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moonflower97's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
rosemwood's review against another edition
4.0
This story is told in alternate timelines and both center around the Frick Mansion and loosely based on the real life artist Audrey Muson. The first timeline is also the stronger of the two timelines and it takes place in NYC in 1919 with Lillian being the narrator. The second timeline takes place in NYC in 1966 with Veronica being the narrator. I recommend reading the author's note at the end. This story is well researched and verybwell developed.
kallmekirby's review against another edition
4.0
Fiona Davis is one historical fiction author I never hesitate to pick up. I've enjoyed every book of hers that i've read and while I won't say they're always life changing, they always get at least 4 stars from me and I come away feeling happy that i took the time to read it.
mkeesler's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cdev123's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a dual timeline novel that takes readers between 1919 and 1966. Lillian Carter, an artist’s model known as Angelica, finds herself on the run after her landlord is killed and the police suspect her of the crime. Sheer luck has her obtaining the position as personal secretary to Miss Helen Frick, the youngest daughter of Henry Clay Frick. Miss Lilly, as she is called, works with the mercurial Helen. She learns to manage the household, organize functions, handle the household accounts, and much more. Miss Lilly hopes to earn enough money to get to Hollywood where she can become an actress. Henry Clay Frick tasks Miss Lilly with helping to get his daughter wed. He promises her a nice sized bonus if she can get Helen engaged by Christmas. Miss Lilly gets drawn into the family drama that soon lands her in a precarious situation. Veronica Weber was discovered in London after an unfortunate (or in this case fortunate) haircut. She lands a plum assignment that has her in America in 1966 doing a photoshoot for Vogue at the Frick Museum. After an altercation with the photographer, Veronica hides out in pipe room (where the pipes for the pipe organ are arranged) to avoid the other models. She ends up locked in the building with an assistant archivist during a blizzard. Veronica had found clues for a scavenger hunt in the pipe room and the pair unravel the riddles. The result of the hunt could help settle Veronica financial dilemma and solve two long unsolved crimes. I thought The Magnolia Palace was well-written with developed characters. The author captured both time periods, but I thought her portrayal of 1919 was spot on. I could tell that she did her research on the Frick family and their collections. I am amazed at the art they collected. Their home which is now a museum is just beautiful. We get to see what daily life was like inside the Frick mansion in 1919 with the demanding Henry Clay Frick and the difficult Helen Frick. I liked the action and activities that propelled the story forward to the end. The ending nicely wrapped up the book. I appreciated the author’s note at the end along with her reading recommendations. I was baffled by a detail in the last chapter. I thought it was a week or so since the previous chapter, but then there was a 1977 reference. I wish the date has been clearly specified. The Magnolia Palace is an intriguing historical novel with a misplaced diamond, a lady lost at the loss of a loved one, a demanding dad, a devoted daughter, a strange scavenger hunt, an attractive art assemblage, and a mysterious mystery.
ebc726's review against another edition
2.0
I used to always love Fiona Davis’ books, but this one was just hard to get into. Maybe it was the audiobook version, but it couldn’t keep me engaged.
steph1101's review against another edition
4.0
This was my January Book of the month pick and I was really excited to get it. The blurb about the book was really enticing and I loved the story and the art history thrown in through the book. The mystery was fun, watching it play out in real time and in the book. This was definitely worth a read.
lindseymosley's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
spatterson12's review against another edition
3.0
I was a little iffy about this one at the start but really fell into the story about midway.
This has been sitting on my shelf for two years so I'm really proud I finally read it, especially since it's one I borrowed from a friend. Trying to be better about reading borrowed books.
The author's note at the end really pulled a lot of things together and made the book that much more interesting. I guess I'm used to a majority of historical fiction focused on WW2 so when they're not I'm like what? lol I don't think I've ever heard about the Fricke Collection, and though this one mentions WW1, it's not the core focus. I enjoy when I can learn something new from these stories.
The book opens with Lillian's landlord's wife being found murdered. Lillian is wanted for questioning, and really that's all that happens with this storyline. It gives reason for her to end up working for Helen as a way to escape the police, but kind of spoiler – I don't remember there being a conclusion to this. Helen's father persuades Lillian to play matchmaker and get Helen engaged by end of year, which Lillian agrees to with the promise of $1000 and an escape route to Hollywood to become a silent film star.
Lillian is also hiding part of her identify from this wealthy family – she's a former sculpture model famously known as Angelica.
The book flips between time and POV, as other chapters are told about 50 years in the future as a by-happenstance-commercial model Veronica. She leaves behind London to try a series of shoots in the US, with one held at the Fricke House. I think this is where I got a little lost at first because I would get invested in Lillian's story and then switch to Veronica who I didn't super care about.
Anyway, Veronica ends up trapped at the house for several days and meets intern Joshua who also is stuck in the house. They work together to uncover clues left from decades before to find the hidden family secrets. Joshua seemed cool, though.
This book really wanted me to know that the house had a bowling alley. It was brought up more than necessary, imo.
This has been sitting on my shelf for two years so I'm really proud I finally read it, especially since it's one I borrowed from a friend. Trying to be better about reading borrowed books.
The author's note at the end really pulled a lot of things together and made the book that much more interesting. I guess I'm used to a majority of historical fiction focused on WW2 so when they're not I'm like what? lol I don't think I've ever heard about the Fricke Collection, and though this one mentions WW1, it's not the core focus. I enjoy when I can learn something new from these stories.
The book opens with Lillian's landlord's wife being found murdered. Lillian is wanted for questioning, and really that's all that happens with this storyline. It gives reason for her to end up working for Helen as a way to escape the police, but kind of spoiler – I don't remember there being a conclusion to this. Helen's father persuades Lillian to play matchmaker and get Helen engaged by end of year, which Lillian agrees to with the promise of $1000 and an escape route to Hollywood to become a silent film star.
Lillian is also hiding part of her identify from this wealthy family – she's a former sculpture model famously known as Angelica.
The book flips between time and POV, as other chapters are told about 50 years in the future as a by-happenstance-commercial model Veronica. She leaves behind London to try a series of shoots in the US, with one held at the Fricke House. I think this is where I got a little lost at first because I would get invested in Lillian's story and then switch to Veronica who I didn't super care about.
Anyway, Veronica ends up trapped at the house for several days and meets intern Joshua who also is stuck in the house. They work together to uncover clues left from decades before to find the hidden family secrets. Joshua seemed cool, though.
This book really wanted me to know that the house had a bowling alley. It was brought up more than necessary, imo.