A review by eeclayton
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Magnolia Palace is novel of historical fiction with a dual timeline. In 1919, a famous artists' model, who is on the run after a scandal, ends up in the Frick house as a private secretary. In 1966, an inexperienced British model finds herself stranded in the Frick palace during a severe snowstorm after a photoshoot has gone awry. The two stories are interconnected, with each chapter uncovering clues to the overall mystery. 
The plot was promising and kept me turning the pages, although I found the 1919 storyline much more compelling. The author had created an incredible sense of place, and it was great to read about what it might be like to live among so many pieces of art. 
Sadly, the last quarter of the book and especially the ending were quite disappointing for me. It made me angry when a character discovered something but the author hid this from the reader by skipping over part of a talk (

between Lillian and Bertha

), but I could have forgiven this, had the ending made more sense.

While the mystery was solved and had a meaningful closure, how the characters arrived at said ending was totally unbelievable (with everyone tagging along on a quick road tip minutes after the blackout was over, and then people very quickly got along after not having talked for almost 50 years; also, nobody could find Angelica in 1919, but 50 years later all it took for an intern to locate her was a phonecall?)

All in all, it was an okay read, but it could have been so much more with a better ending.