From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue comes the compelling national bestselling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota—New York City’s most famous residence.When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the … York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibility—no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America. The opportunity to be the female manager of the Dakota. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else…and is living in the Dakota with his wife and three young children.
One hundred years later, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities: Fresh out of rehab, the former interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless. Bailey’s grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden, yet Bailey won’t see a dime of the Camden family’s substantial estate; instead, her “cousin” Melinda—Camden’s biological great-granddaughter—will inherit almost everything. So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda’s vision. The renovation will take away all the character of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in…and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum—a madwoman named Sara Smythe.
A century apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages–for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the nightlife’s free-flowing drinks and cocaine—and take refuge in the Upper West Side’s gilded fortress. But a building with a history as rich, and often as tragic, as the Dakota’s can’t hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers inside could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden—and the woman who killed him—on its head.
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The Address is a unique piece of historical fiction. It reflects the beauty and ugly underbelly of the gilded age. Set in New York in 1885, it is a story of a young woman, Sara Smythe, who moves from England to a new posh apartment building on the Upper West side of NYC (out in the boondocks at the time) as the managerette. Then flash forward 100 years and a recovering alcoholic trying to put her life back together discovers a mystery surrounding Sara and a murder in the Dakota in 1885.
I enjoyed the story and the mystery involved. The characters were well developed, and the author did not shy away from the ugly topics such as sexism, abuse, selfishness, survival, and finally a hard decision regarding the future of a child. As one who likes endings to neatly tie up the loose strings, I was a little disappointed that while the reader knew what happened in the end, the characters were left hanging to some extent. Thus the 4 stars.
If you enjoy historical mysteries, then give this book a try!
THE ADDRESS by Fiona Davis is a well-written and engrossing work of historical fiction centered in the landmark Dakota Apartment House in New York City. It is told using dual narratives set 100 years apart. Sara Smythe is a 30-year-old woman who leaves everything behind in her native England for a chance to manage the newly-opening Dakota Apartment House in 1885. Bailey Camden is a 30-year-old woman who, by circumstance, ends up living in an apartment in The Dakota in 1985. The story alternates between the two time periods and the lives of these two young women, the challenges they face and the difficult choices they make. The author expertly weaves together their stories, presenting a surprising mystery that ultimately connects the two women. The book has lots of interesting historical detail that was clearly well-researched and that brought both the two eras and the characters to life. I found The Address to be an intriguing story of love and sacrifice, but also greed and betrayal and I found it hard to put down until I finished the last word. I look forward to reading future work from Fiona Davis.
An excellent read. The book is written about the Dakota Apartment building in NYC and take place in both past and present in side by side stories. I must say, I enjoyed the historical side more than I did the present day.
Great story based on the Dakota in Manhattan, where John Lennon lived and was killed. I loved how the story went back and forth in time from 1884 when Sara Smythe comes from London where she worked at a posh hotel to working at The Dakota and to 1985 when Bailey Camden is remodeling an apartment at The Dakota for her cousin. Historical fiction and a story of love, forgiveness and murder. It’s also a story about things not always being as they seem.
I just love Fiona Davis’s books – this is the second one that I’ve read that is devoted to the history and stories behind a famous New York City building, and I really love the construct. There is so much fascinating history in old buildings, particularly in a city like New York, where the good, the bad, and the famous have long strode the streets and halls…
In this book, Davis takes on the iconic Dakota – the apartment building that expanded the boundaries of “acceptable” high-end New York housing AND witnessed the cold-blooded murder of John Lennon. The building is a character in its own right. I think this is one of the magical gifts that Davis brings to her books. She has a marvelous ability to take bricks and mortar and render it into an almost living entity – or at least one that demonstrates as much personality (and contributes as much to the story) as any of her human characters. History is full of fascinating – often stranger than fictional – tales, and it is a delight to see so many of them being brought into the light in books like this one. I also really enjoy the back-and-forth of a contemporary story line blended with a historical one. Using a modern-day protagonist to relate to (and solve a mystery for) an earlier-century one is a great way of bringing the stories of each into full technicolor.
If you are interested in Gilded Age New York, the descriptions of personalities, social trends, and social interactions will engage you wholeheartedly. And even if you are not particularly so, Davis has a lovely, engaging, and easy-going writing style that will pull you in. I can’t wait to see what landmark she tackles next!
This dual timeline novel is filled with intrigue and mystery. I highly recommend it.
The history of The Dakota building in New York City comes to life in The Address by Fiona Davis. Immersive and entertaining, the story captures a unique coming of age perspective for both the famous residence as well as for the two female protagonists who are separated by one hundred years. Rich in historical detail, The Address is sure to please historical fiction fans.
I loved this book. It is the story of a young woman who leaves England to work in the newly opened Dakota Apartment building in New York City. It is set in the mid-1800’s. The story of Sarah is engaging. Her arrival in America, her illicit affair with her boss, her stay in a mad house (not fun) and her final realizations about the man she loves. There is some tragedy involved and a lot of history of the Dakota apartments and the 19th century. Another story takes place alongside the story of Sarah. It is the story of her decendent who is living in the 1980’s. She works as an interior designer at the Dakota as the new generation comes in and rips out all of the beautiful wood work and architectural pieces that define the Dakota. Her story is a bit more upbeat and allows the book to end on a happy note. A good, engaging, intelligent read focusing on women.
