Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story

Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story by Mike Anthony 296 pages

 

I am probably the only person in the United States who loves American history and musical theater but hasn’t seen Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway sensation, Hamilton. I just don’t think I’d like all that rapping. Of the few scenes I’ve seen on television, I can’t understand a word they are saying/singing. But maybe it’s just me. That, and I don’t want to pay $500 for a ticket just to be frustrated. That’s why I picked up this memoir from the bartender at the theater where Hamilton was/is playing. I thought it was a backstage look at the hottest ticket in town. And in ways it is.

 

The author, Mike Anthony, set out to be a Broadway actor. But like many wannabes, he had to pay his dues. So, he took a job as a bartender at Hamilton’s home, the Richard Rogers Theater until he could get a Broadway gig. I was never sure if Anthony kept a journal during his time at RRT, or if he set out to write a book about the people who stopped by or those he met.

 

The book was interesting, but I didn’t care about Anthony’s memories and anecdotes. I didn’t care about the famous people who came to see the show (Opray, twenty-five times; Rosie O’Donnell more than forty) and his interaction with them. I was rather fascinated about how the Secret Service got then-President Obama and then-Vice President Pence in and out without that night’s audience even knowing they were there.

 

From what I understand, Anthony gave up his dream behind the footlights and settled into a swell job. I’m happy for him. He found satisfaction and joy in what he did, and really, that’s all we can hope for in a job.

 

Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Magnolia Palace

 “The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis    352 pages 

One of the things that I like about Fiona Davis’s novels is that she uses setting as character. If you haven’t read any of her books and don’t know what that means, think of Tara in “Gone With the Wind.”  Tara is as much a character in the book (and movie) as Scarlett and Rhett. In Davis’s books, she writes about famous buildings in the New York City. In her other books, she has written about Grand Central Station, The Dakota (the apartment building where John and Yoko lived), the Barbizon Hotel, the Chelsea Hotel and the New York City Public Library.  Davis sets this novel in the Henry Clay Frick Mansion (currently closed for renovation, but the massive Renaissance to the twentieth-century  art collection is still available for viewing at Frick Madison).  

As in her other books, Davis wrap a historical mystery in dueling timelines. This story is set in 1919 and 1961. 

In 1919, Lillian Carter (based on the real-life artists’ model Audrey Munson) must support herself after her mother dies in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. She becomes renown as “Angelica,” a model, often posing nude, or nearly nude. Statues of Lillian’s classical image dot Manhattan landmarks. Behind on her rent, Lilly tries to sneak out of the apartment she shared with her mother, leaving all her belonging behind. On her way out, she becomes entangled, albeit minimally, in a murder. Still she manages to sneak away and spends a few days on the streets. She winds up at the Frick Mansion, inadvertently interviewing for the position of private secretary to Frick’s daughter, Helen. 

In 1966, Veronica Weber arrives from England for a photo shoot at the Frick Mansion. She manages to do everything wrong and is fired from the set. Humiliated, she retreats to a part of the Mansion and gets lost. When she decides to leave, she learns that the house is empty except her, and she is trapped.  She settles down to wait out the night, but a snowstorm creates a blackout, leaving her stranded in the dark, heatless mansion for gosh who know how long. 

Veronica explores the best she can, even the pipe organ room, which house forty-seven hundred pipes. There she finds some papers stuck between the pipes that send her on a scavenger hunt. Soon Veronica learns that she is not alone in the mansion, but the intern, Joshua, had fallen asleep in the basement and was also stranded for the duration. Together they manage to make life bearable until the storm abates. 

As always, Davis vacillates between the two time periods with ease. She knows instinctively when to end a section that leaves readers wanting more, only to be wrapped up in the other time period, causing readers to stay up way past their bedtimes. Based on the buzz I’ve heard about this book, Davis did not disappoint; she certainly didn’t this reader. The only problem that comes from this novel is that I have to wait about another year before a new novel is available. I wonder what she’ll write about next.  I can’t wait!  “The Magnolia Palace” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Address

The Address by Fiona Davis 400 pages 

Author Fiona Davis, known for her use of iconic Manhattan landmarks as characters in her novel, features the Dakota Apartment Building. That name may ring a bell to contemporary readers, even though the building dates back to the 1800s. Just outside The Dakota is where rock legend John Lennon was murdered. Lennon’s untimely death is mentioned, but more as a historical footnote than a contribution to the plot. 

