The Dollhouse: A Novel

Loved the storyline and the characters. Very engrossing, it pulled you right in. The going from one time period to another made it all the more interesting .

I didn’t realize the first book I read by Fiona Davis would be her debut, but it was wonderful and now I can’t wait to read all her others. The story centers on the Barbizon Hotel for Women, which in the 1950s housed a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors all wanting success for their lives. Darby is the opposite of what her roommates are, convinced she doesn’t belong in the hotel, until she befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid that introduces her to the seedy side of NYC - jazz clubs, which happens to be the place where heroin is used, jazz music and the beginnings of bebop, and the potential for romance. Fast forward half a century later and the Barbizon is now condos and most of its guests are long gone, but the rumors of Darby and her involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid are enough to keep journalist Rose’s interest, who is also Darby’s upstairs neighbor, and she befriends Darby in order to get to the bottom of the story.This is told in two timelines as you can guess, past and present, and I really enjoyed them both, but of course the past was a little more intriguing than the present. Overall though it was very well done and Rose has troubles of her own that lead her to take some unethical paths to get the story and Davis brought these two timelines together very well. I loved this one overall and as I noted above I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I am a big fan of historical fiction because I enjoy learning about a period of history while also being entertained with a compelling narrative. Consequently, I was attracted to The Dollhouse for its purportedly historical content regarding the evolution of the "working woman" and the Katie Gibbs office worker which I find to be such a convoluted capitalistic solution to a problem. However, while there were moments when descriptions of settings, perceptions, and attitudes presented some historical background, for all intents and purposes this novel was primarily a straight-forward romance. While not wanting to reveal too much, I would suggest that as a narrative the story is predictable and at times flawed. For example, the twists and turns of the plot are aided by rather artificial narrative techniques at the end and do not necessarily reflect the personalities or world-views of the characters affected. It is a quick read -- a good beach book -- but not a particularly useful example of historical fiction.

When I learned of a book about the Barbizon Hotel for Women, I could not wait to read it. Living in Manhattan in the mid-sixties, I knew three young women who lived there after graduating from college. Throughout my career, I met numerous executive secretaries who had graduated from the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School, having resided at the Barbizon. What tales they each had to tell; Fiona Davis does not exaggerate.Ms. Davis did her homework well because she perfectly describes the Barbizon of the fifties era. The hotel was akin to a glamorous, expensive college dormitory, complete with stricter rules than I lived under at Mount Holyoke College. While I cavorted unfettered around Manhattan, my Barbizon friends obeyed a curfew and a draconian dress code. It was a godsend for well-to-do parents who were reluctant to unleash their daughters in Manhattan and for young women who were not quite prepared to strike out on their own.What a perfect home for Darby McLaughlin, daughter of what seemed like the mother from hell. Darby, from small Defiance, Ohio, had no self-esteem, thanks to her overbearing, social climbing mother, who sent her to New York with several self-help books and strict orders to excel at Katie Gibbs. Afraid of her own shadow, Darby is unfortunately assigned a room on a floor occupied by Eileen Ford models. She does not know it then, but this is the beginning of Darby's problems. If the hotel had had a room for her on the Katie Gibbs floors, chances are that there would have been no story.Completely daunted by the glamorous and often catty, nasty models, Darby craves friendship and finds it with Esme, a young Puerto Rican hotel elevator operator. Mingling with the help is verboten at the Barbizon; this is likely the first rebellious act of Darby's life. Esme introduces plain, self-conscious Darby to the underbelly of Manhattan. After their clandestine rendezvous, the two young women frequent a bebop club on the lower East Side, an area off-limits to Barbizon girls. Throw in a little love interest, and Darby's transformation is nearly complete.Deftly interwoven with Darby's story is that of Rose Lewis, a present day journalist, who lives at the Barbizon. The hotel had been converted to condos several years prior when it had become a dinosaur. Certain longtime residents had been allowed to remain in their spartan accommodations, and Rose dons her investigative journalist's hat when she hears of an incident between Darby, her downstairs neighbor, and Esme. Darby refuses to talk to Rose, but she successfully cajoles other residents, now in their eighties, to reminisce about the old days at the hotel. Bits and pieces of the story emerge, but Rose cannot put everything together without input from Darby.As the story progresses, both women are plagued with trouble. Darby becomes almost obsessed with the alternative lifestyle and neglects her schooling. Staying out all night becomes her new normal, and she feels the exhilaration of breaking away from her mother. Rose's boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her and evicts her from the condo. And the hits keep coming.The chapter headings make it simple to delineate the two storylines. Slowly but surely the tension builds because I have no idea how the Darby-Esme story will play out. But what fun I had getting to the end! The attention paid to detail is remarkable and entertaining, especially in the chapters that take place in the fifties. When Darby's mother ordered a Jell-O salad, for example, I remembered that those ghastly masses of jiggly green were de rigueur on every lady's lunch menu.Despite wanting to solve the Darby-Esme story, I savored this book. The writing flowed effortlessly. The transition between 1951-2 and 2016 was seamless. By a writer with lesser skills, the story could have been choppy. The characters were wonderful and well developed. I felt genuine empathy for Darby and Rose and will not soon forget them.A stellar debut leaves me waiting for the next Fiona Davis book.

This was an interesting story about the school and the Barbizon hotel in the 1950"s well written

This is a very entertaining book! I loved it! I enjoy reading about the history of such landmarks. The buildings might be old but their stories are so interesting! Thank you!

A fantastic read and sustained interest until the end. The women in past and present and their struggles and independce portrayed so effortlessly and beautifully.

Der erste Roman seit langem, der mich dazu bewogen hat, Menschen um mich herum anzuranzen, wenn sie mich beim Lesen unterbrechen wollten. Es sollte die perfekte Urlaubslektüre werden. Sie war so gut, dass am Ende des Romans noch zu viel Resturlaub vorhanden war.

This book set in the Barbizon Hotel in New York, is well written, researched and constructed and the plot moves along at a cracking place. it was fabulous! A pleasure to read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A really interesting novel by an author who lives and loves New York. Easy reading takes you into a world of characters with intertwining lives as they live out the story. I liked the dual timeline approach in alternating chapters, rather like reading two stories at the same time, all brought together by links throughout the book and fully in the final chapters. The author is an expert wordsmith and crafts the book carefully throughout making it a really interesting read as she brings everything to life while moving towards an unexpected ending. You will enjoy this book with its twists and turns. I bought the hardback with its smart cover and will be keeping it on my shelf.

Very enjoyable novel set during 1952 and placed in New York City. The description of life at the time was accurate and the information about the Women's Hotel which became condos in modern times, was very interesting. Good character development and plot. Will look forward to reading more of her books.