by Ann Patchett
Reviewed by Linda:
A stunning Pennsylvania mansion called the “Dutch House” is more than just the setting in this novel by beloved author Ann Patchett. It remains vivid in the minds of family and staff who have lived and worked there. Danny and his older sister Maeve grow up in the Dutch House, forever shaped by the trauma of their mother abandoning them to flee a wealthy lifestyle that is new and horrifying to her. Then they acquire a stepmother who ousts them from their home while still teenagers, returning them to the poverty of their parents’ youths. The siblings’ lifelong bond both sustains them and keeps them forever in the thrall of the house. Read by Tom Hanks, the audio version is highly recommended.