My Recommendation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post”
by Allison Pataki

Glamorous Cereal Queen, Brilliant Business Woman and Generous Benefactor—Marjorie Merriweather Post—America's True Homegrown Royalty and Always a Hopeful Romantic!

Her father's daughter through and through, Marjorie Merriweather Post rose with the chickens every day of her life and never took anything for granted, even after her dad, C.W. Post, became a extraordinarily wealthy when he launched the world's first packaged cereal company in Battle Creek, Michigan, at the turn of the 20th Century.

Beautiful, bright, enthusiastic and a hard worker from childhood, Marjorie taste-tested her dad’s original recipes in their Michigan barn; pasted on box labels; and raked roasting gains for making Grape Nuts.

This work ethic served Majorie well throughout her long and productive life. As her millions grew, so did her passion for sharing her wealth with those less fortunate.

Majorie Post established and ran medical hospitals based in France during WWI; organized and served in soup kitchens and homeless shelters during the Great Depression; and fund-raised for philanthropic endeavors all of her life.

A hopeful romantic, Majorie married four times and had three daughters by two husbands. First husband, of blue blood Knickerbocker lineage, Ed Case, swept her off-of-her-feet at 16-years of age, yet proved a Greenwich snob and cad with a preference for gin over her.

Second husband, and the true passionate love of her life, Wall Street Banker Ned (E.F.) Hutton, of “when E.F. Hutton talks, people listen” fame, became an adulterous abuser.

Perhaps, the third marriage would be the charm in Marjorie Post’s romantic life. Dark and debonair, Joe Davies, U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union prior to WWII, courted with impeccable grace and charm.

Their stay in Moscow proved exciting for Majorie when she befriended Polina Molotova and was rewarded with the opportunity to purchase Russian treasures of the Romanov’s, Catherine the Great, and Faberge for mere rubles. Sadly, Majorie being such a gracious Ambassadress made Davies sickly jealous. So ended their marriage.

With multiple homes and mansions that she designed herself and furnished with exquisite taste, including her eclectic Palm Beach, Fla., palazzo, Mar-a-Lago, the still gorgeous woman and impeccable hostess, Majorie Post had not found a lasting love.

While attending a luncheon at her daughter, Adelaide’s one day, Majorie was seated by yet another attentive, well-dressed man, Hebert May, V.P. of Westinghouse. Yet, their marriage became the ultimate disaster and failure for the 71-year-old Post Cereal, later the conglomerate General Foods, heiress.

When shocking photos of her husband arrived wrapped in an unmarked brown paper package, Majorie Merriweather Post Case Hutton Davies May was flummoxed! How had she never picked up any hints? This, her last marriage merry-go-round was over, as well.

However, this was not Majorie’s last hurrah. Living a long and healthy life until 86-years-of-age and touting a daily breakfast of Post cereals and uncaffinated, Postum, as a regimen, few who knew her could say that she wasn't a remarkable woman.

“My wealth would have been a burden on my soul if I did not find ways to share it with others,” stated Majorie Merriweather Post.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J. Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post”
by Allison Pataki
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction | Women’s Fiction |
Publication Date: 14 February 2022
Publisher: Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

My Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Allison Pataki, and Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, for Providing this Advance Reader's Copy for Review.

Going into this novel, I didn’t know much about Marjorie Post, other than the Post Cereal name, but knowing it was written by Allison Pataki, was enough motivation for me to learn!

Marjorie Post was a formidable woman with a business acumen far ahead of her time. With a keen eye for potential in smaller businesses, Marjorie thought outside the box and wasn’t afraid to take risks. Her main problem was being a woman in a man’s world. Despite her setbacks because of her gender, she helped her family’s business to not only succeed, but also to thrive far beyond anyone’s expectations, while also keeping up with the social and philanthropic expectations of a woman of her status.

As much as she was successful in business, she seemed to flounder in love. Marjorie Post Close Hutton Davies May married four times, with each relationship being very different from the previous ones. Marjorie slowly grew into herself and learned how to stay true to her belief system instilled in her by her beloved father, and with the support of her three daughters.

Marjorie led a lavish lifestyle hosting parties for many famous people, including several presidents, but she also gave lavishly to charity and often without credit. Her life was certainly a “rich” one and a very entertaining read. Parts of the novel read more like nonfiction, but overall, this book was captivating. Reading about Marjorie, makes me wish I had a chance to meet such a remarkable woman relatively unknown in American history.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Marjorie Merriweather Post was the daughter of CW Post - creator of Post Cereal company and Grapenuts. After her father's death, she made the company what it is today (General Mills) though she could not "own" it or serve on the board as a woman. She made the strategic moves during the Great War and the Great Depression to help the company survive. She built the first hospital ship and sent it to Europe for the US soldiers serving during the Great War. She opened the first food bank and clothing bank in NYC during the Great Depression. She built Mar-a-lago and donated it to the government so the President would have a place to rest. She built her estate outside of DC and donated that to the Smithsonian. Though she was extremely unlucky in love, she spent her hard earned money and heart to make the world a better place. Fascinating story!!!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Do you know anything about Marjorie Merriweather Post? I didn't, but I do now! What a fascinating story! What a fascinating woman!

