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Gramercy Park: A Novel of New York's Gilded Age
New York City, 1894. To Gramercy Park, bordered by elegant town houses, cloistered behind its high iron fence, comes Mario Alfieri, a celebrated tenor and the toast of Europe. Poised for his premier at the Metropolitan Opera, the summit of society, Alfieri needs a refuge from the clamor of New York's elite . . . and from the eager women who rule it. He finds it, he thinks, at Gramercy Park, in the elegant mansion of the recently deceased Henry Ogden Slade. The house is available, but not quite empty. Clara Adler, Slade's former ward, lives there still, friendless and alone. Who is this bewitching young woman? Why did Slade take her into his home, only to leave her penniless at his death? And what tragedies and terrors have left Clara little more than a pale and frightened ghost, haunting the deserted mansion? Mystified, then enchanted, Alfieri is soon involved in an intrigue that spans two decades and pits him against a vicious enemy who swears to destroy both him and the woman he loves . . . and whose weapons are scandal, murder, and the revelations of Clara's past...
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 16, 2015
"Gramercy Park" transports us to Victorian New York City in 1894. Mario Alfieri, a renowned tenor who will be performing at the Metropolitan Opera, is looking to rent the home of the recently deceased wealthy Henry Slade. Mario meets Clara Adler, the ward of Mr Slade, a destitute but beautiful young woman. It's love at first sight, and the couple are married within a few weeks. Mario soon suspects that Clara has a terrifying past because she is so frightened, and the truth about her parentage and disturbing childhood comes out layer by layer.
The book is a glimpse into New York high society, a Gothic romance, and a mystery with the dashing Mario saving Clara from the evil villains. The plot of Clara's backstory has as much intrigue as the operas at the Met. It's good storytelling written in a Victorian style, full of suspense, with likable romantic main characters.
The book is a glimpse into New York high society, a Gothic romance, and a mystery with the dashing Mario saving Clara from the evil villains. The plot of Clara's backstory has as much intrigue as the operas at the Met. It's good storytelling written in a Victorian style, full of suspense, with likable romantic main characters.
August 8, 2012
I hadn't heard or seen anything on this book when I originally picked this up years ago and didn't know what to expect. The author brings late Victorian era New York City and operatic world to vivid life in this Gothic mystery and romance. What a nice surprise I found within the covers, simply stated it hit the right notes.
New York society has always questioned Clara Adler, the unrelated ward of an affluent older man, who is she and where did she come from, and why are there some who want to do her harm? When opera tenor Mario Alfieri meets Clara, he is immediately drawn to her haunting presence. As their relationship grows, he is determined to discover her mystifying past All these secrets are carefully unfolded to expose another layer or twist, while building the relationship between Adler and Alfieri.
Although Alfieri is a celebrated tenor, awaiting his premier at the Met, the reader doesn't need an extensive knowledge of opera. It is touched upon but never in a heavy handed or intimidating way. Yet Cohen is able to give the opera fan an enticing historical view of this world.
Cohen's debut gives a wonderful sense of place and atmosphere, easily evoking tenderness, quickly turning into tension with the turn of a page. For an enjoyable, well crafted historical fiction, Gothic mystery, romance, pick up this overlooked little aria of a book.
New York society has always questioned Clara Adler, the unrelated ward of an affluent older man, who is she and where did she come from, and why are there some who want to do her harm? When opera tenor Mario Alfieri meets Clara, he is immediately drawn to her haunting presence. As their relationship grows, he is determined to discover her mystifying past All these secrets are carefully unfolded to expose another layer or twist, while building the relationship between Adler and Alfieri.
Although Alfieri is a celebrated tenor, awaiting his premier at the Met, the reader doesn't need an extensive knowledge of opera. It is touched upon but never in a heavy handed or intimidating way. Yet Cohen is able to give the opera fan an enticing historical view of this world.
Cohen's debut gives a wonderful sense of place and atmosphere, easily evoking tenderness, quickly turning into tension with the turn of a page. For an enjoyable, well crafted historical fiction, Gothic mystery, romance, pick up this overlooked little aria of a book.
August 18, 2020
I'm not sure where to start with this novel. I liked it at first with it's surprisingly well-written story, lots of passionate, over-the-top characters, a juicy little read I'd place higher than a beach read, somewhat predictable, but no less enjoyable, twisting plots full of mystery, a clear-cut hero and damsel in distress, a villain of the worst sort, and . . . wait for it . . . a creepy little twist that makes the brakes screech to a halt. The era and history are great, description is lush, and still there's a cringe-worthy aspect to the story that makes me feel awkward for giving it three stars and saying I like it. You'll have to read it for yourself, or read the reviews of others, because this is all I'm going to say. Check, please.
