The Address: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.3 out of 5 Stars – Customer Reviews

Buy Today for the Bargain Price of Only $1.99

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

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.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review Praise for The Address “

A delicious tale of love, lies and madness.”—People Magazine

“The Address is compelling, historically minded fiction with unexpected—and entertaining—twists and turns…the novel delights…”—Ms. Magazine

“Lively and detail rich—set against the backdrop of NYC’s infamous Dakota building—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 “Fiona Davis again proves she is the master of the unputdownable novel.”—Redbook

“If you’re a historical fiction lover, we can’t recommend The Address enough. It has an unparalleled attention to character and detail, and will transport you back in time to New York City faster than you can say ‘The Dakota.’” –Hellogiggles.com

“On the heels of last year’s The Dollhouse—about life at the Barbizon Hotel—Fiona Davis is back with a compelling novel about two women, a century apart, who both find their lives forever changed by the Dakota, Manhattan’s most famous apartment building.”—Town & Country “

An unforgettable, centuries-spanning tale of life and love in The Dakota, NYC’s most famous apartment house.”—SouthernLiving.com