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A review by mhinnen
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Having just read The Address, which I loved, I thought I would take a look at some of Fiona Davis' other books. I didn't love this one as much, but it was a strong story with lots of information about 1950s NYC and the options for young women.
The title comes from the Barbizon Hotel for Women aka "The Dollhouse." Young white women who had connections could live there while they pursued dreams of modeling, publishing, or secretarial work (we learn it is preferred that secretaries are naturally well endowed). Men call the hotel a dollhouse - waiting for the women inside to turn into "real" women who are there for their enjoyment. The misogyny is overt and meanness and cruelty permeate the culture.
The dual timeline follows residents Darby and Rose and alternates between the 1950s and 2016. Darby lives on the 4th floor - reserved for elderly women who never left the hotel and when it was turned into coops were offered rent-stabilized apartments. Rose is a journalist whose life is unraveling and stumbles into a mystery that she begins to research about a death that occurred decades earlier. She also discovers that amid the cruelty, there was joy and friendships. Some of the women found that their independence helped them break free of the limited options they were told they had. Rose's own insecurities are exposed as she romanticizes and projects her fear onto the lives of the women whose lives she is learning about.
I really enjoyed the book and the mystery. There were some side stories that, while I appreciated them, were a bit distracting and could have actually been a little less detailed (or written as a main storyline in another book).
The title comes from the Barbizon Hotel for Women aka "The Dollhouse." Young white women who had connections could live there while they pursued dreams of modeling, publishing, or secretarial work (we learn it is preferred that secretaries are naturally well endowed). Men call the hotel a dollhouse - waiting for the women inside to turn into "real" women who are there for their enjoyment. The misogyny is overt and meanness and cruelty permeate the culture.
The dual timeline follows residents Darby and Rose and alternates between the 1950s and 2016. Darby lives on the 4th floor - reserved for elderly women who never left the hotel and when it was turned into coops were offered rent-stabilized apartments. Rose is a journalist whose life is unraveling and stumbles into a mystery that she begins to research about a death that occurred decades earlier. She also discovers that amid the cruelty, there was joy and friendships. Some of the women found that their independence helped them break free of the limited options they were told they had. Rose's own insecurities are exposed as she romanticizes and projects her fear onto the lives of the women whose lives she is learning about.
I really enjoyed the book and the mystery. There were some side stories that, while I appreciated them, were a bit distracting and could have actually been a little less detailed (or written as a main storyline in another book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment