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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Another historical fiction novel that was quite fun to read! It’s a rich tale suffused with intrigue, mystery, and betrayal that swirls around the history of the infamous Frick family. It’s written with multi-viewpoints across two different perspectives. With this book, and The Wedding Veil, I found myself looking up several of the places or events that were mentioned in historical relevance to the story line, which made it quite enjoyable for me.
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
A cozy paced story with some sad parts and some humor. Enjoyed many of the characters. Slow in some parts. Shades of Jane Austin set in New York, with a mystery. The friendships and ending were great!
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I find myself slightly disappointed by this book. The story is interesting, yes, but only on the surface level. I am desperate to get to the Frick Museum now (and of course the mansion itself is closed for renovations probably through this year) but beyond that it was just a good story.
The life of the real "Angelica," which is alluded to in the author's note, is actually far more interesting than her fictional counterpart, and I would have liked the story to have more closely aligned with those real events, rather than the fictional events made up for the purpose of this story. Understanding that the 1910s artists muse and Helen Frick never actually crossed paths, I can understand the artistic liberties taken, but I fear something is lost by diverting so far from the real life counterpart.
I also had issues with the characterization of Helen herself. While this might be intentional, I found her grating and highly unlikeable. I really only liked her when she was older. Again, the real life Helen did so many wonderful things, I think something was lost when she was boiled down to what feels like a bit of a caricature, or down to the most unlikeable parts for sake of the story.
Both women are interesting in their own right, and somehow this story only scratched the surface for both of them. It feels a bit like Davis missed the mark and tried to make this story into something it never could be, because real life was more fascinating.
The life of the real "Angelica," which is alluded to in the author's note, is actually far more interesting than her fictional counterpart, and I would have liked the story to have more closely aligned with those real events, rather than the fictional events made up for the purpose of this story. Understanding that the 1910s artists muse and Helen Frick never actually crossed paths, I can understand the artistic liberties taken, but I fear something is lost by diverting so far from the real life counterpart.
I also had issues with the characterization of Helen herself. While this might be intentional, I found her grating and highly unlikeable. I really only liked her when she was older. Again, the real life Helen did so many wonderful things, I think something was lost when she was boiled down to what feels like a bit of a caricature, or down to the most unlikeable parts for sake of the story.
Both women are interesting in their own right, and somehow this story only scratched the surface for both of them. It feels a bit like Davis missed the mark and tried to make this story into something it never could be, because real life was more fascinating.
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
okay now THIS?!? This was my shit.
Loved it. Loved all of it. The seamless way the author blended themes of social hierarchy, old-fashioned ideals, crime and art?! Are you kidding me? So much fun. I have not stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it. I felt like I was fully immersed in New York in the 1910s/1960s in this mansion. And it was so well-researched! I was shocked and delighted to find out how many real life people and situations were reflected in this novel. Of course, I had no idea about any of these events/people.
For mystery lovers, art lovers, and history lovers, this novel was just fantastic. Will be recommending to all. Characters were dynamic with distinct personalities, descriptions were thorough without droning on, and the connections between the two timelines was always intriguing. The voice of this story was very well established and confident, making me feel like the author really understood every character she was writing for.
I have never gravitated towards historical fiction as much as I do my other tried-and-true genres, but I adored this book. Will be adding more of Davis's novels to my TBR. 5 Stars.
Loved it. Loved all of it. The seamless way the author blended themes of social hierarchy, old-fashioned ideals, crime and art?! Are you kidding me? So much fun. I have not stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it. I felt like I was fully immersed in New York in the 1910s/1960s in this mansion. And it was so well-researched! I was shocked and delighted to find out how many real life people and situations were reflected in this novel. Of course, I had no idea about any of these events/people.
For mystery lovers, art lovers, and history lovers, this novel was just fantastic. Will be recommending to all. Characters were dynamic with distinct personalities, descriptions were thorough without droning on, and the connections between the two timelines was always intriguing. The voice of this story was very well established and confident, making me feel like the author really understood every character she was writing for.
I have never gravitated towards historical fiction as much as I do my other tried-and-true genres, but I adored this book. Will be adding more of Davis's novels to my TBR. 5 Stars.
I give this a 3/5. I wouldn't not recommend running out to buy it but if it happens to fall upon you sit down for a read.
I did not expect this to be a mystery but it was in a good way. Fiona was very descriptive in describing the Frick house, I desperately want to go visit now. Miss Helen, Lillian and the entire Frick staff was an interesting bunch. Fiona described them so vividly I could see Miss Helen's rough disposition.
There was a lull in this book for me or portions were I was not as engaged because I was not sure was Fiona was going with the plot and the characters. At this point I put the book down for two months and recently picked it back up March 29th. My favorite character by far was Miss Helen and I loved how the author was able to bring the two time periods back together seamlessly. I thought Veronica as a character was lacking and there could have been more done on her character development. Joshua was great and balanced her where she was rough around the edges. She was quite an annoying character.
I give this a 3/5. I wouldn't not recommend running out to buy it but if it happens to fall upon you sit down for a read.
I did not expect this to be a mystery but it was in a good way. Fiona was very descriptive in describing the Frick house, I desperately want to go visit now. Miss Helen, Lillian and the entire Frick staff was an interesting bunch. Fiona described them so vividly I could see Miss Helen's rough disposition.
There was a lull in this book for me or portions were I was not as engaged because I was not sure was Fiona was going with the plot and the characters. At this point I put the book down for two months and recently picked it back up March 29th. My favorite character by far was Miss Helen and I loved how the author was able to bring the two time periods back together seamlessly. I thought Veronica as a character was lacking and there could have been more done on her character development. Joshua was great and balanced her where she was rough around the edges. She was quite an annoying character.
I give this a 3/5. I wouldn't not recommend running out to buy it but if it happens to fall upon you sit down for a read.