About this Event
Moderating this discussion is co-anchor of the venerable ABC newsmagazine 20/20 Deborah Roberts. This event will be hosted in the Strand Book Store's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at 828 Broadway on 12th Street.
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ACCESSIBILITY:
Strand Book Store is an ADA compliant venue. The event space is accessible via elevator.
ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our events team at [email protected] by Jan. 11 to request.
Please ask a Strand employee upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.
For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact [email protected]
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From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an exhilarating new novel about two women whose obsession with a mansion tucked away in upper Manhattan could change their lives forever.
On the north end of Manhattan lies the oldest house on the island: the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Built in 1765, it was once part of a 135-acre property that ran from the Harlem River to the Hudson. Today, the mansion is relegated to one city block, where it sits like a regal queen in a garden of lilacs and maples.
In 1800s New York City, Eliza Brown is a woman with ambition, determined to rise above her humble background. When she meets political upstart Aaron Burr, she vows to win his love and break into the high society that shuns her. Eliza’s ultimate aim: secure her future with the purchase of the most beautiful house in Manhattan, in spite of a shadowy figure determined to expose the truth about her sordid past.
In 2010, disgraced architect Abby Dorrance has always aspired to make her family proud. But when her father—a well-known real estate developer—dies from a fall at a haunted, crumbling uptown mansion, Abby gets drawn into the murky circumstances behind his death. As dangerous forces loom, Abby must choose between saving her family’s legacy and fortune, or saving the mansion and losing everything she loves.
The Jewel of Sugar Hill brings to life a notorious woman from America’s infancy who ignored social convention and achieved dizzying success. The result is a sweeping, ambitious story about two scandalous women, two centuries apart, each with an unshakeable belief in her ability to carve space for herself on her own terms.
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Stolen Queen, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and she’s based in New York City.
Deborah Roberts is co-anchor of the venerable ABC newsmagazine 20/20 and an award-winning network correspondent. A 30 -year veteran of ABC News, Roberts regularly reports across ABC News programs and digital platforms. She hosts a weekly podcast, 20/20: The After Show, and serves as a frequent correspondent and substitute anchor for Good Morning America and an occasional guest co-host on The View.
Roberts plays a significant role in the network’s coverage of breaking news events. She reported live from Vatican City on the death of Pope Francis and the historic election of the first-ever American Pope, Leo XIV. She also reported from London for Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee and her subsequent death in 2022, the funeral of President Jimmy Carter, and the Inaugurations of Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, reporting live from Washington, D.C.
Additionally, she got a once in a lifetime opportunity to ride in the cockpit with the world-famous Patrouille de France in an evening flyover of the Statue of Liberty for America's 250th celebration.
Roberts’ wide-ranging newsmaker interviews include former first lady Michelle Obama, GRAMMY ® Award-winning superstars Elton John and Céline Dion, supermodel Brooke Shields, as well as Hollywood actors Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Amy Adams, Colin Farrell, Vanessa Williams, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and the casts of Hulu’s popular streaming programs Only Murders in the Building and The Bear. Her reporting on 20/20 has taken her across the country, investigating true crime stories in which she regularly interviews the families of victims, law enforcement officials and the individuals at the center of national headlines.
Her in-depth coverage of current events has earned her a Peabody Award for the 20/20 special Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor. Additionally, Roberts has been awarded multiple Emmy ® Awards for international and national coverage of world events, including the AIDS crisis in Africa and maternal mortality in Bangladesh.
Prior to joining ABC News, Roberts was a correspondent at NBC News, where she reported for various broadcasts
She is the author of The New York Times bestsellers Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life and Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds. She also co-authored a book with her husband, NBC anchor Al Roker, titled Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times. The couple have two children and reside in New York City.
Event venue & nearby stays
Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway, New York, United States
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