Davis also uses dueling timelines to create the landmarks settings. This time the story vacillates between 1884 and 1984. 

In 1884, Sara Smythe is the head housekeeper of London’s Langham Hotel. Looking out the window of her office, Sara sees a child dangling from an open window. Her quick reaction saves the child. The child’s father is struggling architect Theodore Camden. He is eternally grateful and eventually offers Sara the position of manager of the Dakota…in the U.S. 

Sara accepts and sails for New York. The Dakota is not yet finished, but Theodore and Sara make a great team. So much so that later, when Theodore strikes out on his own, Sara goes with him. 

In 1984, Bailey Camden is just out of rehab and ready to start her life afresh. Bailey is not biologically related to Theodore, but is the great-granddaughter of his ward. The former interior designer isn’t sure what to do, so she enlists her “cousin” Melinda to help her at the Dakota, which she is vigorously renovating. Gutting is probably a better word, as Melinda is taking Theodore’s former apartment and making it sleek and sophisticated. 

Davis allows the readers to see the struggles of Sara and Bailey and what secrets the Dakota hides… and now. We also get to see the building’s grandeur at two distinct times. The secrets involve the stabbing of Theodore and a missing sheath that could hold the key to who inherits Theodore’s fortune. 

I’ve loved all of Davis’ other novels and this one is no exception. “The Address” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Finding Mrs. Ford

Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce 404 pages

I have to admit, I thought Finding Mrs. Ford was going to be about Henry Ford’s wife. Don’t know where I got that; there is nothing on the cover that even remotely suggests that. It doesn’t matter---once I started this wonderful novel, I couldn’t put it down.

Mrs. Susan Ford, no relation to Henry that is mentioned in the book, lives a privileged life. She is wealthy, has a stepson whom she adores (and who adores her), a beautiful home, money and staff to take care of her and her home.  Living the good life takes little doing on her part.

Thirty-five years have passed since the events of 1979, and now that past has come to call. She must pay for the life she led then. And for what she did. The FBI knocks on her door and asks about a man named Sammy Fakhouri. An Iraqi with ties to ISIS, he is arrested on his way to see Susan, although Susan was not expecting him.

Jump back to the summer of ‘79. Susan was a college co-ed, a rather studious and quiet young woman. She meets the out-going and sassy Annie. The two become best friends, although they could not be more different. They had a summer job, but when an opportunity arises to work as a waitress in a disco, both jump at the opportunity—Annie more so than Susan.

The disco is a gross, shady place where there is more going on than music, dancing, getting high and drinking. It’s a place were extremely powerful men hangout. Susan gets romantically involved with Sammy. But in 2014, Susan is wondering why he’s coming to see her.

The novel is broken into two parts: Part One focuses on Susan while Part Two focuses on Annie. There is a major twist right at the point where Part One transitions to Part Two---a stunner for sure. Not one that I saw coming.

“Finding Mrs. Ford” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

When Harry Met Minnie

When Harry Met Minnie: A true story of love and friendship by Martha Teichner 256 pages

Get ready to fall in love with this true, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of two women and their bull terriers. It won’t be a bad idea to have a box of tissues handy either.

 “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent and multi-Emmy Award winner Martha Teichner tells the story of her enchantment with the bull terrier breed. In the past she has been best friends with Piggy, Goose, and now, Minnie. Martha and Minnie loved to walk around New York City, especially the Chelsea Piers and the Union Square Farmer’s Market. All the vendors at the market knew Minnie and had a treat waiting for her. Her favorite? Mangos!

It was at the market, on July 23, 2016, that Martha and Minnie ran into an old acquaintance, quite by chance. It had been a couple of years since she had seen him and his dog, but there they were. Weirdly, Martha didn’t know much about him, not even his name, but they bonded over their dogs. When Martha’s old friend learned that Goose had died six months earlier, he had an idea.

