By Ann Patchett

Favorite of the year. Another story with both a crazy mother AND stepmother! Maeve and Danny are abandoned by their selfish mother and then their father remarries a miserable woman with two daughters. Their father dies shortly after the marriage and they are subsequently kicked out of their beloved home, The Dutch House, which is itself a vibrant, important character in the story. As someone who greatly enjoys and appreciates architecture, the way Ann Patchett makes the house a character is amazing.