The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

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My book club just read The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis and I really liked it. This book is so different from anything I've read lately! I don't even know how I found the book but it ended up on our book list. The girls loved the synopsis from Amazon and wanted to read more.


Darby McLaughlin is an awkward homebody who is desperately trying to mold her life into something that will please her rigid mother. In doing so, she finds herself in the unknown territory of New York City. Her mother has pre-booked her a several month stint in the Big Apple at the iconic Barbizon hotel. This is to get her through secretarial school and then back to her hometown. The hotel is a place for young aspiring models, secretaries, and editors to live and network in the 1950s. It was a cutthroat hotel or dormitory of sorts, that pinned women against each other and created intense rivalries between the various women.

Soon after her arrival at the Dollhouse (as the hotel is nicknamed) Darby meets Esme, a talented singer and wild young maid. Esme opens Darby's eyes to the world beyond small town America, and the cliquey Barbizon hotel. She encourages Darby to break curfew, sneak around, and do what makes her heart happy, not what satisfies her mother. Soon, life will take a tragic turn for both girls and will force Darby to make a decision.

Flash forward to current day New York City, where a journalist named Rose, is living in the same hotel but it has now been converted into condos. Rose uncovers juicy details about the iconic hotel and can't help but dig deeper into the lives of the fascinating women who once lived there. Is there more to this old hotel than just the glitzy models and dark stories told in Sylvia Plath's book? Rose is going to find out whether they like the intrusion or not.

Also, this is Fiona Davis' debut book and I think she did an incredible job! I love that it flashes from the 50's to current day New York City, but does so in a way that makes sense and follows a timeline. Head out and get this book asap... you won't be disappointed, I promise!