A great historical fiction read with such attention to detail that the reader is swept up in the epic life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the cereal heiress. Her lifestyle, multiple husbands and grand homes together make this a true life- is-more-interesting-than-fiction biographical story. At the same time, Ms. Post was also a feminist of her own making, leading C.W.Post for many years through her husbands' board seats until she could demand direct representation decades later. Her collection of rare art and how she secured much of it is also portrayed in fascinating detail. We also learn how she balanced her lavish material desires with impactful philanthropic work. From Battle Creek, Michigan, to Palm Beach, New York, Moscow, and Washington, D.C., Pataki captures this epic story with page turning craft that kept me up into the night to finish this book. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Marjorie Post's interesting life pulled me through. Clearly well-researched and I learned a lot about Marjorie Post - some really fascinating things!

An amazing story about a most amazing woman. I had not really known about Marjorie Post before I read this book. The wonderful story just swept me away. Not much else got done while I ploughed through this unputdownable book all day.

Mother, leader, businesswoman and philanthropist - Marjorie Post was a woman far ahead of her times and exemplary in every way. A saga spanning several decades, this book is for you if you are a fan of strong self-made women. Allison Pataki is a favourite author since I first fell in love with her heroine Sisi and far exceeded expectations yet again!!

A truly magnificent read about a truly marvelous woman.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post will certainly be enjoyed by many, but sadly, I didn't enjoy it. While Marjorie lived a fascinating life, I found myself bored reading about her.

The book is divided into sections based on Marjorie's marriages, with the first part describing her childhood and her father's development of the Post cereal company. I found these early years to be the most interesting, particularly her father's illness and subsequent invention of Grape Nuts and Marjorie's experiences in Battle Creek and DC. However, once the narrative moved to Marjorie's marriage to Ed Close, I began to lose interest. The story jumps quickly through the years, and it felt as if too many details were excluded. This could be the result of the author having to trim down the book, but overall, the story felt lacking.

Additionally, Marjorie began to come across as bossy and inconsiderate rather than independent and determined. Yes, she funded many philanthropic projects, but the author's descriptions almost made these projects seem like an afterthought or something Marjorie did to keep from getting too bored. I don't know that the real Marjorie Post was really such a self-centered woman, but her portrayal in this book certainly makes her seem that way.

I wanted to enjoy this book because it does seem that Marjorie Post lived a magnificent life, but I'll find a better resource to learn more about her.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really liked this book! I read it very quickly because it was so well-written and I couldn't wait to find out more about such an interesting woman! I plan to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book if you like to read historical fiction based on real people.

3.5 stars

This is a difficult review to write.

This is historical fiction about the philanthropic heiress turned businesswoman, Marjorie Merriweather Post, and while you may not know much about the her or her family itself, if you’ve ever eaten a bowl or Raisin Bran, or Honey Bunches of Oats, or a Chips Ahoy cookie you’ve put money into the pocket of Post’s descendants.

When I saw the gorgeous cover and read the description, I was sold. This was a mostly enjoyable read but as I ventured further into it, it seemed, to me, as though the book was missing something vital. It is well written and the subject is intriguing, but the story itself I unfortunately found to be lacking, it didn’t pull me in and didn’t hold my interest much. I had to keep coming back to this one.

Did Jay Gatsby impress you as a cad? Too handsome for his own good? The kind of guy who could get the girl and mix a cocktail at the same time? What did those women really think of the lothario? His reputation preceded him, then followed him. What would one do, or not do, to exact revenge? How and whom?
This delicious story is brilliant! Ms. Cantor’s imagination has produced a romantic, fast paced, romantic, spell binding, mysterious look at the Great Gatsby, one F. Scott Fitzgerald would love to have written. Loved it!

Wow! Every time I read one of Allison Pataki's books, I am blown away by the research she must have done. I loved reading about Marjorie Post's life. I have to admit, I did not know much about her until I read this book. I was stunned how smart she could be in business, but how reckless she was in love. It was a fascinating story and It was written so well! I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for a great read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Net galley and Random House for the ARC of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post.I visited Hillwood, Mrs Post's mansion in Washington DC this spring. I was impressed with the house, the furnishings and the stories about Marjorie Post. I wanted to learn more about her and was excited to see this book . Marjorie Post was an outstanding person. And this is an outstanding book. It is historical fiction, but very well researched and written. It does not gloss over any of the unhappy aspects of her life, and gives full meaning to the pleasant ones. Marjorie Post grew up with a sickly father, who, once he regained his health, he started the Post Cereal Company. Marjorie helped her father, putting labels on the boxes, making the cereal. She married four times and gave birth to 3 daughters.She was on the board of her family company, later known as General Foods, was wife to an Ambassador to Russia, a philanthropist, a society doyenne . She had personal triumphs and tragedies, and remained always true to herself. The book begins with her humble beginnings in Battle Creek Michigan and moves through her life , marriages , personal and professional endeavors. It is a thorough , well written and well researched book. I completely enjoyed it.I am posting this to Goodreads on 11/16/2021.