October 28, 2019
"La morte è un ottimo argomento di conversazione"
Dalla morte del ricco Signor Slade-finanziere, filantropo, pilastro della comunità- avvenuta nell'inverno del 1894, prende il via questo romanzo storico che si snoderà tra il non detto, i segreti, i pettegolezzi, la vita della high society della New York di fine '800.
Una giovanissima ragazza accolta, non si sa bene perché, dal vecchio Slade in casa sua, avvocati e consulenti amici di famiglia con strane mire e strani giochetti in mente, un amore che sboccia all'improvviso, quasi il famoso "amore a prima vista", un passato tutto da riscoprire, un tenore italiano che si ritrova ad affrontare tutto questo.
Invidia, amore, cupidigia, voglia di vendetta, false apparenze. Insomma c'è tutto.
Un bel romanzo, una lettura piacevole. Un meccanismo narrativo che si capisce abbastanza presto nelle 427 pagine del libro, ma che forse, per la sua conclusione, un po' stupisce.
Dalla morte del ricco Signor Slade-finanziere, filantropo, pilastro della comunità- avvenuta nell'inverno del 1894, prende il via questo romanzo storico che si snoderà tra il non detto, i segreti, i pettegolezzi, la vita della high society della New York di fine '800.
Una giovanissima ragazza accolta, non si sa bene perché, dal vecchio Slade in casa sua, avvocati e consulenti amici di famiglia con strane mire e strani giochetti in mente, un amore che sboccia all'improvviso, quasi il famoso "amore a prima vista", un passato tutto da riscoprire, un tenore italiano che si ritrova ad affrontare tutto questo.
Invidia, amore, cupidigia, voglia di vendetta, false apparenze. Insomma c'è tutto.
Un bel romanzo, una lettura piacevole. Un meccanismo narrativo che si capisce abbastanza presto nelle 427 pagine del libro, ma che forse, per la sua conclusione, un po' stupisce.
August 12, 2024
Rough content but I could not put this book down.
January 29, 2016
didn't work for me.
New York City, 1894. To Gramercy Park, bordered by elegant town houses, cloistered behind its high iron fence, comes Mario Alfieri, a celebrated tenor and the toast of Europe. Poised for his premier at the Metropolitan Opera, the summit of society, Alfieri needs a refuge from the clamor of New York 19s elite . . . and from the eager women who rule it. He finds it, he thinks, at Gramercy Park, in the elegant mansion of the recently deceased Henry Ogden Slade. The house is available, but not quite empty. Clara Adler, Slade 19s former ward, lives there still, friendless and alone. Who is this bewitching young woman? Why did Slade take her into his home, only to leave her penniless at his death? And what tragedies and terrors have left Clara little more than a pale and frightened ghost, haunting the deserted mansion? Mystified, then enchanted, Alfieri is soon involved in an intrigue that spans two decades and pits him against a vicious enemy who swears to destroy both him and the woman he loves . . . and whose weapons are scandal, murder, and the revelations of Clara 19s past...
New York City, 1894. To Gramercy Park, bordered by elegant town houses, cloistered behind its high iron fence, comes Mario Alfieri, a celebrated tenor and the toast of Europe. Poised for his premier at the Metropolitan Opera, the summit of society, Alfieri needs a refuge from the clamor of New York 19s elite . . . and from the eager women who rule it. He finds it, he thinks, at Gramercy Park, in the elegant mansion of the recently deceased Henry Ogden Slade. The house is available, but not quite empty. Clara Adler, Slade 19s former ward, lives there still, friendless and alone. Who is this bewitching young woman? Why did Slade take her into his home, only to leave her penniless at his death? And what tragedies and terrors have left Clara little more than a pale and frightened ghost, haunting the deserted mansion? Mystified, then enchanted, Alfieri is soon involved in an intrigue that spans two decades and pits him against a vicious enemy who swears to destroy both him and the woman he loves . . . and whose weapons are scandal, murder, and the revelations of Clara 19s past...
Read
May 6, 2008The pace of the story seems overwrought and slow. At one point a the narrator says of a character something like "He had never felt so tired in his life." To which I mentally replied "Me too, buddy." But it was just interesting enough for me to keep reading.
Eventually there came some scenes of pedophilia and death that were disturbing and repulsive. You might ask "is it possible to have scenes of pedophilia and death that *aren't* disturbing and repulsive?" And you're right - these subjects are horrible. It doesn't mean that they can't be valid subjects to arise in fiction. But in my own personal opinion, the situations brought forth in this book were too much for me to find any redeeming value in continuing to read it. Just my opinion, and maybe I'm more sensitive than most people. I just thought I would provide my thoughts as a caution to others.