Thank you NetGalley, Allison Pataki and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book! I have been such a fan of Allison Pataki since I read, The Traitor's Wife back in 2014! She is an author who truly does her homework, as her books are so well researched and told!

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is a book about the heiress of Post Cereal; General Foods. Marjorie grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, brought there due to her father's illness. While in the care of Dr. Kellogg (yes, of Kellogg cereal)...CW Post eats some BLAND food. He gets well and decides that he can come up with better tasting food. Thus, Post cereal is born. Marjorie at a young age stands beside her father, learning the new "family" business.

This book follows Marjorie's life...through love stories, children, Presidents, actors, houses and travels. There is not a moment of boredom in this saga of her fanciful life. Marjorie had many roles throughout her time (as Allison Pataki says): daughter, wife, mother, businesswoman, advocate, philanthropist, press target, press darling, hostess, trailblazer, collector, diplomat, style icon, friend and more. This is a story about a cereal heiress made more interesting because the products are still on store shelves today.

I HIGHLY recommend this novel about an American icon! It will not disappoint! In fact, it will peak your curiosity at each page!

Favorite Quote from Marjorie: "My wealth would have been a burden on my soul if I did not find ways to share it with others."

Thank you to one of my very favorite authors for a novel that will be read many times over!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Marjorie Merriweather Post was the daughter of CW Post - creator of Post Cereal company and Grapenuts. After her father's death, she made the company what it is today (General Mills) though she could not "own" it or serve on the board as a woman. She made the strategic moves during the Great War and the Great Depression to help the company survive. She built the first hospital ship and sent it to Europe for the US soldiers serving during the Great War. She opened the first food bank and clothing bank in NYC during the Great Depression. She built Mar-a-lago and donated it to the government so the President would have a place to rest. She built her estate outside of DC and donated that to the Smithsonian. Though she was extremely unlucky in love, she spent her hard earned money and heart to make the world a better place. Fascinating story!!!! #TheMagnificentLivesOfMarjoriePost #AllisonPataki #Feb2022

The title of this amazing novel is really accurate in describing the dynamic, powerhouse of a woman that was Marjorie Merriweather Post. The only child of cereal mogul C.. W. Post she grew up very close to her father and actually helping him when he first started out creating his Grape Nuts cereal and Postum substitute for coffee. As the millions started pouring in she also learned that great wealth was a responsibility to be used for the common good and in charitable donations and sharing with those less fortunate. Unfortunately this lovely, caring woman was unlucky in love and endured four failed marriages through no fault of her own. She became the first Ambassadress to Moscow in pre-World War II under FDR''s appointment of her 3rd husband Joseph Davies. She was a success there in warming US and Soviet relations and was a great credit to her nation. During the Great War she established overseas medical hospitals in France and during the Depression set up numerous soup kitchens. Besides being an elegant hostess she never forgot her roots in Battle Creek, MI and always shared her wealth whenever an opportunity arose. Ms. Pataki has overwhelmed me with this gem of a novel and I want to learn even more now about this fantastic woman. My thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity of receiving this ARC.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is a historical fiction novel that goes over the life of famous businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post. This was my first ever historical fiction book and as someone who has never heard of the person, it was a very interesting read! This book shows how Marjorie grew up from being a little girl watching her dad's shadow as he went on to pave the way in the prepared food industry. This book takes you through her life as she goes through the trial and errors of life from falling in love, becoming a mother, taking over her father's well-known business, and enduring multiple events that occurred in her life such as The Great Depression, The Civil War, The Great War, the Nazis timeframe, etc.

This book tells an amazing true story of an extraordinary woman with a great story. This book was a joy to read and a joy to know who exactly Marjorie Post is and how she made an impact in the world. I feel like this book will provide more individuals with insight into who Marjorie Post is and what made her so special and worth acknowledging. I give this book four stars, I enjoyed it thoroughly as again it was my first historical fiction book but there were a few slow parts for me throughout the book! Otherwise, definitely worth reading for all of the historical fiction junkies and would make a great book for a history class in high school or college to read.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki is an excellent historical fiction that delves into the infamous existence of the larger in life woman, Marjorie Merriweather Post.

