Book Review: The Address by Fiona Davis

I just love Fiona Davis’s books – this is the second one that I’ve read that is devoted to the history and stories behind a famous New York City building, and I really love the construct. There is so much fascinating history in old buildings, particularly in a city like New York, where the good, the bad, and the famous have long strode the streets and halls…

In this book, Davis takes on the iconic Dakota – the apartment building that expanded the boundaries of “acceptable” high-end New York housing AND witnessed the cold-blooded murder of John Lennon. The building is a character in its own right. I think this is one of the magical gifts that Davis brings to her books. Davis has a marvelous ability to take bricks and mortar and render it into an almost living entity – or at least one that demonstrates as much personality (and contributes as much to the story) as any of her human characters. History is full of fascinating – often stranger than fictional – tales, and it is a delight to see so many of them being brought into the light in books like this one. I also really enjoy the back-and-forth of a contemporary story line blended with a historical one. Using a modern-day protagonist to relate to (and solve a mystery for) an earlier-century one is a great way of bringing the stories of each into full technicolor.

If you are interested in Gilded Age New York, the descriptions of personalities, social trends, and social interactions will engage you wholeheartedly. And even if you are not particularly so, Davis has a lovely, engaging, and easy-going writing style that will pull you in. I can’t wait to see what landmark she tackles next!