EXCLUSIVE! Author Fiona Davis Dishes on Bringing American Girl to an Adult Audience with Samantha: The Next Chapter
If you were a child of the 1980s or later and played with dolls, chances are you owned—or wished for—an American Girl. There was Colonial-era Felicity, and Addy, who grew up during the Civil War, as well as bespectacled Molly, who dated back to World War II, and many more. Far from being just dolls, they had historical backstories, complete with books to go with them, and authentic clothing and accessories that were (and still are) as colorful as their lives.
Believe it or not, the burgeoning brand—which was acquired by Mattel in 1998 and has since spawned an empire—is celebrating is 40th anniversary this year. And American Girl is marking the occasion with a new venture: Samantha: The Next Chapter, the first American Girl novel for adults. Yes, you read that right! But the delicious nostalgia is only the beginning. The story, set in New York City circa 1920, centers on the now-grown Samantha Parkington, an aspiring suffragist encouraging other young women to vote in their first presidential election. Her otherwise comfortable life takes an abrupt left turn when her inheritance is stolen and she sets out to save her family’s legacy.
Adding to the fun? Fiona Davis, the bestselling author of The Stolen Queen, The Address and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, wrote the book and brought her expertise in New York–based historical fiction to the world of American Girl. We caught up with Davis just before the book’s launch to find out how she created grown-up Samantha’s story and why she thinks American Girl resonates with readers of all ages.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Reader’s Digest: What is your connection to American Girl? Were you a fan of the American Girl dolls or books growing up?
Fiona Davis: I was in college when the first book came out, and I don’t have any kids of my own. Where I really connected with American Girl was through my nieces. My brother has three daughters, and all three loved American Girl, especially my niece, Erin. She loved Samantha best and the fact that she was very forward. Erin was shy, so having a doll whose character spoke her mind was very helpful for Erin, who was learning how to find her own voice.
Reader’s Digest: How did you end up writing an American Girl book for adults?
Fiona Davis: The company approached me and asked if I would write a book around Samantha. In a way, it was a gift not to know a lot about her because otherwise, I would have been paralyzed with fear. She is so loved, and the nostalgia around American Girl and Samatha is so strong.
I think I was chosen because I know New York well. I write about historic New York, and the heroines in my stories are all very strong-willed. It was a good match that way. American Girl’s Janelle [Asselin] was my editor for the whole project and was brilliant. She reached out to me by email, which I reported to my agent and asked her if she thought it was a scam. She called them and said it was the real thing. So it all happened pretty quickly, and we were soon off to the races.
Reader’s Digest: Was Samantha a departure from other characters you’ve written about?
Fiona Davis: Samantha is a 25-year-old character, and I’ve had main characters who are around that same age as well. I had also worked on projects based in the 1920s. The fact that Samantha is very much into suffrage, even as a young girl, worked well because I had co-edited a group of short stories (Stories from Suffragette City) set around the suffrage parade in New York City in 1915; I have done a lot of research around that. On top of that, the town that Samantha grew up in is based on Mount Kisco, New York, which I know well.
Reader’s Digest: Who decided Samantha would be the first adult American Girl to be featured in an adult novel?
Fiona Davis: American Girl, the company, was very specific that Samantha would be the first. She was one of the first original dolls.
Reader’s Digest: Did you read any of the original American Girl books while preparing? What was that experience like as an adult?
Fiona Davis: I did a deep dive because the books are so important to her background. They introduce her family, her extended family, her community, her interests. It was really fun—and a gift not to have to make all that up. As an author, it was wonderful to have it right on the page and then see where it could go.
Reading these books as an adult was enlightening; I wish I’d had them as a young girl. The sense of history comes through with such clarity. The characters are so wonderful.
Reader’s Digest: Did any other American Girl stories really resonate with you?
Fiona Davis: I also loved reading Addy’s story. I like the fact that the books don’t shy away from a difficult era in American history. But Samantha was my focus, for sure.
Reader’s Digest: Did anything from this story speak to you on a more personal level?
Fiona Davis: My parents are both English, so all our relatives lived in England. We lived in America since I was 3. Even though Samantha had lost her parents and was an orphan, she had such a loving extended family around her. I would have loved to have read these books as young child and experience the idea of having an extended family; I didn’t have that myself.
Reader’s Digest: Was there a moment during the writing process when you felt especially aware of the full-circle nature of this project?
Fiona Davis: I think it’s wonderful being able to reach beyond the original generation it was intended for. What’s interesting to me is whenever I have met an adult who knows the story, they get so excited. They always know where their American Girl doll is. It might be in their mother’s attic or their basement, and they always say, “Oh, yes, I’m a Samantha” or “I’m a Kirsten.” They identify so closely with the dolls and their characters.
Reader’s Digest: Was it difficult adapting a character that so many people grew up with?
Fiona Davis: The real challenge was staying true to her character as a child. Samantha is empathetic, tenacious and very intelligent. We needed to make sure that during all the stages—the research, writing and editing—that Samantha’s inner strength was still present. Meanwhile, she is an adult, having adult experiences. Readers need to know who the character is at her core and recognize that. Also, as a character, I had to have her undergo growth, so in the story, she’s maybe a little bit different than when she started. It’s the first time I’ve been handed a character and told to write a book about her.
Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis
Reader’s Digest: This book will be such a hugely nostalgic story for a lot of readers. When crafting it, how did you balance nostalgia with telling a rich, complex story your way?
Fiona Davis: I was lucky that I had a team of people behind me as I wrote. They not only included my editor but also a historian on staff at American Girl who supplied me with everything I needed to stay true to the time period. On top of that, they have a panel of consultants and experts and advisors on whatever subjects we were dealing with who could weigh in and make sure that the story was true to history. Their contributions are on every page of that book. I think that because it was this wonderful team effort, we carried that balance of nostalgia and growth throughout the plot.
Reader’s Digest: Why do you think American Girl has such a lasting impact on so many of us?
Fiona Davis: It’s because the American Girl team really cares about how the characters come across. They understand that they are affecting young girls, and there’s a huge responsibility there that they take very seriously. I think people who buy American Girl dolls understand that. That is why there is such brand loyalty. I think customers understand they are not being talked down to.
The early stories are so fun to read, no matter what age you are. There’s a common thread throughout American Girl, no matter which character you identify with. With this book, the way I like to describe it is like going on a long road trip with an old friend. It’s somewhere new, but you have an old friend by your side the whole way.
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