Fiona Davis is back, this time it's with a compelling novel about the 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 for the wealthy and elite. The Address transports you into a fictional world of living in The Dakota Apartment house, overlooking the lush greens of Central Park West. One of the treasures about this novel is that it takes place in two different time periods, the first in 1884 where you meet a young woman who comes to work as a housekeeper for the Dakota when it was first being built, eventually leading up to her becoming the first female manager of the building! The second time period is in 1985, where a down-on-her-luck interior decorator has to strip one of the apartments of all its gorgeous details, taking away the character and history of the apartment. An element of mystery links these two time periods together, as a murder takes place within the gilded fortress that is The Dakota. The Address' rich historical detail, paired with its unforgettable characters delivers a compulsively readable novel that peels back the layers not only of a famed institution, but the lives and lies of those within.
The novel is part historical fiction, and part modern-day. Some aspects of the historical moments are based on fact, but twisted to fit Davis' plotline. For example, the character of Sara Smythe, the lady Manager-ette, was inspired by a historical account of a lady Manager-ette of a women who worked at The Dakota in 1980s!
The Address is such a treat because it has great twists, a murder mystery, a love story, family drama, and more. How did Fiona Davis come up with such a compelling novel? "What I did was come up with the two female characters first and figured out what I wanted their goals and journey to be," Davis explains. "Then it's a matter of figuring out how to connect them, because the two time periods are connected and you want a pay off at the end where people don't except what happens to happen. I love stories that are plot driven and move along and keep me guessing. I want to keep things moving while still providing a vivid account of what life was like in those two time periods." Wow, that quote alone makes us want to read The Address yet again!
Who would Fiona Davis want to portray her characters if The Address was a movie? Check it out below!
The Address is a delicious tale of love, lies, and madness and it's characters will remind you that sometimes, we have more in common with strangers than we think! Davis is a magnificent storyteller and adds much richness to both the setting, intrigue, and character development in her novel. Get ready to get lost in the halls and walls of one of New York's most iconic building while imaging how the residents who called it home once lived.