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.
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