I learned so much about this formidable woman that was a frontier “woman” of sorts. If one looks past her personal life of four marriages, flaws (don’t we all have them?) and social history, the reader can find out so many fascinating things. Her intuition, business sense, expansions, art collecting, philanthropy, and so much more make her the complex and complicated woman whose legacy we are left with today.

Ms. Pataki did a remarkable job creating a narrative around this figure and was able to present it to a whole new audience that may not have known much about her beforehand. Her ability to describe the events in her life, her personality, her actions, and the lavish surroundings and locations that enveloped her during so many pivotal societal and historical changes was just excellent. We were really able to get a picture of Ms. Post and the legacy that she leaves behind.

I highly recommend this HF.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Amazing story and an even more amazing characters - all surrounding Marjorie Post's life. I didn't even know who Marjorie Post was until now and totally do not regret getting a copy of this book. I love her! I was immediately drawn in on the book from he very beginning and could not stop myself from turning the page. This is the first book I have ever read by Allison Pataki, and will definitely not be my last. Highly recommend!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Before reading this book I was not familiar with Marjorie Post. This book was well written and gave detailed information on Marjorie's life

I was really eager to learn about Marjorie Merriweather Post through Allison Pataki's new historical novel. Her life was clearly filled with drama, with accomplishment, with romance, and with disappointment. So, how could she emerge as such a leaden, lifeless character as she did in this book?

I felt that, even though this was a novel, Pataki's approach was somewhat journalistic and so was her prose. Somehow, it just never felt full of life, or "sparkling" . . . . even though Post was living through glamorous and dramatic decades. I felt the pathos and the disappointment in her life; but, even it felt wooden and somewhat lifeless to me.

I was so intrigued by Mrs. Post and her drive and her vision that I couldn't accept that she emerged as such a "paper doll" figure in this novel.
Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book although factual was written is such an absorbing way. Well written, and a great history . There is so much to be learnt from history and this was such an amazing insight.

This was an amazing read with a fascinating storyline and characters centered around the many layers of the life of Marjorie Post, the daughter of the cereal scion, CW Post. I had no previous knowledge of Marjorie Post prior to reading this book, and found myself completely pulled in to her story centered around her involvement and role within the Post Cereal enterprise, originating in Battle Creek, Michigan, which eventually became General Foods. The storyline was incredible and I was hooked from the first page. The rich history found within this book was top-notch. This was the first book I've read by Allison Pataki, and I will definitely be checking out her other books. Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Author for this greatness I just read!

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison was such a rewarding book to read.
The story about how she overcame so many challenges and did it grace was simply amazing!
The way this story was told was amazing in every way possible. Pataki's writing flowed beautifully throughout it all and I was left speechless.

You seriously won't want to miss this outstanding novel!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

This book was provided to me compliments of #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

The unique story of Marjorie Post Kerr me reading

Wow, what a story about one of most famous (and richest woman) who is still talked about today. Who knew about her modest background and her four marriages, And she was the original builder and owner of Mar-a-Lago. For biography readers, this is a must,

Allison Pataki has written another fantastic novel a novel that draws us into the spectacular life of MarjoriePost.A life full of riches, love ,famous friends I enjoyed this novel from beginning to end.I will be recommending this book to all fans of the author and fans of historical fiction,#netgalley#randomhouse,

I received The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

The only child of cereal magnate CW Post, Marjorie Merriwether Post grew up alongside her father's company and lived with his immense wealth from early childhood. During her lifetime, she had four marriages, all of which ended in divorce, and three children, but was also a leader in business, politics, and philanthropy in a time when wealthy women were expected to be window dressing for their successful husbands.

I enjoyed The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. I'd actually known a fair bit about Post--her marriages, at least--but it was interesting to read her as a fictional character. Few people achieved what she did in so many arenas, and she had experiences that few of us can even dream of. I think she certainly had some blind spots brought about by the scope of her wealth, but she did more with it than a lot of her peers both then and today. It's a story that brings up important questions about the place and obligations of the hyper-wealthy in society, particularly in today's political and economic climate, while also profiling a notable woman who rose above expectations and pushed boundaries.

I Loved this book. Marjorie Post truly was magnificent. A woman who knew her own mind and was quick to act on it.

I’m glad to have read this fascinating historical fiction novel from the talented author of The Accidental Empress and Sisi. I’ll be honest, I originally thought this novel focused on a member of a famous newspaper family, not a cereal heiress. How fortunate that I was wrong, as Marjorie Merriweather Post, daughter of the cereal scion, CW Post, lived an exciting life. Through many marriages and, really, many enterprises, Marjorie was a national treasure I knew nothing about.