--- product_id: 45570879 title: "The Dollhouse: A Novel" price: "£15.11" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/45570879-the-dollhouse-a-novel store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # The Dollhouse: A Novel **Price:** £15.11 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Dollhouse: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** £15.11 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/45570879-the-dollhouse-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Dollhouse: A Novel [Davis, Fiona] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Dollhouse: A Novel Review: A GREAT Read!! - This has proven to be one of my favorite books of all time!! I keep re-reading it, give it as gifts to my reader friends and I now have a copy in paperback, hardcover and digital!! I love the short chapters, the attention to detail of the historic NYC building, the past and present perspectives, the mystery with a little twist! I’m going to have to read it again now! Review: The Barbizon - Set at The Barbizon Hotel for Women in 1952 and Barbizon 63 in 2016, The Dollhouse tells the stories of two of its residents. In 1952, Darby arrives at the Barbizon to study at Katie Gibbs secretarial school. In 2016, journalist Rose Lewin lives in the same building, now condos. The Barbizon, in its heyday, was for women only, complete with curfews and rules designed to shelter the resident unmarried women - Eileen Ford models, Katie Gibbs girls, and others - from the big bad city. Each woman's story unspoiled as it is told in alternating chapters. Plain, awkward Darby is housed in the floor with all the models, and feels tremendously out of place. She is befriended by Esme, a Puerto Rican maid who works there, and through Esme discovers The city's jazz club scene, consequently stepping out of her inhibited upbringing, flouting curfew and struggling with her secretarial studies. Rose lives with her boyfriend. A former news anchor, she is now struggling at a web based startup. She discovers that some long-term "Barbizon girls," now in their 80s, still live on one rent controlled floor and begins to develop a story about them as her personal life implodes. The stories of Darby and Rose intertwine, and both stories explore the roles of women, then and now. The novel is full of period detail, which really brings post-war New York to life. The main characters are well developed and interesting. While some situations and plot twists are improbable, The Dollhouse is a good story, and an interesting exploration of the changes in the city and in the lives and expectations of women between the 1950s and today. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #45,362 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #192 in Historical Mystery #389 in Science Fiction Crime & Mystery #1,470 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (11,412) | | Dimensions | 5.39 x 0.71 x 7.99 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 1101985011 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1101985014 | | Item Weight | 10.4 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 368 pages | | Publication date | July 11, 2017 | | Publisher | Dutton | ## Images ![The Dollhouse: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vCHNmxBkL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A GREAT Read!! *by L***B on April 7, 2026* This has proven to be one of my favorite books of all time!! I keep re-reading it, give it as gifts to my reader friends and I now have a copy in paperback, hardcover and digital!! I love the short chapters, the attention to detail of the historic NYC building, the past and present perspectives, the mystery with a little twist! I’m going to have to read it again now! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Barbizon *by K***R on March 21, 2018* Set at The Barbizon Hotel for Women in 1952 and Barbizon 63 in 2016, The Dollhouse tells the stories of two of its residents. In 1952, Darby arrives at the Barbizon to study at Katie Gibbs secretarial school. In 2016, journalist Rose Lewin lives in the same building, now condos. The Barbizon, in its heyday, was for women only, complete with curfews and rules designed to shelter the resident unmarried women - Eileen Ford models, Katie Gibbs girls, and others - from the big bad city. Each woman's story unspoiled as it is told in alternating chapters. Plain, awkward Darby is housed in the floor with all the models, and feels tremendously out of place. She is befriended by Esme, a Puerto Rican maid who works there, and through Esme discovers The city's jazz club scene, consequently stepping out of her inhibited upbringing, flouting curfew and struggling with her secretarial studies. Rose lives with her boyfriend. A former news anchor, she is now struggling at a web based startup. She discovers that some long-term "Barbizon girls," now in their 80s, still live on one rent controlled floor and begins to develop a story about them as her personal life implodes. The stories of Darby and Rose intertwine, and both stories explore the roles of women, then and now. The novel is full of period detail, which really brings post-war New York to life. The main characters are well developed and interesting. While some situations and plot twists are improbable, The Dollhouse is a good story, and an interesting exploration of the changes in the city and in the lives and expectations of women between the 1950s and today. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Capivating inside look at NYC *by L***) on May 28, 2018* I read this as the second half of my Fiona Davis marathon. I've had this book for quite awhile and I was really looking forward to reading it since I heard about it pre-release in 2016. I work as a travel advisor and when I started working in the industry in 1988, I worked for a company that booked hotels for travel agents all over the world. I used to book The Barbizon! It was such fun to read the history of what was once a hotel for women tied in with Fiona Davis, signature two time lines, two narratives. Rose Lewin is living in present day NYC with her boyfriend at his condo at the Barbizon. When he dumps her she finds herself squatting in an apartment on the 4th floor, where all the original residents live in rent-controlled apartments. She ends up dog sitting for Darby McLaughlin's dog. Darby has a mysterious past and Rose gets sucked into researching a story about the lives of the residents of the Barbizon in the 1950's for her job as a journalist. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of the Barbizon residents of 1952, Ford Modeling girls and Katherine Gibbs secretarial school girls all living, not necessarily harmoniously at the Barbizon. As usual, the research on the era is evident as we find out about the glamour of uptown and seediness and drugs of the downtown jazz clubs. There's a bit of mystery and romance to round out the story. I eagerly await the next book from Fiona Davis. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/45570879-the-dollhouse-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/45570879-the-dollhouse-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-21*