The Address

The Address follows two women connected by the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan across different centuries. In 1884, Sara Smythe leaves her hotel job in London to become the manager of the newly constructed Dakota, where she entangles her life with the building’s architect, Theodore Camden. In 1984, Bailey Camden, a recovering addict and Theodore’s descendant, arrives at the same building to oversee a massive renovation. She discovers a series of family secrets and a historical mystery regarding a murder that occurred within the Dakota’s walls decades earlier.

Historical fiction enthusiasts and fans of dual-timeline narratives read this book for its detailed look at Gilded Age architecture and New York City social history. It appeals to those interested in how family legacies and class structures shift over time. Readers finish the story with an understanding of the early development of luxury apartment living and the specific legal and social constraints placed on independent women during the late nineteenth century.

Clear-cut; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?