Eventually there came some scenes of pedophilia and death that were disturbing and repulsive. You might ask "is it possible to have scenes of pedophilia and death that *aren't* disturbing and repulsive?" And you're right - these subjects are horrible. It doesn't mean that they can't be valid subjects to arise in fiction. But in my own personal opinion, the situations brought forth in this book were too much for me to find any redeeming value in continuing to read it. Just my opinion, and maybe I'm more sensitive than most people. I just thought I would provide my thoughts as a caution to others.
March 24, 2020
Because this audio book was part of the Audible Escape romance package, I shouldn't have been surprised that it was too much a romance for me. Instant love. Woebegone damsels in distress. It read like a Victorian overwrought novel. It was melodramatic and most improbably. Nevertheless, it was a somewhat satisfying read if you are in a Victorian romance mood but don't want to go for the real stuff. The Audible version narration was good except for extremely short breaks between chapter, and that was rather confusing.
March 11, 2021
So . . . and I'm not going to put this under a spoiler tag, because fucking nobody should go into this book ignorant of this fact . . . the entire plot of this book hinges on a sustained case of child rape.
Is the book well-written? Yes, I'd say it's skillfully drawn enough, though the pacing is slow at times. The characterizations are mixed; the "bad guy" is so irredeemable that he seems to have graduated from the Snidely Whiplash School for Villainy.
The central couple of the book are allegedly a case of love at first sight, but given that the male half refers to his eventual-wife as a "child" before, during, and after their wedding; and that the female half, who was victimized by a pedophile, is drawn to her eventual-husband probably because he's so much older than she and therefore reminds her of her rapist . . . yeah, I dunno, it's hard to be enthusiastic about the pairing.
Still, as a novel of suspense and intrigue, it mostly works. But don't go in if you're not interested in the victimization of a prepubescent girl as the inciting event of a Gothic-y suspense novel.
Is the book well-written? Yes, I'd say it's skillfully drawn enough, though the pacing is slow at times. The characterizations are mixed; the "bad guy" is so irredeemable that he seems to have graduated from the Snidely Whiplash School for Villainy.
The central couple of the book are allegedly a case of love at first sight, but given that the male half refers to his eventual-wife as a "child" before, during, and after their wedding; and that the female half, who was victimized by a pedophile, is drawn to her eventual-husband probably because he's so much older than she and therefore reminds her of her rapist . . . yeah, I dunno, it's hard to be enthusiastic about the pairing.
Still, as a novel of suspense and intrigue, it mostly works. But don't go in if you're not interested in the victimization of a prepubescent girl as the inciting event of a Gothic-y suspense novel.
September 1, 2011
I skimmed the last half of it, but reading this book was so painful I'm counting it as read - which I mostly did. This book is a great example of why using present tense rarely works, because it is so distracting - especially with too many awkward, past-tense slip ups. The whole book leaves one with the impression that the author is trying way too hard to be mysterious and dramatic, to the point of ambiguity. It reads very much like stories I wrote in middle school, trying to be mysterious by not identifying characters or locations, or even the presence of people: "A hand reached for the doorknob. The door opened. 'Hello,' said the voice belonging to the woman who opened the door.'" etc. I would have written that at thirteen, and it was annoying then. It is even more annoying for 200+ pages of ~mystery~.
June 27, 2009
I was looking today to see if she has written any new books. I really enjoyed it, it is looks perhaps not. But this is how I found out about goodreads. For a first book, I gave it high marks. I lived in New York for most of my life and now I live in the Midwest. I had to give it an extra star because I think I was homesick for back east. I loved the century it is written in and I love opera.
July 23, 2016
Had high hopes for this one but never managed to get engaged. It was a convoluted mystery / thriller which was a drudge to get through. Usually a New York setting will manage to hook me in, but not so in this case. We're supposed to feel passionately about the relationship between Mario and young Clara - and I'm all for a compelling "love at first sight" story, but this one just didn't manage to evoke any chemistry.
June 14, 2020
Really a sad book about child neglect, child abuse and sexual abuse. Also gives insight into how these children are forever effected mentally. No counseling or psychiatric help available whatsoever. However the ending makes it worthwhile. There are some ugly, dork and horrific situations to read through. Gives a very dark look at how women who became pregnant during Victorian era were cast out. They were always blamed and the and shunned in every society.
December 20, 2011
I liked the first part of it. But the more I read it became more and more twisted.
Its a pity as I had great hopes for this book and its dickensian plot.
Its a pity as I had great hopes for this book and its dickensian plot.
March 18, 2015
This was a marvelously written book. It takes place in 1894 in New York. The characters are well developed. Even with one of the sub plots, you still feel empathy for the main character, Clara. The ending does not leave you hanging, but wraps the story up.