He had another friend, Carol, who was looking for a new home for her bull terrier, Harry. Carol had developed cancer from the 9/11 toxins as her apartment building was near Ground Zero. After thinking about, Martha agreed to let Harry and Minnie meet. This started a nearly two year adventure of slowly introducing the dogs as bull terriers can be quite territorial and aggressive.

Harry and Minnie immediately hit it off! There were multiple dates, overnights and walks around the city. Readers will get to know their individual idiosyncrasies and their breed’s stubbornness and watch them bond. Harry had several medical issues also; quite a few as Martha soon learned. But that wasn’t an issue---Minnie loved Harry, and Harry loved Minnie.

A deep friendship also formed between Martha, Carol, and Martha’s acquaintance, who was named Stephen. What fun it was to be a voyeuristic part of their group! Martha still had not committed to taking Harry as late as Fall 2017. However, as Carol deteriorated, it became a matter of fact that Martha would take Harry and love him all the rest of his days.

This story reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Berg’s novel, “Talk Before Sleep.” I was attracted to the cover---Harry and Minnie’s adorable faces staring at me. I feel now as if I knew them.  

When Harry Met Minnie: A true story of love and friendship receive 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

Blood Alley

Blood Alley by Tom Coffey   280 pages

New York – Middle of November 1946…Cub reporter and rewrite man Patrick Grimes works the graveyard shift at “The New York Examiner,” one of those sleazy tabloids that sensationalism. Tonight Grimes is sent to help cover the finding of a dead woman’s body down by the East River.  That area is a hell-hole of breweries and tenements. 

He arrives as Finkel the photographer does what he does best: manipulate the body to get the most sensational photograph. Nearby stands the man who called in the tip, William Anderson.  Just as Finkel is wrapping up, the police arrive with lights and sirens blasting. 

Anderson is arrested because he is in possession of a twenty dollar bill and he’s African-American. When police learn the woman is socialite Amanda Price, Anderson is charged and beaten until he signs a confession.

Grimes doesn’t believe that Anderson is guilty and launches his own investigation that takes him from the beautiful homes and  society to the underbelly of the city. Along the way, he learns that there is more to Amanda Price and the Price family than meets the eye.

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for more than a decade, and I could just kick myself that hadn’t read it before now. What a shame Humphrey Bogart is no longer with us to play Grimes in the movie that should be made; it’s noir at its finest.

The language is real, with the “N” word being used as much as I suspect it was back then. The stereotypes of the newsroom and the boozy city editor are dead on and give the story an authentic feel…or at least as authentic as I have been conditioned to believe.

“Bloody Alley” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Park Avenue Summer

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen   338 pages

Told from the perspective of fictional Alice Weiss, this is an account of Helen Gurley Brown, the first female editor of Cosmopolitian. Alice lands the secretarial position to Helen Gurley Brown and is privy to Helen's frequent crying jaggers, obsession with her weight and fashion sense, but most of all...her strength and singularity of vision in the future of Cosmopolitan magazine. As Helen's right arm, Alice also finds herself rubbing shoulders with successful entertainment industry at parties. Alice navigates the rough terrain of romance, alcohol and sex, work intrigue, and career growth opportunities in this delightful historical romp through sixties NYC. Although parts of the book lagged, it ultimately resolved itself to a satisfying present day conclusion.

The true portion of this story explores how the failing Cosmopolitan magazine was reimagined by new editor Helen Gurley Brown, in defiance of the direction dictated by owning Hearst Corporation, to become a resource for the modern, single, career woman. Before being hired as editor of the magazine, Helen Gurley Brown had written Sex and the Single Girl, a groundbreaking advice book that encouraged women to become financially independent and experience sexual relationships before or without marriage. So when she became responsible for Cosmo’s content, Brown transformed the literary magazine famed for its high-toned content into the racy, contentious, popular, and successful magazine that espoused her particular feminist views.

Posted by: Regina C.  

