creaky rocking chair relaying the entire story to me with all the gift of retrospect. pratchett creates such lifelike characters and paints realistic portraits of everyone without sparing their flaws, yet still endearing them to you. you can't help but feel fond towards them even as they make questionable decisions.
the dutch house is in itself a character, the descriptions are lovely and the weight of this building pulls all the characters down into its gravity. it feels a bit like the painting in The Goldfinch, in the way that it's not always present in the narrative but everything is inevitably linked to it somehow and it circles back to be all about the house in the end. i'm suspicious of it but i will credit pratchett for creating such a mesmerising building.
her writing is incredibly evocative, though to be honest i'm not sure what emotion she evoked in me. i said that the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars on goodreads, because towards the end i found myself getting gut-wrenchingly invested in the outcome of these characters lives. i picked up this book on the premise of "a dark fairytale"; i mean yeah, i guess that's true, but i think i set my expectations askew by hanging the fairytale sign above it. the only reason i would give this book anything less than 5 stars is bc i just don't think sprawling family histories are in my particular interest, i thought it was excellently executed and i can recognise that while also acknowledging that it's not getting a spot on my top shelves.
an inarguably beautifully book, i just don't think this kind of story is my cup of tea; the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars in the end.
pratchett is a wonderful storyteller, maybe this is just bc i thought tom hanks did a great job with the audiobook, but i loved the oral feel of this book, as though danny were sitting in a creaky rocking chair relaying the entire story to me with all the gift of retrospect. pratchett creates such lifelike characters and paints realistic portraits of everyone without sparing their flaws, yet still endearing them to you. you can't help but feel fond towards them even as they make questionable decisions.
the dutch house is in itself a character, the descriptions are lovely and the weight of this building pulls all the characters down into its gravity. it feels a bit like the painting in The Goldfinch, in the way that it's not always present in the narrative but everything is inevitably linked to it somehow and it circles back to be all about the house in the end. i'm suspicious of it but i will credit pratchett for creating such a mesmerising building.
her writing is incredibly evocative, though to be honest i'm not sure what emotion she evoked in me. i said that the ending pushed me to round up to 4 stars on goodreads, because towards the end i found myself getting gut-wrenchingly invested in the outcome of these characters lives. i picked up this book on the premise of "a dark fairytale"; i mean yeah, i guess that's true, but i think i set my expectations askew by hanging the fairytale sign above it. the only reason i would give this book anything less than 5 stars is bc i just don't think sprawling family histories are in my particular interest, i thought it was excellently executed and i can recognise that while also acknowledging that it's not getting a spot on my top shelves.