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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Historical fiction mystery with great characters and fun plot line. I was surprised to read in the author’s note that they were based on the lives of real people.
Interesting premise, kind of a slow build?
A model who is down in her luck takes a job as a private secretary in 1919 working for a family with a lot of issues and it may end up costing her more than she bargained for.
50 years later, two young people are snow bound in the mansion she worked in that has since been turned into an art museum and stumble upon a scavenger hunt/mystery and, out of boredom, attempt to solve it.
I love the dual time line (I know, repetitive) nd I liked the characters, but it took me a bit to keep them straight. This didn't just grab me right away and keep me enthralled. I missed a couple moments thst turned out to be pretty important later on, but I didn't care enough to go back and find them. I also saw plot points coming from miles away and the ending felt pretty tidy to me.
But I did enjoy the pleasant enough journey and it makes me interested enough to want to see the Frick Mansion if I ever go to NYC again, and definitely interested me in all the art and statuary mentioned.
A model who is down in her luck takes a job as a private secretary in 1919 working for a family with a lot of issues and it may end up costing her more than she bargained for.
50 years later, two young people are snow bound in the mansion she worked in that has since been turned into an art museum and stumble upon a scavenger hunt/mystery and, out of boredom, attempt to solve it.
I love the dual time line (I know, repetitive) nd I liked the characters, but it took me a bit to keep them straight. This didn't just grab me right away and keep me enthralled. I missed a couple moments thst turned out to be pretty important later on, but I didn't care enough to go back and find them. I also saw plot points coming from miles away and the ending felt pretty tidy to me.
But I did enjoy the pleasant enough journey and it makes me interested enough to want to see the Frick Mansion if I ever go to NYC again, and definitely interested me in all the art and statuary mentioned.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
3.5 rounded up. I didn’t hate this, but I was much more immersed in the 1919 story than the 1966 one. I was satisfied that things wrapped up, but idk, I didn’t really care as much about who had done the things as I thought. This is a good one for historical fiction readers who like a dash of mystery and romance.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Parallel timeline narrative, the first is set in 1919 that I enjoyed and found interesting. The second narrative is set in the 1960s.
The description of the art collection at the Frick house in both timelines throughout the story was perhaps my favorite. If I am in NY again I would definitely plan a visit!
The plot requires the reader’s imagination, leap of faith and seems unrealistic to me at times causing my rating to go down. There is also an odd way the book is structured as a mystery: there is a murder in the beginning that is never resolved, there is a second murder which is the real mystery It doesn’t occur until much later in the book, almost towards the end on page 251. It is resolved in the second timeline but while the murder seems, the plot elements to discover who do not.
Found at a little free library 2 years after publication- I will return it there again.
The description of the art collection at the Frick house in both timelines throughout the story was perhaps my favorite. If I am in NY again I would definitely plan a visit!
The plot requires the reader’s imagination, leap of faith and seems unrealistic to me at times causing my rating to go down. There is also an odd way the book is structured as a mystery: there is a murder in the beginning that is never resolved, there is a second murder which is the real mystery It doesn’t occur until much later in the book, almost towards the end on page 251. It is resolved in the second timeline but while the murder seems, the plot elements to discover who do not.
Found at a little free library 2 years after publication- I will return it there again.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I think the main reason this turned out to be a 3 star read for me is that I listened to this as an audiobook and my easily distracted self definitely had some moments fall through the cracks while trying to follow this dual timeline story. Since I think I would’ve enjoyed this novel had I read it the old fashioned, I’ll have to be more thoughtful about which reads I make audiobook reads going forward
I did enjoy this book. It didn’t blow me away but it’s a good read and pretty quick. The set up of the mystery was done very well, I enjoyed the characters, and I did like the way the two telling the story kind of mirrored each other. I will have to look for more work from Fiona Davis.
Recenzia completă vă așteaptă pe blog.
Palatul Magnolia cred că a fost unul dintre cele mai așteptate titluri și nu de puține ori m-am regăsit tot gândindu-mă la ce ar fi putut ascunde între paginile sale. Eram pregătită să mă pierd pe coridoarele lungi, înțesate de secrete și urme ale generațiilor de altă dată. Istoriile de familie sunt preferatele mele și nu obosesc niciodată de zgrepțănatul la ușile trecutului, de săpatul în cufere acoperite de praf și păianjeni.
Palatul Magnolia a fost o lectură plină de speranță și de momente de cumpănă. Deși începutul a fost blând și fără puncte comune, cel puțin nu la prima vedere, Fiona Davis a reunit toate firele într-o tapiserie bogată, plină de culori și modele.
Salturile temporale au contat foarte mult în economia poveștii, asigurând permanent o stare de suspans și de nerăbdare. Iar personajele au făcut deliciul poveștii. Construite bogat, cu trăsături diferite și caractere puternice, acestea au creat echilibrul perfect dintre esența și cadrul poveștii.
Palatul Magnolia cred că a fost unul dintre cele mai așteptate titluri și nu de puține ori m-am regăsit tot gândindu-mă la ce ar fi putut ascunde între paginile sale. Eram pregătită să mă pierd pe coridoarele lungi, înțesate de secrete și urme ale generațiilor de altă dată. Istoriile de familie sunt preferatele mele și nu obosesc niciodată de zgrepțănatul la ușile trecutului, de săpatul în cufere acoperite de praf și păianjeni.
Palatul Magnolia a fost o lectură plină de speranță și de momente de cumpănă. Deși începutul a fost blând și fără puncte comune, cel puțin nu la prima vedere, Fiona Davis a reunit toate firele într-o tapiserie bogată, plină de culori și modele.
Salturile temporale au contat foarte mult în economia poveștii, asigurând permanent o stare de suspans și de nerăbdare. Iar personajele au făcut deliciul poveștii. Construite bogat, cu trăsături diferite și caractere puternice, acestea au creat echilibrul perfect dintre esența și cadrul poveștii.