Paris Never Leaves You

 

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman  368 pages

Ages ago, I read author Ellen Feldman’s “Lucy,” and it was a wonderful read.  I’m sorry to say tht I haven’t read any of her five books since then, but I plan to rectify that soon. In this, her sixth, novel, Feldman deals with a form of PTSD as invoked by the title.  Charlotte can never forget what happened in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. Her daughter, Vivi, was barely a toddler, but the events of those extraordinary times also seem to prey on her.

The novel opens in Paris, in 1944. Charlotte and other Jews are ripping the stars from their clothing.  Paris had been liberated and with it the camps. But the opening scene turns frightful when an angry mob attacks a woman known as a collaborator.

The scene then shifts to New York, 1954 (I love dueling timeline!). Charlotte is a book editor at the prestigious  publishing house of Gibbon & Field. The “Field” is none other than Horace Field, one of Charlotte and Vivi’s sponsors, which allowed them to come to America.

A letter, not the first, has arrived at Charlotte’s desk. She’s on her way to a meeting and slips it into the trash. Readers don’t know who it is from and Charlotte’s apprehension regarding opening it foreshadows the fear she feels that her past is about to come for its revenge.

One of the things that I admired most about this novel was the seemless transition between Charlotte’s life as a bookseller in Occupied Paris to her contemporary circumstances without using chapter breaks.

In Paris, Charlotte is managing a bookstore with ther friend and the store owner, Simeone. Many think they are sisters, but they are not. One afternoon a Nazi officer comes into the bookstore, just browsing. Fear races through Charlotte’s veins, but she manages to stay calm.  That officer’s arrival will have implications in her life forever.

I don’t want to give too much away, and I was surpised that there was no synopsis on the book’s cover. But as Feldman weaves her story, she drops little bombshells ar just the right time to make this reader sit up straighter and stay up way past her bedtime. Even when I thought the book was going to plateau, another little bomb oes off, and I’m up even later. Therefore, “Paris Never Leaves You” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Dominicana

Dominicana by Angie Cruz    336 pages  I read a galley 

This is a thoughtful, heartfelt portrait of immigration, family, and self-resilience. It's also a glimpse into the social upheaval of the 1960s in America, through the eyes of an immigrant and new resident of New York City.  Great for readers who enjoy historical fiction, as well as stories of immigration told from a first-person point of view.
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Ana Cancion is 15 and has never dreamed of moving away from the Dominican countryside. When Juan Ruiz proposes, promising to take her to New York City and set her up in a new life, she is reluctant. After all, Juan is twice her age and she doesn't even like him very much. However, under pressure from her family, she accepts. So, Ana leaves everything she knows behind and becomes Ana Ruiz, moving to New York City in 1965, in the midst of social and political upheaval in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. Trapped in her cold apartment, Ana recklessly plans to escape. However, Juan's brother Cesar convinces her to stay, pointing out that when Juan returns to the Dominican Republic for a business trip, Ana can finally leave the apartment on her own and even take some lessons to learn English. Soon, Ana is imagining a different kind of life in America, where she can be free to make her own money, and do as she pleases.  However, when Juan returns, Ana is forced to choose between her dreams and her duty to her family.

This book is a bit of a slow start and at first, I wasn't sure if I liked it enough to continue. However, I was curious about Ana and what was going to happen. And, as I kept reading, I started to enjoy her first-person account of what was happening, and what her life in New York City was like. Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in this story. There are parts of this story that are heartbreaking, but other parts that are uplifting, where I found I truly had hope that Ana would have a better life. It's hard to imagine leaving everything and everyone you know behind to move to a new country, with a man you don't like very much, and where you don't know the language. Ana's perseverance was inspiring, and I found the story very compelling.

Lock Every Door

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager    386 pages

Apartment sitting at The Batholomew sounds like a dream job, not only because Jules is broke and getting desperate. It's a beautiful apartment and the setting for her all-time favorite book. There are some strict rules that come with the job, like: No visitors. No disturbing the other residents. No spending a night away from the apartment. However, Jules doesn't think any of these will be a problem. And when she meets Ingrid, a fellow apartment-sitter, Jules thinks this might be the best job ever.

Until Ingrid goes missing. The night before, Jules thought she heard a scream and when she knocked on Ingrid's door, it was clear that Ingrid was terrified about something.  Now, Jules is determined to find out what happened to Ingrid and unravel the mystery of why The Bartholomew has such a sinister reputation.

