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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This book was just ok. The one thing working in its favor is how short it is; if it was any longer, I would’ve stopped reading it. It was interesting to read about the Frick family but the storyline set in the 1960’s was boring and not well fleshed out. Honestly, the book had the quality of fan fiction for me.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've always been extremely interested in the Gilded Age and the insane wealth in our country. I've visited the Newport Mansions several times, and love learning about the opulent homes that were all over Manhattan. Having been in NYC several times, it's hard to wrap my head around some of these magnificent buildings being homes.
The Magnolia Palace was beautifully written and a wonderfully woven story. I never heard of the Frick House before and by the end of the story, I found myself reading all about it and trying to learn more about the family. I even learned that the vacation home she built for working women is near where I grew up.
This was such a fun read with a bit of mystery, and I completely enjoyed every second of it.
Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
4.5/5 stars
The Magnolia Palace was beautifully written and a wonderfully woven story. I never heard of the Frick House before and by the end of the story, I found myself reading all about it and trying to learn more about the family. I even learned that the vacation home she built for working women is near where I grew up.
This was such a fun read with a bit of mystery, and I completely enjoyed every second of it.
Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
4.5/5 stars
2.5 stars. The writing was saccharine and cliche. The story was contrived and almost childish.
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Minor: Racism, Medical content, Alcohol, War
The story was good, but not riveting. I was thrown several times during the power being down by the characters doing things that clearly required using electricity. Since so much of the story was pulled together during that storm and outage, it was disappointing to be pulled out of the story to wonder how exactly that elevator was running and other things. As always with this author, the Author's Note is as interesting as the story, where she notes how her characters' and their real counterparts' lives overlap and don't. I may read one of her recommended books to learn more about "America's First Supermodel."
mysterious
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Closer to 3.5 stars, this was my first Fiona Davis book, and I very much enjoyed it. While I had heard of the Fricks, and toured the house in Pitt., I did not know much about them. This was a very enjoyable dual timeline story about their life. I enjoyed the earlier timeline much more than the later one.
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes