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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I love how Ms. Davis writes her novels with a NYC building at it's center. In the Magnolia Palace, the focus is on the Frick mansion, it's beautiful works of art, and the family that inhabited the house and built the collection. Ms. Davis tells the tale with two different timelines - in this book we move between 1919 and 1966. The mystery pulled me right in, and I enjoyed the strong female characters of Lillian, Helen, and Veronica.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Frick Collection. It seems it may be time for a visit to New York.
If I’m being honest… I didn’t start enjoying the book until about 150 pages or so in.. The beginning dragged a lot but after finishing the book I guess we needed all the back story.
I enjoyed the book as a whole. I love the gilded age so it was great to ready a story from that era. I enjoyed the time jumps and how they all lead to the mystery being solved.
I enjoyed the book as a whole. I love the gilded age so it was great to ready a story from that era. I enjoyed the time jumps and how they all lead to the mystery being solved.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A beautiful story about overcoming the past, self-growth, and solving a mystery.
It's 1919 and Lillian Carter a/k/a Angelica is one of the most famous women in New York. Serving as a muse to some of the most well recognized artists of the time, Lillian isn't ready to accept that with the death of her mother and her prime behind her, life must change. But when she becomes a prime witness (or suspect?) in a murder, Lillian must disappear in plain sight. By happenstance, Lillian is admiring a statue (of herself) when she's invited into the Frick home for an interview. Upon being offered the job as private secretary to Miss Helen Frick, Lillian's entire life changes in a flash.
50 years later, Veronica is in the Frick House with several other models for a Vogue photo shoot. When the shoot goes horribly wrong and Veronica extracts herself from the situation, she finds herself locked in the Frick home after hours during a citywide blackout. Prior to being trapped, Veronica stumbled across several handwritten clues detailing a scavenger hunt. By the light of day, she and Joshua, an intern who also found himself trapped during the blackout, begin the hunt. Together, they will find so much more than they bargained for.
This was a really well done story. I loved that the two timelines were still both set in the past and both involved models of different sorts. I was enraptured with both storylines but slightly preferred Lillian's as Miss Helen was quirky and fascinating to me.
I loved how both women - Veronica and Lillian - were both naive but also both had major growth throughout the story. Both women were forced to overcome obstacles from trauma in their past and discrimination due to their profession.
With the exception of the house, it wasn't super clear how the two storylines intersected for much of the novel but I really enjoyed how everything played out and tied together.
This was a novel I struggled to put down and couldn't wait to pick back up. I felt connected to the characters, loved the historical fiction aspect, thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, and even liked the romances.
This is a must read for historical fiction lovers!
Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful novel.
It's 1919 and Lillian Carter a/k/a Angelica is one of the most famous women in New York. Serving as a muse to some of the most well recognized artists of the time, Lillian isn't ready to accept that with the death of her mother and her prime behind her, life must change. But when she becomes a prime witness (or suspect?) in a murder, Lillian must disappear in plain sight. By happenstance, Lillian is admiring a statue (of herself) when she's invited into the Frick home for an interview. Upon being offered the job as private secretary to Miss Helen Frick, Lillian's entire life changes in a flash.
50 years later, Veronica is in the Frick House with several other models for a Vogue photo shoot. When the shoot goes horribly wrong and Veronica extracts herself from the situation, she finds herself locked in the Frick home after hours during a citywide blackout. Prior to being trapped, Veronica stumbled across several handwritten clues detailing a scavenger hunt. By the light of day, she and Joshua, an intern who also found himself trapped during the blackout, begin the hunt. Together, they will find so much more than they bargained for.
This was a really well done story. I loved that the two timelines were still both set in the past and both involved models of different sorts. I was enraptured with both storylines but slightly preferred Lillian's as Miss Helen was quirky and fascinating to me.
I loved how both women - Veronica and Lillian - were both naive but also both had major growth throughout the story. Both women were forced to overcome obstacles from trauma in their past and discrimination due to their profession.
With the exception of the house, it wasn't super clear how the two storylines intersected for much of the novel but I really enjoyed how everything played out and tied together.
This was a novel I struggled to put down and couldn't wait to pick back up. I felt connected to the characters, loved the historical fiction aspect, thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, and even liked the romances.
This is a must read for historical fiction lovers!
Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful novel.
This wasn't my favorite book by Davis, but I still really enjoyed it. As always with her books, I am a fan of the duel timelines, strong female characters, and the overlaying of nonfiction over the fiction plot.
I was completely enthralled with the Spectacular and the history of the Rockettes and the FBI first using profiling to catch a criminal. So I was excited to grab another novel by her, with the book blurb figured it would the history of modeling in NYC and the art world. Sadly I was disappointed.
We get two storylines, that the only connection is the building. It was just abrupt to be ripped from one decade to another decade. There was no connection between the two unitl the end. I felt like I was reading two books at once and the ending was forced to bring them together and it didn't seem plausible.
We get two storylines, that the only connection is the building. It was just abrupt to be ripped from one decade to another decade. There was no connection between the two unitl the end. I felt like I was reading two books at once and the ending was forced to bring them together and it didn't seem plausible.
This book was so incredibly boring. It wasn’t until the end listening to the author’s note that I learned it was historical fiction, which shouldn’t mean anything, but I’m thinking she should have stuck to fiction or non-fiction, but not both.
Loved this book! Was able to get a copy through book of the month. This story has a dual timeline of 1919 and 1966. Taken place at the Frick house (1919) and the museum ( same location 1966). A murder, missing diamond, and an art scandal all take place. The writing is amazing and then book flows quickly.