I am going to DNF this book at 33% for now. This is not at all what I was expecting - fun summer read IT IS NOT! It needs sexual assault content warnings! I found Daisy's life and marriage depressing, and Diana's story and motivations to be sad in a different way. I think I'll come back to it one day and hopefully the ending will be satisfying, but I was afraid it would not be, and did not want to experience the stress and resentment that I knew it would bring me along the way.

Also one passage felt like straight plagiarism from Elektra's speech in the pilot of Pose which made me uncomfortable. Maybe the book will explore Ball culture deeper, but it felt topical and irrelevant.

SUTTON FOSTER READING THE AUDIOBOOK WAS AMAZING AND I'D LIKE HER TO READ ALL MY BOOKS TO ME NOW!

So creative I cannot get over it. And it did not feel as if it were being creative for the sake of creativity. Laid back brilliance? Clearly I am not as skilled with words.

THOUGHTS THOUGHTS SO MANY THOUGHTS!

Unlike most people, I was LOVING the beginning of this book. It started out as a 5 (or 7 lol) star book for me, and boy did those stars just fall off the further I got past the halfway point.

I really loved the philosophical questions this novel posed, and all the New York City references, but the characters and plot were seriously lacking. I think I would have loved this book in middle school, but unfortunately it fell short of brilliant. The twists weren't strong enough.

If you've read it I'd be happy to discuss, but don't want to get into specifics on here because it is such a unique and twisty story.

Wow! This book was amazing! By far one of my favorite page to screen adaptations. (In no particular order: The Queen’s Gambit, Normal People, Call Me By Your Name). The show creators did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the novel - if the book is sublime, don’t change it (looking at you Reece Witherspoon

I was just saying that I don’t really cry from books, and low and behold, the last line of this novel had my eyes sweating. The Dutch House was a beautiful story centered around well developed characters and ornate, intentional settings. Ann Patchett’s novel is not plot driven, nor does it even have a particularly enthralling plot, but Tom Hanks reads the audiobook superbly, and lends an authenticity to the storytelling.
We follow a man from his childhood throughout his life. He discusses the veracity of memory, the power of our choices, the complexities of relationships, and the nuances that come with class and privilege.
If you have the patience to meander through a beautiful story, this one is for you!