I just finished reading this book and I'm sad to say I wasn't happy with it. As a fan of Ms. Pataki I have read many of her books, but this novel did not meet my expectations. I can't fault the author's writing however, Marjorie Post and her "magnificent lives" bored me. While she was a do-gooder, a philanthropist, wealthy and all that, her private life was a disaster. Being married 4 times, each one of her husbands practically had all the same personalities and as smart as she was "supposed" to be, something within her was lacking. Was it because she was raised as an only child, she was daddy's girl, yet it seemed she wasn't her husbands' girl? My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good book about someone I didn’t know too much about. It was like a walk thru history too.
For me it was a nice easy read and kept my attention to the very end. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Alison Pataki is a beautifully told novel of a woman whose name was familiar to me, but not the details of her life. And what an incredible life it was. However, the best part of the book was definitely the authors beautiful prose. Her descriptions of houses, artwork, gardens, clothing, even the weather, are absolutely exquisite. I found myself rereading some passages several times just to savor the words and the image they evoked. And I loved getting to know Marjorie Post—what an impressive woman! Highly recommend!!

Marjorie Merriweather Post's life changed forever when her father took the cure in Battle Creek Michigan, He went on to create Post Grape Nuts and Marjorie was able to live a life of staggering wealth. She also worked hard, often in the background, to keep her father's cereal company going through the Depression and into General Foods. This is a story of a strong woman that works to live life on her own terms when women were expected to follow certain rules. Loved this!

I LOVED this book! It was so interesting to learn about a captivating, pioneering woman. I had not known of Marjorie Post prior to this book, and. I can’t wait to read more about her after reading this enthralling novel of her life. What a fascinating woman who did so much for our country, brought to life by the great Pataki.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post brings a story of a fascinating woman, an American heiress who made her mark as a distinct philanthropist and pioneering leader of the twentieth century. A woman of modest background who rose to a dominant role, leaving behind a stunning legacy.

Marjorie Merriweather Post grows up in a positive environment encouraged by her father, a man who believes that anything is possible. He sees his purpose in creating meals. “A food that’s easy to prepare and easy to digest.” He becomes successful in mass-producing tasty breakfast foods and marketing them to the public.

Mr. Post believes in equal education for both boys and girls, and he wants his daughter to be “as proficient with dance cards and teacups as with machinery and balance ledgers.” Thus, he wants her to continue her education in Washington D.C. where he believes the nation’s capital is the place to be. There, at the age of sixteen, Marjorie meets Ed Close who is on the cusp of becoming a Manhattan lawyer, and who comes from old money, while her money is new and comes from cereal.

Marjorie is a well-mannered young woman who quickly finds herself in a marriage full of disappointment and carelessness. But with her father’s philosophy in mind if she wants to change her circumstance, then she needs to change her attitude. Self-pity won’t do. She finds purpose in helping those less fortunate, those who truly have cause for complaints. She joins Elsie Rockefeller in leadership of charitable work. Her philanthropy takes small part in this story, but it’s well-presented. Also, she turns out to be a very savvy businesswoman, who recognizes opportunities when she sees them. She is a woman of many talents, becoming the first one in many areas.

What makes Marjorie Post stand out is not her money, but what she does with it. She does enjoy the comforts that the money grants her, but she never forgets her humble beginnings, and she sees a bigger purpose in all the money her family amassed.

Interestingly woven life of an extraordinary woman who had her magical moments, but whose life was also marked by trials and betrayals. With strong ethical approach to life, she faced her challenges while embracing her own power and in the process shaping the history. Written affectionately, this brilliantly crafted story offers character infused with humanity and love, moving the plot smoothly and along the way creating a truly heartfelt read.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

Remarkable is just the word to describe the life of Marjorie Post. Prepared better than most young women of her day,by a father of grit and just as much determination as his daughter. This portrait brings her world alive to the reader free from excuse or regret. Ms Post had a clear vision that rarely clouded. Granted her’s was a life cushioned by privilege but lined with a commitment to service. Happy reading

Very good historical fiction about C.W. Post's daughter who was known as the Cereal heiress. As well as an educational biography of Post Foods and rival Kellogg's. Sounds stale but it is not. You will read about the depression, WWI. WWII, and meet many presidents and other famous people. Interesting fact, Marjorie Post built Mar-a-Lago in 1924-27.

What an interesting, well written book! I became interested in this one, because the house Marjorie Post lived in is close to where I now live and I knew some of her story already. This novel really fleshed her out and painted a vivid picture. Recommended!

I’ve read a few books by Pataki and loved them so I expected to enjoy this one as well and I did. I’d give this as gifts as well because I think Post just fits into people’s idea of an American whose family shaped our country and she did as well. Excellent writing and such good detail on this larger than life lady!

I found this one fascinating. I learned a lot about a historical figure I knew nothing about and her fascinating life . It was engaging and kept you interested till the end.