I enjoyed this book. Not only was it a good story, and subversively feminist in a historical way… but it made me want to go research the time-period and place. I appreciated all the details about life in that time and place.
If you like Historical Fiction that will lead you to other titles (like those of Nellie Bly), I highly recommend “The Address” by Fiona Davis. It is so interesting reading about cities during the 1800-early 1900’s, I always find things I never knew about and almost always find myself researching places and people mentioned in these books, “The Address” didn’t dissapoint.
If you love multi-period historical fiction set in New York City (and who doesn’t!?), look no further than Fiona Davis’s THE ADDRESS. In 1884, Sara Smythe is wooed away from her post as head housekeeper of a posh London hotel to New York – and The Dakota. With construction nearly complete, the grand apartment house on the upper outskirts of the city is in want of a manager to cater to its nouveau riche residents, and enigmatic architect Theodore Camden convinces Sara she is it. In 1985, disgraced interior designer Bailey Camden moves into her cousin’s apartment in The Dakota to oversee its renovations–and restart her life. Only the building’s, and Sara’s, long-buried secrets keep coming to the surface, and before long Bailey finds herself at the center of a century’s old unsolved murder. Davis deftly braids the two women’s narrative storylines into a gripping yarn, leading the reader on a breathless, page turning race to the shattering, unforeseen conclusion.
This book begins well but turns out to be a downer and very depressing. There were parts of it that I could not even read because they were so depressing and disturbing. I would not recommend it.
I was so invested in the protagonist that I was angry each time she she made a bad choice.
Loved this book, as much as I love the history and beauty of the Dakota. This book brings to life this magnificent building!
An enchanting way to learn about the almost mythical history of the Dakota, the grand and famed apartment building in New York City. The story lines connect it from it’s opening to its existence today. The characters make this narrative highly accessible and quite memorable.
This late 1800s story begins with a bang with young Sara Smythe, manager of a swanky London hotel, saving the life of a child who nearly falls out a window. She has the immense gratitude of the parents of the child and is contacted a short time later by the father and offered a job at his soon to be opened residence hotel in New York City. Sara is excited at the prospect of going to America and excited at the opportunity to be the head of the housekeeping staff at the immense Dakota apartments. Upon arriving, she finds that she will not be heading up the housekeeping staff, but will instead be managing the entire apartment complex! A woman in charge is highly unusual, but Sara, albeit a bit afraid, is up to the task. As the story progresses, she settles into the job, makes friends with one of the housekeepers, and gets to know Mr. Theodore Camden, the father of the little girl she saved and architect of the Dakota, a bit more. Theo and Sara become fast friends and the friendship grows into something more than either expected. What will become of Sara when Theo’s wife finds out about her is worse than she could ever expect and things do not end as one would expect. The story simultaneously takes place in the 1980s and is about Bailey Camden, the grandchild of the ward of Theodore Camden and his wife. Bailey is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and is trying to put the pieces of her life, and her career as an interior decorator, back together. The only job that she can find is for her snooty cousin, Melinda, an actual Camden, who is renovating her apartment at the Dakota, a once grand, now defunct apartment complex on the edge of Central Park. While the work she is expected to do isn’t to her liking, Bailey needs the money, the place to live, and the chance again in life, so she snatches it up and decides to give it her all. She meets and befriends a wonderful man who has been a tenant at the Dakota for years and she also reluctantly builds somewhat of a friendship with the building super, Renzo. The two stories intersect when a trunk of items from Sara Smythe’s life at the Dakota is found in the property’s basement storage area. The lives of everyone involved will never be the same, a hundred year old murder mystery is solved, secrets and lies are revealed, and fortunes are made and lost. An absolutely wonderful book that delves into the awful lives those in mental institutions had to deal with at the end of the 1800s. The formidable Nelly Bly is even included in the tale.
First of all, I love ANYthing to do with The Dakota. Always have, from the very first time I put my eyes on it in 1968. This sweet book developed a great story spanning a century and two main characters, but of course the real star is The Dakota itself. I read this in one rainy Sunday afternoon, skipping lunch entirely in favor of finishing just one more chapter. And then one more after that. This is my 2nd Fiona Davis novel, and now I can’t wait for The Magnolia Palace to be released in January 2022, a brief excerpt of which is included at the end of this Kindle edition.
The address is a novel set mainly in the Dakota hotel in New York City. It is set in two different centuries. It begins in the late 19th century when the Dakota opened. Sara Smythe is asked by Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the Dakota, to come to America and work at the Dakota. She is anxious to escape her life in England, and therefore accepts the offer.The story is also told in the late 20th century, where we meet Bailey Camden and Melinda Camden. There is a mystery as to the descendants of Theodore Camden, and exactly what happened between Theodore and Sara. I enjoyed reading about the history of the Dakota, as it is one of the most recognized buildings in Manhattan. However I thought the story was very predictable. I also thought the writing was basic. This story did move along very quickly, and was a good read. I did learn a lot about the Dakota, as well as the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum.
Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. It is historical fiction, at its finest, in dual time line with twists and turns and rich in detail. You’ll feel as if you are in the Camden’s apartment in the fabulous Dakota and your skin will crawl at the vivid descriptions of Blackwell Island making you want to do whatever you can to get Sarah out of there. The mystery in the story kept me turning pages and when I found out “who done it” for sure, I was torn apart, as if the character was my friend. This is another must read from Fiona Davis.
This book moved at a quick and steady pace. The author developed tge characters throughout the entire story. There were mysteries revealed and answered, and surprising twists in the plot.