This book has a great start, where Jules wakes up in a hospital, apparently having run right into traffic. As you go backwards and to when she gets the job as the apartment sitter, you start to think Jules is just being paranoid. And nosy. However, you can't shake the feeling that something really is wrong. What I did not see coming was the one reveal about 3/4 of the way through --- and no spoilers here.  I think if I went back and re-read, I might see some clues, though.  Definitely an entertaining, fast-moving read.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms    332 pages

"Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City."  

Amy is a school librarian in Pennsylvania and when she's given the chance to get away for a week, she decides to get some continuing ed credits and signs up to go an upcoming library conference in New York and present on a project she's been working on at her school.  Lucky for Amy, she has an old friend who runs a magazine in New York City, so she has somewhere to stay.  What she doesn't anticipate is this week will turn into a longer adventure, connecting her with an interesting man who captures her heart.  When it comes time to return back to her old life, will she?

So, I liked this book okay --- but it required several suspensions of disbelief.  I could buy the fact that Amy's husband left her and she had to figure out how to get a job and take care of her kids on her own.  What I had a hard time believing was 1) she is able to, at the last minute (from what it sounds like), submit her program for the conference, register and get to New York; 2) without a hotel reservation because she's sure she's staying with her friend . . . even though she didn't get a firm confirmation from her; and 3) there's no mention at all of how hot New York City is in the summer . . . and how packed these conferences tend to be.  I really don't buy that she was able to submit her proposal for a program right before the conference --- sorry, but I know how much lead time they need for things.  Also, I know how hot New York City gets in the summer --- and I know that library conferences get scheduled during the summer in locations that are hot because they save money that way.

And of course, Amy's friend in New York City, who runs a magazine, is wealthy and the magazine does a profile on Amy with a makeover . . . .   it's like everything can fall in place if you're friends with people with connections and a lot of money.   Also, I can't quite believe Amy goes somewhere wearing stretch pants and a sweater set ...  or wear a knit dress to dinner . . . I mean, it's summer.

So this is maybe a little snarky. While I found this book entertaining, I don't think I was quite in the mood for this Cinderella story starring a school librarian.  It's an okay story, but it just didn't quite resonate with me.

Metropolitan Stories

Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson    208 pages

I’m not a huge television watcher, but I do enjoy watching the behind-the-scenes shows at zoos. Watchers get to take a peek behind the curtain at what it takes to care for the thousands of animals in their care. Fascinating stuff.

I feel the same way about Christine Coulson’s new novel, “Metropolitian Stories.” From a writer who worked at that renown institution for more than 25 years, reads are taken through to the offices, the storage rooms, the cafeteria and what seems to a million-mile labyrinth of hallways that connect the myriad of buildings, galleries and studios. On the down side, I had no real idea of where the vignettes were actually happening, and that confused me a bit. But it didn’t stop me from reading.

 I loved all the stories, but my favorite is “Meats and Cheeses.” It involves a 4,000-year-old leg of lamb. The narrator, Kate, is on a mission of a different kind, but winds up in a room full of hats---all types from pith helmets to straw boaters. Hebe and Helen, who work in the room, are a

riot. It seems that Kate’s, who has only been with the Met about a year, main job is to deliver the yellow interoffice envelopes known as “cheeses.” She is following a hand-drawn map and trying to get a sign off for a China exhibition’s title wall.  I won’t write anymore as I may give it away, but Kate’s adventures through the maze of hallways looking for a blue door is the perfect story for readers to understand the complexity of working at the Met.

Light-hearted, full of whimsy and just plain fun, I give “Metropolitan Stories” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Chelsea Girls

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis      368 pages

Since I first discovered books by Fiona Davis during the summer of 2018, I have become one of her biggest fans. Not only are her storylines and characters compelling, I love the way she uses New York City’s historical landmarks/architecture as characters. It adds a layer of complexity that I adore.

Davis hits another one out of the ballpark with her fourth novel, “The Chelsea Girls.” Hazel and Maxine meet in 1945 while they are schlepping through Europe as part of a touring USO band of actresses, performing skits and plays for weary soldiers.

