The Address

4.5 stars Fiona Davis’s new novel focuses on The Dakota in New York City. The title is cleverly drawn from a review of the building following its opening in 1885 in which the reviewer stated that “the Dakota will undoubtedly be known as ‘The Address’ of New York’s West Side.” Davis melds historical events with a spectacular tale of greed, passion, love and sacrifice told in a dual timeline format alternating between the mid-1880’s and 1985. While I enjoyed both stories, I preferred Bailey’s in 1985 because I found poor Sara’s story so sad. The ending of The Address was spectacular because Davis cleverly connects the two tales and includes a surprise I never saw coming. It was perfect. My favorite part of the book was the inclusion of so much historical detail regarding The Dakota. It is fascinating to me that the walls are stuffed with thick horsehair and the space between each floor contains three feet of mud. Davis explains why each apartment is shaped differently, and the complex effort it took to accomplish that feat. She also mentions the ghosts that reside there, and the numerous famous people that lived there over The Dakota’s life. She includes so many more fabulous stories and descriptions, but I do not have enough time nor space to include them all. Her Author’s Note at the end was welcome as she explained the events she altered a bit for the sake of her story. I always appreciate when an author takes the time to elaborate on his or her inspiration and to clarify purposeful historical inaccuracies. The Address is a superb read. I look forward to my next trip to New York City when I plan to walk by The Dakota and pay attention in person to the many details I learned while reading this wonderful book.

I\’d more accurately give this 3.5 stars, but it didn\’t rise to the level of a full 4. Unlike many other readers, I didn\’t find the mystery that engaging and the characters never got beyond cliched. The writing was more amateurish than I\’d expected, so the whole thing had the feel of a hastily penned potboiler with uneven dialogue, somewhat unbelievable characters (acting in unbelievable ways), some historical people popping in (Nelly Bly) and an otherwise fairly conventional storyline that culminates in one surprise, albeit not a very interesting one.

The Address……a recipe Grease and flour a octagonal English bundt pan. Combine the following ingredients: 3 cups Dakota Apartment Building 2 cups upper class advantages 1 cup lower class disadvantages 1/3 cup addiction with a dash of rehab and a few AA meeting sprinkles 2Tbsp. illegitimacy stirred into 1 pound of Ancestry.com intrigue Mix well, using a severed finger bone. Divide batter into two centuries. Pour 19th century and 20th century batters alternately into layers. Swirl batter, using a 16th century Tibetan knife borrowed from the Met Museum. Bake 3 hours in Blackwell’s Island. Unmold cake and garnish with the Statue of Liberty and Nellie Bly. Serve in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, NYC.

Fiona Davis’ novel THE ADDRESS tells a captivating story about life in Manhattan’s historic Dakota building. Set in the late 1800s and in the 1980s, two tales told back and forth, about the tangled web created by Theo Camden, one of the fictional architects of the building, and how the unfortunate circumstances of his involvement with the building in what was then the new frontier of the Upper West Side. Mr. Camden lured Miss Sara Smthye from her job at the London’s exclusive Langham Hotel to a new position at the soon-to-open one-of-a-kind apartment building and she took a chance on what would be an adventure that was much more than she bargained for. Flash forward to the 1980s and we read about the descendants of Mr. Camden, one legitimate and one not, who are in their own fine mess. Bailey, just out of rehab is trying to turn her life around and her ‘cousin,’ Melinda, who could use a stint of her own, or at the very least a lesson in kindness, instead she is making a design mess of the gorgeous apartment she inherited at the Dakota where her long lost grandfather once resided. There are so many juicy characters in the storyline and both eras are filled with life. Davis is a magnificent storyteller and adds much richness to both setting, intrigue, and character development. Settle in for the lively history of a bygone era and get lost in the halls and walls of this iconic building while imagining how the residents who once called it home lived.

I am so fortunate to have a very good friend who owns an apartment in the Dakota and therefore I have stayed there many times when visiting New York. It\’s a magical place. Years before I\’d met my Dakota friend I\’d read \”Time and Again\” by Jack Finney (a must read, BTW) and had always hoped to see the inside of the building because I loved the book so. And then several years later I ended up becoming a good friend of a long time owner of one of the largest of the existing apartments. It has never been subdivided since the Dakota was built. As for the book, I thought it brought to life what the Dakota is and was. The author told an interesting tale, one that started a bit slowly for me, but tension built pretty quickly, especially in the sections where she is telling the story that takes place in the 1880s. In the end it\’s a tale of love, betrayal and murder, which holds the readers interest and the suspense does build towards the climax. A quick, enjoyable read.

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