The lives and loves of New York divas
Joseph Cassara vividly brings to life a lost Manhattan
The House of Impossible Beauties: A Novel. By Joseph Cassara. Ecco; 416 pages; $26.99. Oneworld Publications; £14.99.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Strike a pose”

From the February 10th 2018 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMeghan Markle’s new Netflix show is out of touch with the times
In it she positions herself as an elite Martha Stewart

This year’s Oscars were notably apolitical
Hollywood has ditched resistance in favour of toeing the line
AI unleashes a weird new genre of political communication
Donald Trump’s Gaza video offers a taste of what is to come
Why are live albums back in fashion?
Hitmakers including Niall Horan, Dua Lipa and Ed Sheeran have released them
Caviar is the internet’s favourite indulgence
Russian tsars loved it. Now TikTok does, too
Finding meaning in people’s first words—and their last
Why there is less significance than society would have you believe