The Dollhouse: A Novel

Too much like a soap opera. The characters were just too contrived to generate any empathy from the reader. It would have been a better book if it had focused on the Babazion in 1952. The present-day narrative dragged the story into soap opera territory.

I first read Fiona Davis' The Address about The Dakota and its residents and enjoyed it so much that I ordered this. Did not disappoint, this book is as interesting as The Address. Glimpse of life in New York's The Barbizon Hotel in the 1950s, with a mystery as an added bonus.

The Dollhouse was a fascinating peek into human nature. The story, divided into 'then' and 'now' segments, providing an opportunity to compare and contrast two eras. The characters were finely drawn. All in all, a good read.

Always interested in this period in New York. Love the behind-the-scenes point of view with enough detail and color to make you feel you are there. Reminded me of one of my favorites, "The Best of Everything."

Enjoyed this story! Fascinating look at young women trying to carve out their future with limited options. Grateful to be reminded of how much freedom women in this country have to make choices about their lives.

Enjoyed this story! Fascinating look at young women trying to carve out their future with limited options. Grateful to be reminded of how much freedom women in this country have to make choices about their lives.

I enjoyed this book very much, it was evocative of a time gone by & I needed to know what happened to each of the characters, Fiona Davis had my full buy in with each of the characters & it had a lovely ending. Will be reading more from this author.

Fiona Davis takes you beyond Sylvia Plath and behind the scenes of the women who inhabited  The Barbizon Hotel in Manhattan in the 1950s in THE DOLLHOUSE. I did not want this book to end. I love how the reader gets a chance to see what was happening with the occupants long ago and in present day, while simultaneously a story involving past and still current residents mingled with a modern day resident. Rich with history and a real glimpse into what these young women faced back then, it was easy to imagine how frightening it must have been for them to navigate such a big city, each other, men, and working, all while being on their own for the first time. And, yet, reading the present situation, some things never change.
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Parts of the book felt like they were non-fiction. You really feel for the characters. Partly because Davis’ writing is that good and also because it doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
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I loved this book for its sense of mystery combined with its ode to this historic building, which if the ‘walls could talk’ and certainly Ms. Davis made them come alive.

Darby McLaughlin becomes one of the residents of the famed Barbizon Hotel for Women in 1952. During that decade the Barbizon was the home of aspiring young women who had come to New York to pursue careers as models, writers and secretaries. Darby's plan was to live in the Barbizon during a nine month course at Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School and return to Ohio to a good job.

In 2005 the Barbizon was gutted and rebuilt as condos. Fourteen elderly women, all long time residents, remained in the Barbizon after renovation thanks to rent control. In The Dollhouse, the secretive Darby is, after more than fifty years in residence, one of those who stays. Rose Lewin, an upstairs neighbor and a journalist whose personal and professional life is coming undone, becomes fascinated by the fourteen women. When she hears a hushed up death, possibly a murder, took place at the hotel during the fifties she becomes further intrigued by Darby who is rumored to have been involved.

Moving back and forth between 1952 and 2016, we get the personal stories of both women, the story of New York and of society's attitude toward women in general during the two very different times.

I enjoyed this book because of the historical hotel for women in NYC. I enjoyed the characters most of the way through until the last couple of chapters when the story developed into something unbelievable and unlikely. Easy read.

Fiona Davis has written a fabulous novel about the lives of two women from the past and the present who have to find themselves. I was caught up in the unfolding of twists of the book. And look forward to reading more of her books!

I loved this book. The writing is very descriptive, the characters so interesting. I had no clue how it would end and was kept in suspense till the end. It's always a good sign when you finish a book and miss the characters. I love that kind of connection.

Such an exceptional read with the twists and turns of the story, so enjoyable. A great read and very impressed that this is her debut novel. I highly recommend and look forward to her next book. Pleased that I ordered both books at the same time.

This book is well written with a variety of colorful well developed characters. I really enjoyed the realistic details of how life was like for a young woman in New York and her struggles within social realms and societies expectations. Great conflict and a wonderful wrap up of everything at the end!

Part thriller, mystery and romance, this unique novel tells the story of a journalist who becomes infatuated with the mysterious and elegant woman who lives on the fourth floor. The story of the older woman's life reveals fascinating insight about what it was like to be a woman in the 1950s in New York City.