Giveaway: The Dollhouse

Summary: Fiona Davis’s stunning debut novel pulls readers into the lush world of New York City’s glamorous Barbizon Hotel for Women, where in the 1950s a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors lived side by side while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success, and where a present-day journalist becomes consumed with uncovering a dark secret buried deep within the Barbizon’s glitzy past.

When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren’t: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn’t belong—a notion the models do nothing to disabuse. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she’s introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy downtown jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that’s used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance.

Over half a century later, the Barbizon’s gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby’s involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman’s rent-controlled apartment. It’s a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby’s upstairs neighbor, to resist—not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose’s obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed. -- Dutton

Today is the paperback release date for THE DOLLHOUSE by Fiona Davis! I read and reviewed this book when it first came out in hardcover, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I loved how the story went back and forth between the 1950s New York City and present-day, and it was especially appealing to me that there was a bit of a mystery incorporated into the stories. I also thought Ms. Davis did an outstanding job bringing 1950s New York, and particularly the Barbizon Hotel, to life.

THE DOLLHOUSE received some major publicity attention including reviews and features in Time, Family Circle, People, US Weekly, USA Today, The Associated Press, TheSkimm, New York Post, and PopSugar; and I truly believe it would make an excellent book club selection. Here's the link to the discussion guide with fifteen thought-provoking questions.

I'm thrilled to say that I have a copy of the new paperback version (isn't it gorgeous?) to share with one lucky reader courtesy of the publisher. To enter, just fill out the form below before July 24th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will randomly select and notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. addresses only. Good luck!