All posts tagged: New York City

Writers on Wednesday: What do Grace Kelly, Elaine Stritch, & Eudora Welty have in common? Fiona Davis tells us– and so much more–in her interview on her debut historical fiction, THE DOLLHOUSE

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By Leslie Lindsay  A stunningly lush debut from journalist Fiona Davis, THE DOLLHOUSE (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 23 2016) is at once a foray into the glamorous and upstanding sorority* of young women far away from home living in NYC for the first time, often alone and in school. But it’s also a mystery of what really happened to one of the [fictional] characters. For me, THE DOLLHOUSE was the perfect blend of historical fiction, society and class, and mystery. “The Barbizon…filled to the rafters with pretty little dolls, just like you.” Long before Barbizon 63 was a sleek condo building, it was the famed Barbizon Hotel for Women,* an exclusive residence for New York City’s young, single women. From 1927 to 1981, the buildings 23 stories and 700 rooms were a lush beehive swarming with thousands of aspiring models, actresses, secretaries, editors, writers—among them Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Liza Minelli, Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, Ali MacGraw, Candice Bergen, and Betsey Johnson—who lived side-by-side and adhered to strict rules while attempting to claw their way …

Wednesdays with Writers: Finding the deeper truth in fiction, his favorite place in the world, fear of the blank page and rediscovering lost love, Thomas Christopher Greene talks about his stunning new book, IF I FORGET YOU

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By Leslie Lindsay  I closed this book for the last time with my heart in my throat and a deep visceral sigh. If I had been alone and not in a car traveling at eighty miles an hour filled with the giddy sounds of 5th grade girls, I might have shed a tear. And then I looked over at my husband, who was driving, and thought, “This life.”  IF I FORGET YOU (released yesterday, June 14 2016 from St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books)began for the author as many books do for many authors. It began as a question, “What if?” Simple as that. We all wonder from time to time about that first love, about that person who made such a mark on our lives, it’s stamped on our psyche forever. And then the muse takes over. A story told from a series of fragmented memories, wonderings, a compelling force drawing the ‘what if’ to fruition. . Told from such raw, simple honesty, IF I FORGET YOU is wrapped in an delicately-spun tale of secrets, love, and …

Write On, Wednesday: Kim van Alkemade on the truth behind the fiction of ORPHAN #8

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By Leslie Lindsay  A stunning debut novel of historical fiction set in the forgotten world of New York City’s Jewish orphanages.  In 1919, four-year-old Rachel Rabinowitz is placed in the Hebrew Infant Home where Dr. Mildred Solomon is conducting medical research on the children. Dr. Solomon subjects Rachel to an experimental course of X-ray treatments that establish the doctor’s reputation while risking the little girl’s health. ORPHAN #8 (William Morrow & Co.) is a deeply moving and deeply personal historical account about the human capacity to harm and to love. I am honored to welcome the lovely Kimberly van Alkemade to the blog. Leslie Lindsay: Thanks for being here today, Kim. I am so honored to have you. I’m always so eager to know exactly what sparks an author to delve into the depths of their novels. I understand that some of your interest in the Hebrew Infant Home originated when you began researching your own family history. Can you speak to that, please? Kim van Alkemade:  Yes, my grandfather grew up in the real Hebrew …