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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
It’s 1919 and Lillian Carter lost her mother eight months ago to the Spanish flu. Lillian is broke and owes her landlord Mr. Watkins rent money. Heartbroken and grieving she’s having a hard time finding work she’s gained some weight and she’s older now. Lillian started working as an artists muse when she was only fifteen years old and many of her statues are on public display around New York City, no one knows her actual name she was only known as Angelica. When her landlord is wanted for the murder of his wife, and when the police find a letter Lillian had written to him they feel she’s also a suspect, so packs a few pieces of clothing and runs. She soon finds an opportunity in becoming Helen Frick’s secretary, and this job gives Lillian a place to stay and time to figure what she’s doing to do? What’s even more surprising is one of Lillian statues is located right at the front of the The Frick mansion, they don’t recognizes it’s her, Miss. Helen’s is a bit demanding of a person, eccentric, and Lilly can’t wait to leave she wants to be in movies in Hollywood, she plans to make just enough money and then leave.
Its 1966, Veronica Weber’s in New York, doing a fashion shoot for Vogue and the shoot is at the Frick museum, she feels out of place it’s her first official modeling job. Veronica is worried about her mother and sister Polly back in England, and plans to make enough money to take care of Polly who has special needs. When a snow storm causes a power outage, college intern and budding art curator Joshua Lawrence and Veronica find themselves locked in the museum. Veronica and Joshua soon uncover a scavenger that lead them to a mystery that dates back to 1919 and that involves the missing Magnolia Diamond that belonged to The Fricks. This book was amazing, I finished this book during a cold snowy weekend. Five stars! Loved the dual timeline!!
Its 1966, Veronica Weber’s in New York, doing a fashion shoot for Vogue and the shoot is at the Frick museum, she feels out of place it’s her first official modeling job. Veronica is worried about her mother and sister Polly back in England, and plans to make enough money to take care of Polly who has special needs. When a snow storm causes a power outage, college intern and budding art curator Joshua Lawrence and Veronica find themselves locked in the museum. Veronica and Joshua soon uncover a scavenger that lead them to a mystery that dates back to 1919 and that involves the missing Magnolia Diamond that belonged to The Fricks. This book was amazing, I finished this book during a cold snowy weekend. Five stars! Loved the dual timeline!!
"The rich think they’re protected, that they have magical powers, when in fact they’re only mortals, like the rest of us. Bodies break down, betray you. People you love die. Children die."
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved reading a book that focused on two women and let them have lives outside of romance although there was that one romantic element that made me sad and think it was turning into a romance, but then it wasn't!!
I found The Magnolia Palace to be a fast paced "Clue" like mystery wrapped in historical fiction. I love dueling timelines and this one delivers. I found the author's note to be informative about what was true and what was not.
This is a beautifully written story. The descriptions are so vivid you actually feel like you are there. Our main character is Lillian, who is delightful. She supports she and her mother by posing for sculptures. Her mother passes away which leaves a young Lillian to fend for herself. She winds up in a job for the Frick family of New York City. We meet the family and their stories intertwined with Lillian's story. The Frick Mansion develops with a story to be told. The only drawback of the book is it ends!!
This book was well written but I found it difficult to get pulled into the story. I thought the time periods switches were rather abrupt and it was hard to get into each storyline. Just as I was interested in what was going on the timeline would switch and I’d be left wondering. The book had a “tidy” ending but I felt like it had so much more potential. It wasn’t a bad read but I definitely would not re-read it.
Overall: an artsy mystery with Jane Austen vibes
This was a fun read, and after getting a quarter through it I didn’t want to put it down. There were some cool feminist elements, and the characters were unexpectedly complex and made surprising decisions at times. I really liked this Book of the Month pick and would like to try Fiona Davis’ other books now!
This was a fun read, and after getting a quarter through it I didn’t want to put it down. There were some cool feminist elements, and the characters were unexpectedly complex and made surprising decisions at times. I really liked this Book of the Month pick and would like to try Fiona Davis’ other books now!
The Frick family were uber wealthy in the early 1900’s and lived in NYC. They built a mansion and furnished it with known art and furniture with the intent to turn their home into a museum. Today you can go visit the Frick Museum on 70th St. right next to Central Park.
This was a fun historical fiction book that created a few scandals and mysteries to envelope the Frick family in to tell their story of their home. It was delightfully done with a 1916 and 1966 time periods that slowly built the story including their family and a well known art model.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the advance e-copy in return for my honest review.
This was a fun historical fiction book that created a few scandals and mysteries to envelope the Frick family in to tell their story of their home. It was delightfully done with a 1916 and 1966 time periods that slowly built the story including their family and a well known art model.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the advance e-copy in return for my honest review.