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A review by mhinnen
The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis
adventurous
informative
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
My first job out of college in the mid 1990s was in the Graybar building, adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. One day I brought my 7 year old daughter to work and as we walked from the subway and through the main concourse she looked around in awe “this is where you work?” Grand Central Terminal by the end of the 20th century had been restored in a way that perhaps captured some of its original splendor.
I enjoyed "The Masterpiece" a story of two woman connected over 50 years. Clara is an artist and art teacher at a school in Grand Central Terminal at a time when women artists weren’t taken seriously. But with smart strategies and skill she builds a successful and lucrative career while navigating love and life. When the Great Depression hits, people no longer buy art and she and her romantic partner look for new ways to create and survive.
Virginia is recently divorced in the mid 1970s and trying to create a new life with her daughter. When she gets a job at Grand Central at a time when it is about to be demolished, she falls in the with the building seeing beyond the disrepair and the beauty that is possible with restoration. She also stumbles onto a mystery linking back to an art school from her 20s. Her curiosity helps build her character and confidence.
Good light mystery and historical fiction in an iconic NYC building across two fascinating periods in time. It's interesting to see how Clare in the late '20s is able to break free of social constraints for women seemingly more easily than Virginia in the late 1970s. Though of course for Virginia a child and previous marriage have already defined her in many ways.
I enjoyed "The Masterpiece" a story of two woman connected over 50 years. Clara is an artist and art teacher at a school in Grand Central Terminal at a time when women artists weren’t taken seriously. But with smart strategies and skill she builds a successful and lucrative career while navigating love and life. When the Great Depression hits, people no longer buy art and she and her romantic partner look for new ways to create and survive.
Virginia is recently divorced in the mid 1970s and trying to create a new life with her daughter. When she gets a job at Grand Central at a time when it is about to be demolished, she falls in the with the building seeing beyond the disrepair and the beauty that is possible with restoration. She also stumbles onto a mystery linking back to an art school from her 20s. Her curiosity helps build her character and confidence.
Good light mystery and historical fiction in an iconic NYC building across two fascinating periods in time. It's interesting to see how Clare in the late '20s is able to break free of social constraints for women seemingly more easily than Virginia in the late 1970s. Though of course for Virginia a child and previous marriage have already defined her in many ways.