This book starts its journey with BookCrossing from Delphi, Greece
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" 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. "


~~~~~~To the person who found this book:~~~~~~

Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!

If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. Drop a few lines on where and how you found this book and what you thought of it. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, I encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold.

This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, although I would love you to read and then share it. You can pass it on someone you know or release it once again in the wild, leaving it on a park bench, a phone booth, a hostel lobby...wherever you think it's suitable for the book to continue its journey. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.

I hope you enjoy the book!

I know that I've read some books of this author many years ago, but I don't remember much. I was curious about this highly-praised book and I decided to read it, without knowing what to expect.

Unfortunately, while at several points, especially in the first part of the book it caught my attention, then I started to get bored and to roll my eyes. I wasn't particularly drawn to any character, I found them all obnoxious or completely irking, I didn't really connect with anyone but that's not a problem as one reason I read books is to get to know ways of thinking or situations that are alien to me.

However, I didn't understand why each character behaved the way they did from some point on, the pace dropped and there isn't much of a story to keep one's interest. There are back and forths in time that didn't offer much to the story or to show the characters' development, while most plot twists seemed far fetched to me. Ann Patchett writes cleverly about how the way we see things changes, how we transfer feelings and other meanings to other, seemingly unrelated persons, events and things than the ones we should refer to, how our memory deceives us or not, she touches on the classic bittersweet cliché about healing of wounds and forgiveness and much more.

But halfway through the book I found the narrative completely unbelievable and stagnant and repetitive, while towards the end the exaggerations and improbabilities got over the top. She based the development of the story on coincidences and completely unrealistic behaviors of the main and secondary characters. I'm trying not to write spoilers here or I'd fill pages upon pages with examples of what I mean.

The book had potential for something better and I will read something else by this author as I think she has some good elements in her writing, but I was disappointed about The Dutch House!

The Dutch House got itchy feet and wants to trot the globe, making many new friends along the way. So for a start it traveled on Naxos Island, Cyclades.

And then... Who knows?

Good Luck my book and Don't forget to write your news from time to time!

Released on beautiful Mikri Vigla area.

09/09/24. Estando de vacaciones y paseando por las playas de Naxos (Kastraki beach) me llamó la atención una bolsa tirada en la arena que decía Free Book. Me encanta leer asique inmediatamente fui a ver que era y me ha encantado encontrar esto y conocer book crossing!

Empecé a leer el libro y viajará a España donde será liberado!

Gracias Delphi por haberlo liberado ese día!

Después de Naxos el libro viajo a Santorini y el día 13 llego a Valencia, España.
Hoy lo he terminado y me ha gustado. Es un género que no estoy acostumbrada a leer y me ha gustado. De lectura fácil aunque la historia en sí no es muy interesante, pero me han atrapado los personajes y leyendo con la esperanza de saber el desenlace de la historia.

En los próximos días lo liberaré esperando que el próximo destino y lector lo disfrute como yo!

En el día de hoy liberé el libro en los Jardines del Turia esperando que otra persona se sorprenda como me he sorprendido yo. Buen viaje!! A ver hasta donde llega...