The Address
Fiona Davis, 2017
Penguin Publishing
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781524741990
Summary
Fiona Davis, author of The Dollhouse, returns with a compelling 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.
After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she’d make of herself.
But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility—no mean feat for a servant in 1884.
The opportunity to move to America, where a person can rise above one’s station. The opportunity to be the female manager of The Dakota, which promises to be the greatest apartment house in the world. 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.
In 1985, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities. Fresh out of rehab, the former party girl and interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless.
Two generations ago, Bailey’s grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden. But the absence of a genetic connection means 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 and history of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in… and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a madwoman named Sara Smythe, a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island.
One hundred years 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 free-flowing drinks and cocaine in the nightclubs of New York City — and take refuge and solace in the Upper West Side’s gilded fortress.
But a building with a history as rich — and often tragic — as The Dakota’s can’t hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers in its basement could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden—and the woman who killed him—on its head.
With rich historical detail, nuanced characters, and gorgeous prose, Fiona Davis once again delivers a compulsively readable novel that peels back the layers of not only a famed institution, but the lives—and lies—of the beating hearts within. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1966-67
• Where—Canada
• Raised—New Jersey, Utah, and Texas, USA
• Education—B.A., College of William and Mary; M.A., Columbia University
• Currently—lives in New York, New York
Fiona Davis was born in Canada and raised in New Jersey, Utah, and Texas. She began her career in New York City as an actress, where she worked on Broadway, off-Broadway and in regional theater. After 10 years, she changed careers, working as an editor and writer and specializing in health, fitness, nutrition, dance and theater.
She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is based in in New York City. She loves nothing better than hitting farmer’s markets on weekends in search of the perfect tomato, and traveling to foreign cities steeped in history, like London and Cartagena. The Dollhouse (2016) is her first novel; her second is The Address (2017) (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
A delicious tale of love, lies and madness.
People Magazine
[C]ompelling, historically minded fiction with unexpected — and entertaining — twists and turns…the novel delights.
Ms. Magazine
Lively and detail rich…with a thread of mystery that makes it easy to enjoy, hard to put down.
Family Circle
Spanning over 100 years, Fiona Davis’ mystery is packed with deceit.
Us Weekly
Davis overlays the two histories beautifully.… But while the setting is captivating, the facts…tend toward the melodramatic. Readers interested in Gilded Age New York will appreciate this light historical drama, but predictable moments and a convenient resolution will leave others wanting.
Publishers Weekly
With her nimble writing style, Davis makes pithy commentary on gender, social and economic inequality in both eras.… This thought-provoking book makes you wonder what Edith Wharton would have made of these Camdens and pseudo-Camdens. Thankfully, Davis is here to tell us.
BookPage
Though her characters lack depth…the historical asides…are fun to read. The writing is only serviceable, but this jam-packed narrative unfolds at a brisk clip — even if, in the end, the convoluted plot turns have a dizzying effect.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, please use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Address … then take off on your own:
1. Whose story and/or character engaged you more, Sara Smythe's or Baily Camden's … and why? What similarities do you find between the two young women? Overall, are the characters well developed?
2. What does the novel reveal about the position women occupied at the end of the 19th century?
3. How well do you think Fiona Davis deals with the sections regarding Sara's mental illness and its treatment in the 19th century? How well does she handle Bailey's in the 20th?
4. Talk about the changes within the Dakota from in 1884 to 1985. Is the author's inclusion of historical and architectural detail of interest to you …or does it bog down the pace?
5. Do you find that the shifting back and forth between timeframes enhances … or detracts from your reading experience? Discuss the differences and/or similarities between the Gilded Age and the "greed is good" age.
6. Bailey disapproves of Melinda's desire to update her apartment within the Dakota. What in particular does Bailey dislike? Should residents living in an older building honor its historical integrity, or do they have a right to update, even remake, their living spaces? What do you think?
7. How surprised were you by the various plot twists in the novel. What about the twist at the end, caught off guard … or saw it coming?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)