After the war, the girls go their separate ways: Hazel to New York and Maxine to Los Angeles. Hazel gets room at The Chelsea Hotel, a haven for budding actresses, musicians, poets, and other artists. She feels at home among the quirky residents. Hazel makes the rounds, desperate to land a role. She gets a few small gigs, but it’s the typewriter and the play she started during the war that are her siren. Five years after the war ended, “Wartime Sonata,” Hazel has finished her manuscript and is ready to take it to Broadway.

Meanwhile over in Los Angeles, Maxine has become a true movie star. Readers don’t see Maxine in California, but we get to hear about her life when she comes to New York, looking for her old friend. She is running from an abusive relationship and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare. Although the two have drifted apart, they quickly pick up where they left off.

Against the mount of Hazel’s play and Maxine’s troubled relationship, there is The Chelsea Hotel.  Fascinating characters inhabit this grand building, where anyone can follow their heart.

When McCarthy is finished with Hollywood, he turns his eye toward Broadway. He is determined to rid the U. C. of any communist activity. Called before his committee, will Hazel cave and name names?  Will Maxine give in to the pressure? 

What a ride!  I think this is Davis’s work yet, and I’m eagerly awaiting her next novel. I hope she writes fast!  I give “The Chelsea Girls” 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, 673 pages

Winter's Tale is a strange story strangely told.  In a New York that never was, surrounded by a hurricane-like cloud wall that partially insulates it from the outside world, there lives a white horse able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  After the horse rescues a thief named Peter Lake from the vengeful gang leader Pearly Soames, the two form an instant bond.  To finance his escape from the city, Lake attempts to burgle the mansion of a wealthy newspaper publisher, only to unexpectedly encounter the publisher's lovely, dying daughter Beverly.  The two fall instantly, deliriously, magically in love, a love which transcends death and reaches beyond the stars.

The narrative is broken into pieces by numerous flashbacks, subplots, digressions, and mysteries.  Some of these pieces fit together better than others.  Oddly, the novel Winter's Tale most resembles may be Gravity's Rainbow, only where Pynchon's work is suffused with paranoid pessimism, Helprin's sparkles with enchanted delight.

The Dollhouse

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis   368 pages

In the last month or so, I was lucky enough to snag a copy of author Fiona Davis’s new book, “The Masterpiece,” and I just loved it. So of course, since that was only her third novel, I knew that I had to read her first two. This was Davis’ debut novel. It’s as equally mesmerizing.

Davis employed the dualing timelines as her structure. I’m wondering if this is going to be a continued pattern for her; I sure hope so, as I love it.

In 1952, Darby arrives from Ohio to attend the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in New York City. She plans to never marry and strives for financial and economic independence from her mother and step-father.  She moves into the Barbizon Hotel for Women. It wasn’t like a hotel that we think of today. She had to have three references in order to be even considered a place. Unfortunately, there isn’t room for her on the floor that houses other Gibbs’ girls. Instead, she is forced to live with aspiring models, who often distract her from her studies.

Darby becomes friends with the maid, Esme, who introduces her to the seedier side of New York. She also meets Sam, a cook in a jazz club who yearns to become a chef, using the spices he discovered in Southeast Asia.

Fast forward to 2016. The Barbizon Hotel for Women is now condos, except for the Fourth Floor. That’s where several of the now-elderly women from the Barbizon still reside. Rose and her divorced lover, Griff, have lived there for about a year. Thanks to Patrick the doorman, Rose learns about the women and the building’s history, especially the scandal that caused Esme to fall to her death from the rooftop terrace. Working for an internet news bureau called WordMerge, Rose wants to interview the women of the Fourth Floor.

She begins to knock on doors and finds some women wanting to talk with her; others who are not interested in bringing up the past. One of those women is Darby. Yup that Darby. As Rose is forced out of her apartment (Griff goes back to his wife, supposedly for a teenager’s sake), she becomes more and more obsessed with Darby and the rumors of her involvement with Esme’s death. It’s just happenstance that Darby winds up caring for Darby’s dog when the neighbor suddenly takes ill and is hospitalized.

