Gramercy Park

The best thing about Gramercy Park is that the author deftly avoids falling into the many traps that go along with a Victorian novel of a woman done wrong.The only phonies here are obvious. The plot does not revolve around mis-communication. Instead Cohen lays out the characters, both good and bad, in a straightforward manner using a present tense style of narration that keeps the story going and the pages turning. Throughout she adds period details that bring old New York to life. Those who compare this book to a combination of Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens, Henry James with a little Danielle Steele are not far off the mark. But if that is the foundation for Cohen's very readable first book, I can only hope that she'll continue to build upon it.

With the gift of words that seem to come straight from the 1890s, Paula Cohen has fashioned a unique love story. When Mario Alfieri, a world-renowned Italian tenor comes to New York to continue his successes at the Metropolitan opera, he falls in love with 19-year old Clara Adler, the sickly and penniless ward of a recently deceased millionaire. There's a mystery about the details of Clara's past, and an evil lawyer, Thaddeus Chadwick, who has his own reasons to do Clara harm. Mario and Clara wed, but as the layers of secrecy gradually unfold, the reader cannot help but be drawn into this tale of love, revenge and murder.The story rings true on every level, even the most minor characters sketched so deeply that they not only live and breath, they live and breath in the 19th century -- these are not just modern characters in period garb. However, some scenes that drive the plot stretch the boundaries of the delicate nature of literature of that time, and will titillate even the most modern reader. As the characters develop, so does the story and there are enough twists and turns of the plot to keep the reader alert and intrigued until the very last page.In the book's acknowledgments, the author gives thanks to her writing group, which she describes as still going strong and still an inspiration. I am proud to be part of that group and have listened to Paula's voice reading parts of the manuscript aloud for several years. I shared her joy when St. Martin's Press bought it and continue to be delighted to hear of the recent publication of British and Italian editions. And, even though I'm familiar with the book, I just read it through from cover to cover and was totally impressed by her command of language, the humanity of the characters and the pacing of the story. It alls fit together in a tapestry of words and was a deeply satisfying reading experience. Highly recommended.

Paula Cohen's debut is a dazzler which, in all probability, will hook readers with the opening paragraph. A devotee of opera and all things Victorian, she adroitly plays these notes in this intriguing tale of love, suspense, and Gothic terror. The existence of Clara Adler in turn-of-the-century New York City has long puzzled the affluent. A young Jewess, she is the ward of a wealthy older man who, apparently, is not related to her. Who is she and from whence did she come? Even more mystifying is the fact that she is left penniless when the millionaire dies. Arriving in New York amidst the clamor surrounding his Metropolitan Opera debut is Mario Alfieri, the world's finest tenor. He meets Clara while looking for a house to rent in Gramercy Park, and is immediately drawn to the enigmatic, wounded young woman. He is soon determined to rescue her from whatever demons may haunt her, and the two are wed. Happiness is short lived as their marriage and future is threatened by two fearful, uncompromising enemies who are aware of a scandal that may destroy Mario's career as well as the woman to whom he is devoted. There's a bit of Dickens in this plot, a modicum of history, and many unexpected twists before a satisfying denouement. - Gail Cooke

This is an enveloping and well written historical and psychological thriller, full of atmosphere and suspense. From the first pages of "Gramercy Park" what immediately comes to mind is Edith Wharton and Henry James with vivid descriptions of places and persons, and full of irony. Set in 1894, in New York, it is a classic story of hypocrisy and rigid class rules among Mrs. Astor's high society set. Upsetting the social structure is the intrusion of a famous Italian opera star, Mario Alfieri, who is making his U.S. debut. He both titillates and disrupts the status quo by not observing their rules, and especially by marrying a strange social outcast, a young woman and a Jewess by the name of Clara Adler, the former ward of the recently deceased philanthropist, Henry Slade. Clara is by all accounts less than extraordinary, of questionable mental and physical health, and with a mysterious and perhaps sullied background. It also turns out that Henry Slade has surprisingly disinherited her. Taking advantage of Clara is an evil nemesis, lawyer Thaddeus Chadwick, and his sidekick, Lucy Pratt, both enraged by Clara's good fortune in marrying Alfieri, and determined to destroy them both. As the story evolves, the happy couple's lives become more and more of a nightmare, while Chadwick and Lucy plot their harm. Although the reader will smell a rat early on, the story's secrets are uncovered slowly and tantalizingly, and keep the reader turning the pages.

GRAMERCY PARK is a wonderfully, even deliciously, melodramatic tale, which plays out in Manhattan in 1894. This is a true Victorian tale, not a modern plot dressed up in long-waisted gowns and high-button shoes. All the twists and twirls of the plot, all the responses of the well-realized characters to those twists, all of the attitudes displayed are truly Victorian. There is no window-dressing (actually, there is some window undressing, but that's a separate story) - this chronicle could only happen to genuine inhabitants of the Victorian Era. If Dickens had been a woman, he would have written books like Gramercy Park. This book will take you back to the period, and never jar you loose with a false thought or word. So fully does Paula evoke the era that you may have the same experience that I did: emerging from some hours in Gramercy Park, I was confused for a moment by what I saw around me. The images in my mind from the book had become the reality and the trappings of modern life felt for a moment completely wrong.