Rating: 
Summary: Well written historical and psychological thriller
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining Fairy Tale
Review: This was an entertaining read but not a literary marvel. The plot centers on a mysterious girl and her tribulations as she falls in and out of fortune. The mystery has a few twists but nothing that it unpredictable. I enjoyed it for what it was and would recommend it to my friends as an easy read that was quick moving.
Rating:
Summary: Rich description, wonderful characters, great writing!
Review: 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.
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