I was enthralled with the story; I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to get my hands on Davis’s sophomore book, “The Address.”  “The Dollhouse” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Subway Girls

The Subway Girls by Susi Orman Schnall   320 pages

My new favorite writer, Fiona Davis, called this novel “dazzling and delicious,” and  I wholeheartedly agree. I read this dualing timelines story in one day. It was so captivating that I didn’t mind a four-hour wait at the airport for my plane to arrive. I couldn’t have been better prepared for a long wait than with this wonderful book.

The first timeline begins in the spring of 1949. Charlotte is a senior at New York City’s Hunter College, studying advertising. She dreams of becoming a junior copywriter but is realistic to know that her hopes of making it out of the typing pool are slim to none.

Times are tight in Brooklyn, where Charlotte lives with her parents. She has a steady beau who wants to marry her, but she wants to try her hand at a career first. Her father is a strict and cold man, man of few words. When his hardware store begins to fail, he insists that Charlotte leave school and help him in the store. Charlotte does help out, but refuses to abandon her studies; she only has a semester left.

Also happening in New York City is latest the latest advertising campaign for the transit system, a beauty contest that selects one young woman a month to wear the crown of Miss Subways. Charlotte concocts a scheme that if she enters and wins, she can use that platform as a way to save her father’s store. Based on the real-life Miss Subways campaign that ran between 1941 and 1976, Charlotte’s timeline captures a lost piece of New York City history.

The second time also begins in the spring, but the year is 2018. Olivia is an account executive with an advertising company that she, sort of, co-founded with a former colleague. The company has been losing business steadily and is on the brink of collapse. Thanks to a chance meeting in a bar, the company gets an opportunity to pitch a new campaign to the New York Transit System.  In her research, Olivia stumbles upon the Miss Subways campaign, and it here that Charlotte and Olivia intersect.

I loved this story. It pulled me in from the first page and didn’t let up until the ending that left me with a smile and a quiet cheer to myself.  “The Subway Girls” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Still Me

Still Me by Jojo Moyes             Audio Book 13 hours, 30 minutes      Paperback Book:  608 pages                      

I love the writing style of Jojo Moyes.   As I have said before, her writing style is so like another of my favorite writers, Sophie Kinsella, that it is a real treat to settle in with one of Jojo’s stories because the mental ride she takes you on is always enjoyable just like Sophie’s.    This story has English woman, Louisa Clark taking a position with the Gopnik family as Mrs. Gopnik’s personal assistant (ie. personal go-for).    The Gopnik family is incredibly rich.   The current Mrs. Gopnik is Mrs. Gopnik #2, a Polish immigrant who prior to her marriage was a massage therapist.    She is looked down upon by Mr. Gopnik’s other family members, particularly his daughter by his first marriage who thinks wife #2 is a gold digger.    Mr. Gopnik’s friends from the country club, from all the charities he is involved with etc.  have all taken sides and they are aligning with Mrs. Gopnik #1.     Lots of slurs,  hurtful things, and outright slights are constant rude reminders that Mrs. Gopnik #2 is perceived as a tramp for breaking the marriage up.   There is so much more to her story than that, though, and Louisa becomes more than her assistant, she becomes her friend, her confidant and her ally against all the negativity she has to put up with.   Louisa takes her job so seriously in puts herself in jeopardy – way more storyline there, too.    A good story.   There is a lot of history you will learn about Louisa’s life, too, which answers a lot of questions as to why she is there and what has happened in her life to make her the person she is.    Funny asides is the wicked tempered neighbor with the pug that thinks he is a pit bull,  the doorman who  teaches her how to use two fingers to whistle really loud for a taxicab and his social activist wife who enlists Louisa to help her protest to save a library and the gnarly (check your urban dictionary for surfer dude speak) group of friends, co-workers and potential business partners, like  the sisters in SoHo with the great vintage designer label clothes shop and Louisa’s love interests that round out Louisa’s New York lifestyle experience.    Louisa learns her way around New York like a native and there are loads of info on places she goes that make you want to take notes for that one day when you go to New York to see all the places and do all the great things she does.    So much goes on throughout this story that this is another of those books you won’t want to put down.    Excellent story.   Rave review for you, Jojo.

The Floating Lady Murder: A Harry Houdini Mystery (Book 2 of 3)

The Floating Lady Murder: A Harry Houdini Mystery (Book 2 of 3) by Daniel Stashower  256 pages

I wasn’t impressed with Book 1 in The Harry Houdini Mysteries, but this one is much, much better. The Floating Lady is a magic trick that is at the heart of this wonderful novel.

Again, the story is narrated by Harry’s younger brother, Dash, and is set a few years around the turn-of-the-century New York City. The book starts out in the same manner as Book 1: Harry has been dead for many years and Dash is an old man. On the anniversary of Harry’s death, reporters show up at his door, wanting to glean insight into the infamous magician. Dash vacillates between each story to tell, which will garner the biggest story, and which is the freshest. He decides on the Floating Lady murder. He’s never talked about it before and as all the players, except himself, are dead, Dash feels he can finally tell the story.

Harry hasn’t quite made a name for himself---yet. He and his wife, Bess, are struggling financially and live with his mother on East 69^th Street. Dash is somewhat better economically, but barely.

A world re-known magician, Harry Kellar (not a fictional person), is hiring for his show. He’s working on a new illusion in which a woman floats through the air, high into the dome of Belasco Theater. It is to be the highlight of his career, as this illusion has never been successfully performed.  

Kellar is worried about spies from other magic shows and hires the brothers as they would be able to spot a would-be theft more than someone who does not know the art of illusion. Lots of intrigue follows, most notably the escape of Boris the Lion.

The illusion really goes by two names in the novel, The Levitation of Princess Karnac or the Floating Lady. That doesn’t cause any confusion. On opening night, before a packed house, high-wire artist Francesca Moore falls seventy feet from the top of the dome. Seemingly a tragic accident, the coroner soon discovers that Miss Moore did not die on impact. In fact she had water in her lungs and had drowned.

Harry and Dash take it upon themselves to find the real killer. The two have several adventures that make for a great read. Stashower makes one faux pas that jumped off the page at me. On Page 10, he mentions magic performed on television shows. Even if Dash’s narration is near the end of his life in 1945, magic on television would be commonplace.

The Floating Lady Murder is much better than Book One, The Dime Museum Murders. It’s more of a page-turner than its predecessor.  I give Book Two 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Still Here

Still Here by Lara Vapnyar   320 pages

In her seventh novel, author Lara Vapynyar deals with the immigrant experience and identity, specifically a person’s online identity after his or her demise.

The novel centers around four Russian immigrants, friends since their school days. Now in their mid-40s, the four have come to the crossroads that often plague the lives of the middle-aged. The friends---Vica, Vadik, Sergey and Regina---all live in New York City.

Sergey and Vica are married and have a son, Eric. Sergey is constantly being laid off from his job as a financial analyst. Vica works as a medical technician at a local cancer treatment center. Just after the story opens, the couple split. Sergey goes to stay with Vadik and decides to devote all his time to developing an app that he calls “Virtual Grave.” The idea is that the app will peruse a person’s emails, text, voice mails, etc. to continue to recreate his or her online presence after death.

Vadik  is a programmer and is single. He lives the bachelor life, dating woman after woman. I thought he was the lesser drawn of the characters. He had been in love with Rachel, but there were two Rachel’s in Vadik’s life, referred to as Rachel 1 and Rachel 2. I found that utterly confusing.

Then there is Regina. A famous literary translator back in Russia, she spends her days grieving over her lost career and her mother. She’s marred to Bob, a wealthy American. Readers never get to see Bob except in passing and when he shows up, it is sometimes confusing because I always had trouble remembering who he was.

The book seems less to do with app and how it would than it does the four trying to navigate the daily struggle of life. I also had trouble in remembering who Vica and Vadik were…I kept getting them confused.

The story didn’t grab me. I plodded along with, much like the characters do in their lives. The book was okay, but I’ve read better books that deal with the same subject (virtual life after death) that were much better. I did like all the literary references. I give Still Here 3 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.