February 8, 2018
I disliked it immensely. I finished reading it out of pure stubbornness and a morbid curiosity to see how it would finally end. It did have a few redeeming qualities, but they were suffocated by the rest of the book.
October 6, 2008
It started out great, but it just keeps getting worse and worse.
May 30, 2016
The story could have been great, but somehow the characters were not compelling, so it didn't work for me.
May 2, 2011
Total Junk.
Worthy of Harlequin Publishing
Worthy of Harlequin Publishing
October 9, 2012
It kept my interest, but got very disturbing and twisted.
June 22, 2020
Gross.
August 5, 2022
Very melodramatic and predictable
February 23, 2023
Gramercy Park reads like a book written early last century. With its evil villains and its sweet 'n petite heroine it is, at times, cloyingly nice and at times black and horrible. The only apparent solution to poor little Miss Adler's woes is, in fact, the final outcome, so it could be argued it's also predictable. I had hoped for a smarter solution, I'll admit.
Author, Paula Cohen, drip feeds the reader Clara Adler's background. We don't know about her past until we are deep into the book. We just know (if we are willing to go along with the storytelling) that we want her to recover from her past and to master her destiny.
Clara Adler's love object/husband is a world-famous opera singer (if you don't mind) and he seems a tad simple; but that's OK:he's smitten and, anyway, there are simple people in the world.
The antagonists, the scheming lawyer, Grimwade and his sometime accomplice, Lucy Pratt, could have benefitted from one or two redeeming characteristics. They were just too much the archetypal villains. And in being this way, the main thing I found difficult to reconcile was the sustained bile and hatred these two characters managed to maintain over many years.
The one surprise in the book was that Clara Adler, the victim of paedophilia, seemed to have enjoyed the attentions of her ageing paedophile actively participate in what most of us, these days, would consider abuse. I would imagine this portrayal might be highly triggering to those readers who have been the victims.
I gave this book 3 stars, despite my reservations, because it flowed quite well and did keep my attention ... and, though it was predictable, I did want to find out what happened in the end.
Author, Paula Cohen, drip feeds the reader Clara Adler's background. We don't know about her past until we are deep into the book. We just know (if we are willing to go along with the storytelling) that we want her to recover from her past and to master her destiny.
Clara Adler's love object/husband is a world-famous opera singer (if you don't mind) and he seems a tad simple; but that's OK:he's smitten and, anyway, there are simple people in the world.
The antagonists, the scheming lawyer, Grimwade and his sometime accomplice, Lucy Pratt, could have benefitted from one or two redeeming characteristics. They were just too much the archetypal villains. And in being this way, the main thing I found difficult to reconcile was the sustained bile and hatred these two characters managed to maintain over many years.
The one surprise in the book was that Clara Adler, the victim of paedophilia, seemed to have enjoyed the attentions of her ageing paedophile actively participate in what most of us, these days, would consider abuse. I would imagine this portrayal might be highly triggering to those readers who have been the victims.
I gave this book 3 stars, despite my reservations, because it flowed quite well and did keep my attention ... and, though it was predictable, I did want to find out what happened in the end.
June 13, 2019
I'm intrigued by books that don't follow The Story Template.
May 5, 2019
Terrific!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It contains every element one hopes for in a novel: excitement, suspense and drama. Through its entirety, the reader is enveloped with emotions ranging from fear to relief, joy to sadness. Stirring feelings, particular to one's own life experience.
I gave a four-star rating, only because the book had some obvious editing issues.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It contains every element one hopes for in a novel: excitement, suspense and drama. Through its entirety, the reader is enveloped with emotions ranging from fear to relief, joy to sadness. Stirring feelings, particular to one's own life experience.
I gave a four-star rating, only because the book had some obvious editing issues.
July 4, 2019
A splendid debut, an intricate plot full of intrigue and mystery, slowly unraveled at every turn of the page. The author does a fine job in making late-19th century New York come alive, both through realistic characters and consistently superb writing, language and dialogue. Thanks for making this a thoroughly enjoyable read!
October 31, 2019
Rich with drama, action and romance, and well-written in that overwrought 19th century style, the story of the unknown little brown mouse Clara and the world-renowned opera star Alfieri was so much fun to read!
January 22, 2024
Absolutamente maravillosa, está muy bien narrada, con diálogos ágiles y amenos, la historia es muy original, nunca había leído una trama parecida, es de lo mejor que he leído últimamente, fue un absoluto placer leerla.
June 18, 2018
Charmingly satisfying take on the gothic novel.
May 20, 2019
Victorian thriller. Super creepy what happened to Clara with her “Papa”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews