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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Classism
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Slow burn but an enjoyable historical mystery and story. I like that it was based on real people and imagined a story behind the famous art muse at the time. It also makes me want to go visit the Frick Collection for myself!
Of the Davis books I’ve read, this is my favorite. I preferred Lilly’s story to Veronica’s, so I’m glad Veronica was a more minor character, but the story kept me intrigued, and I raced through the book.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars
Wasn’t a furious page turner, but the storyline was really interesting. I loved the “who dun it” vibe. Only a dash of romance. Multiple POV’s and switches between timelines- wasn’t hard to follow along. Pretty good one-liners. Easy read to enjoy.
In the back of the book, Davis explains what was fact and which parts were fiction based on fact. Really interesting background of the Magnolia Palace. I plan on going to the website mentioned to take an online tour of the house- super cool.
Wasn’t a furious page turner, but the storyline was really interesting. I loved the “who dun it” vibe. Only a dash of romance. Multiple POV’s and switches between timelines- wasn’t hard to follow along. Pretty good one-liners. Easy read to enjoy.
In the back of the book, Davis explains what was fact and which parts were fiction based on fact. Really interesting background of the Magnolia Palace. I plan on going to the website mentioned to take an online tour of the house- super cool.
Loved her last book but this one didn’t do it for me. Recently read the personal librarian which is another story of an unlikely woman becoming the personal library for a prominent family in early 1900: and that one was leaps and bounds better. The characters didn’t captivate me and the story wasn’t even that good imo???
This book was a lot of fun to read! I enjoyed reading about the relationships between all the characters and seeing the mystery unfold. The main characters were fascinating, from the model behind many of the statues around New York City to Henry Clay Frick's daughter Helen who wanted to run the family estate and challenged typical patriarchy rules of the son inheriting everything. Winnie being able to hear was a spectacular turn! Loved the uncompleted scavenger hunt, and the two timelines merging together with Veronica and Joshua. The book itself was like a pleasant scavenger hunt!! This was BOTM for Jan 2022 that I finally was able to read... xD
I enjoyed the nearly all the segments of the book narrated by Lilly. Watching the story unfold in 1919 was really interesting, I thought the relationships she formed with Miss Helen and the rest of the household were charming. The ending wasn't a total shocker, but I felt satisfied when the mystery person was finally revealed and, overall, I believe everything and everyone got the ending they deserved.
However, I didn't think the dual timelines worked out so well in this read. Anytime we jumped forward to Veronica and Joshua, I felt like it was a hard break in the story and I just wanted their bit to be over so we could get back to the past. Nothing involving them was as interesting as what was going on with Lilly so I found myself not caring and wizzing by their pages.
I also wished we would've gotten more scenes with the organist, because we really don't get to know him well (other then little offerings that he's "a good guy")
However, I didn't think the dual timelines worked out so well in this read. Anytime we jumped forward to Veronica and Joshua, I felt like it was a hard break in the story and I just wanted their bit to be over so we could get back to the past. Nothing involving them was as interesting as what was going on with Lilly so I found myself not caring and wizzing by their pages.
I also wished we would've gotten more scenes with the organist, because we really don't get to know him well (other then little offerings that he's "a good guy")