Enter the lush world of 1950s New York City, where a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors live side by side in the glamorous Barbizon Hotel for Women while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success in this debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue.“Rich both in twists and period detail, this tale of big-city ambition is … of big-city ambition is impossible to put down.”—People
When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren’t: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn’t belong—a notion the models do nothing to disabuse. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she’s introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy downtown jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that’s used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance.
Over half a century later, the Barbizon’s gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby’s involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman’s rent-controlled apartment. It’s a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby’s upstairs neighbor, to resist—not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose’s obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed.
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A present day journalist stumbles on the fascinating past of women who lived in the famed Barbizon hotel for women in the 1950s. A wonderful mix of NYC now and then.
Narrative bounces between today and 1952 and the lives of the early working women. Has a bit of a mystery to it and I thought it was very good. Kept me interested.
What a delight this was, like reading lemon sorbet – light and refreshing, with a bit of bite if you take too big a spoonful, too quickly… My review copy was graciously provided by the publisher, Dutton.
The book opens in contemporary Manhattan, and shifts perspectives – and stories – back and forth by chapter. The two storytellers are Rose, the modern-day protagonist, and Darby, the 1950s version. The two women bear more than a few traits in common and find themselves in startlingly similar straits as their lives and circumstances dance in and out of their control – sometimes due to their own misguided decisions, but occasionally due to those of the people they (think they can) trust. The setting is what makes this a novel novel though, and separates it from other books of this genre.
The Barbizon Hotel for Women (the eponymous, and derogatively-nicknamed, “Dollhouse” of the title) is the home of both Darby and Rose – and scads of single women who moved to New York City in throngs in the 1950s to “better themselves” through education, modeling, or the other “respectable” jobs open to women of the day. The two women’s stories intertwine as Rose finds herself swept up in the drama and mystery of Darby’s life in an attempt to unravel some of the drama and mystery in her own.
Full review: http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2016/10/03/book-review-the-dollhouse-by-fiona-davis/
I really enjoyed this historical novel. The narrative is told between a present day journalist, Rose, and a secretary-in-training Darby set in 1952. It reads as a mystery, but what I found most intriguing was the perspective of the women of the 1950’s, compared to women of the current day. The character development was wonderful, and kept me engaged the entire book.
The Dollhouse in the novel is the Barbizon Hotel for women in New York. Darby McLaughlin is a naive girl from Ohio moving to the big city to attend Catherine Gibbs Secretarial School in 1952. These places are real, if you are too young to remember, but the hotel has been converted to luxury condos and the school is now a college offering many more career choices than typing and shorthand.
Darby has trouble fitting in with the glamourous models living on her floor. There are no rooms open on the floor for the Gibbs girls and Darby is definitely out of her depth. But then Darby is befriended by Esme, an ambitious maid from Puerto Rico, who introduces her to jazz in a seedy club downtown. Despite her reluctance, Darby is drawn into the world by Esme who refuses to take no for an answer.
But that’s not the whole story. Darby and the other long term residents are grandmothered in and given rent controlled apartments on their own floor. It’s now 2016 and Rose, a reporter whose career and personal life have taken a nose-dive, lives on the floor above and she is determined to write the story of these women.
The book moves back and forth between 1952 and 2016, telling first Rose’s story and then Darby’s. This is not the type of book I usually read, but I found it compelling and actually finished it in the wee hours of the morning.
The Dollhouse is the second book I’ve read by Fiona Davis. This author has a real knack for making seemingly obscure history come alive through an interesting story and meticulous research. This research is masterfully woven into the story without sounding like a history class lecture.
This story uses dual timelines to bring the story of the Barbizon Hotel to life. The characters were realistic and well developed. The plot included love, loss, mystery, and intrigue. Having spent some time in New York City, I found the setting and issues of living there to be realistic. I can’t wait to go find this hotel turned condo next time I’m there!
I enjoyed this book and read it in just a few days. It kept me interested and eager to find out what was going to happen. I highly recommend this book!
Very interesting plot about a building in New York City that was for women only in the l950’s. Two story lines at the same time, the 50’s and the present. I found myself getting a little confused about who I was reading about at times, but satisfactory and surprising ending. Anyone who loves NYC would love this historical novel
3 3/4 stars. Darby’s story is way more interesting than Rose’s. I will definitely try another David book though
Wasn’t sure at first but it drew me in and captured my attention !
Unusual plot which kept me guessing
Realistic depiction of secretarial training/life in the 50s.
I really enjoyed this book.
I am currently reading this book and enjoying it very much. Really feel for the characters. Won’t take long to finish. Great first book.
Compelling read. However the ending tied up everything too neatly.
I don’t normally like books that flip back and forth in time but this was an exception. It was easy to follow. I was on my own in the 50’s so I could relate to the girl’s circumstances. I highly recommend this book which is full of history of the Barbizon Hotel for Women and the young girls who lived there.
This was a lovely story about the Barbizon Hotel for Women which in the 1950’s resembled an old fashioned college dormitory. The book follows one woman in the fifties and one contemporary woman. Their stories are told in alternating chapters, but begin to intersect as an old scandal from the fifties entices the contemporary woman who is a journalist. I really enjoyed the historical perspective of the fifties in NYC and the scandal that does get solved by the end of the book. This is probably a great book club selection because there are so many different things to discuss. The journalist has just as many life crises as the woman from the fifties and neither deals well with their issues.
Loved the history and the character development!
I found it interesting and entertaining. It took place in a time period and place I haven’t heard anything about. The Barbizon Hotel for women in the early 1960’s.
Enjoyed this book and the twist and turns of the story. It is a book about when women were expected to marry and some took a different path and we today consider them brave, but they were considered foolish by others at that time.It is also the story of a women in 2016 that learns to be independent and free from these women.
History