Shelf Life: Fiona Davis

Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE’s books column. In this ongoing series, authors share an assortment of their most memorable reads: the books that have shaped their lives as writers and as human beings. Every month, ELLE will feature authors with a new and upcoming release of their own, asking them which stories have impacted their work most—and which stories they recommend you pick up next. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to move you, calm you, or change you, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.

Fiona Davis’s bestselling books, which include The Stolen Queen, The Magnolia Palace, and The Address, capture some of New York City’s most glamorous eras and have made her a favorite of historical fiction readers. So when American Girl Publishing became interested in exploring the adult life of one of its most beloved characters, there was no one better for the job. Samantha: The Next Chapter, out today, takes the story of Samantha Parkington years forward.

“I adored Samantha, a wealthy orphan surrounded by a loving extended family who is inspired by the fight for women’s suffrage. Knowing how beloved she was by so many women and girls of all ages (including my nieces), how could I say no?” Davis says.

The book, which Davis recommends to fans of The Good Daughters by Brigitte Dale, Passing by Nella Larsen, and Stories from Suffragette City, a collection that she co-edited, introduces Samantha as a 25-year-old teacher focused on informing women voters about the stakes of the 1920 election. “Her world is shaken after her inheritance is stolen and she embarks on a journey to find answers about why it happened and who was responsible,” Davis explains. “From a department store and a baseball game to the criminal underbelly of New York City, Samantha pursues justice for those she loves while learning just what she is capable of. In the end, it’s a story about the bonds that shape us across generations.”

Dive deep into Davis’s book recommendations below.

The book that:

…made me want to be a writer:

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. I love her dual-timeline structure and studied her book meticulously as I wrote my first novel.

…helped me become a better writer:

George Saunders’s A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. The acclaimed writer and teacher shares his thoughts on several Russian short stories, examining the choices each writer made along the way. It forced me to slow down and examine what I was reading at a deeper level.

…I wish I’d written:

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. I’ve been a Shakespeare fangirl since high school, and the way Picoult portrayed the life story of a woman who may be the true source of the Bard’s plays, systematically laying out her argument, left me giddy and envious.

…I wish I could read again for the first time:

Mary B. by Katherine J. Chen. I devoured the PBS series The Other Bennet Sister over the summer, but Chen got there first with her Pride and Prejudice-inspired novel that focuses on Mary Bennet, the dull middle sister who, in Chen’s capable hands, defies all expectations.

…made me weep uncontrollably:

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman. This tale of unrequited love left me on the floor (in a good way).

…I’d like to see turned into a TV show or movie:

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser. She turns the fairy tale of Cinderella on its head in a book that is smart and lyrical. I imagine Emily Blunt in the starring role as the supposedly wicked stepmother.

…I read in one sitting; it was that good:

The Caretaker by Ron Rash. Rash is a lauded poet, and this slim novel offers up a dose of small-town intrigue in 1951 North Carolina that kept me riveted.

…has the best setting:

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray beautifully brings to life the Harlem Renaissance era and its legendary literary scene.

…has the best plot twist:

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. She pulls off quite a stunner about halfway through her Victorian thriller. It’s a juicy read with a satisfying ending.

…has the best cast of characters:

It Girl by Allison Pataki reimagines the love triangle with famed “Gibson Girl” Evelyn Nesbit and the men who were obsessed with her. Full of characters both delicious and decadent.

Bonus questions:

If I could live in any library or bookstore in the world, it would be:

The New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue. There is so much history tucked away within those marble walls: antique maps, restaurant menus from the Gilded Age, architectural plans of my favorite buildings, Virginia Woolf’s walking stick. I would never run out of inspiration.