Overall, I really enjoyed it. Other than a rushed ending (which I'll touch on later), I thought it was a great portrayal of history, while also including an aspect of modern fiction. The book is based on a hotel for women, called the Barbizon, that served as a place for women to stay in the 1950s while they were training for their careers. Half of the story is told through the perspective of one of these women, and the other half is told by a journalist in the 21st century. She lives with her boyfriend in the Barbizon (which now serve as condos) and discovers the fascinating history of these women.
If I'm going to read a historical story, I usually prefer it to contain some aspect of fiction, so The Dollhouse was a great fit. The one downfall for me was the ending--I felt the plot was at a good pace and the story was developing really well...and then all of a sudden I reached the climax and it resolved all in about 15 pages. And, the story switched to the perspective of only one character. I kind of understand that it had to happen, but it left me wanting more.
I did some brief research on the history of the hotel, and apparently one of its most famous guests was Sylvia Plath (author of The Bell Jar). She was mentioned a few times in the novel. You can tell Fiona Davis (the author) did her research, and it paid off in her storyline.
A new feature I want to include in this series is a difficulty level/preferred setting:
I would classify it as an easy read, not because of lack of content, but because it was so intriguing and left me wanting more every time I put it down. I would suggest reading on a long car or plane ride!
Thanks for reading, friends. Hope you're enjoying!
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