Thank you to Fiona Davis, Dutton and NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced ebook copy of the Magnolia Palace in exchange for my honest review.
I was first introduced to the writing of Fiona Davis with the Lions of Fifth Avenue and enjoyed reading it very much so I was happy to be given another of Fiona’s books to read. The Magnolia Palace did not disappoint. I was drawn right in by the dual timelines from 1919 and 1966 and the colorful characters in the story especially Helen whose personality and storyline elicited quite a few emotions from me. I love the fact as a lifelong New Yorker Fiona uses another New York landmark as the center for her book. The landmarks in her books make me feel as if they are another character of the story. Through dual timelines and mystery set up using scavenger hunts I was taken away to the New York of the past through the eyes of Lillian Carter, Helen Frick and Veronica Weber. I really enjoyed this story using elements of my favorite book genres historical fiction and mysteries.
This book also gave me an interest in the real lives of the Frick family and their mansion and museum and also the history of Audrey Munson the inspiration for the character of Lillian. Great job Fiona!

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved Fiona Davis' newest novel, The Magnolia Palace just as I did two of her previous ones, Lions of Fifth Avenue and The Masterpiece. She's written a wonderfully well-written story told by Lillian, a former artist's model and muse in 1919 who just lost her mother to the Spanish Flu and Veronica, a British model in NYC trying to make it big in 1966. Both of the main characters are fascinating and both get involved with the Frick family and their home, which is now renowned for its art masterpieces--this leads to an enjoyable mystery in both timelines although I do have to admit that I did love Lillian and her storyline just a bit more. Reading about the Gilded Age, Lillian, the interactions with the Frick family, and all the art was just delightful! I highly recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads, Twitter, and Amazon on 1/30/22

The Magnolia Palace is a lovely novel, and I admire the author's ability to take inspiration from history and build an entire story, with a dual timeline no less! All the characters were well-written and interesting. I thought Veronica's backstory and her motivation to care for her sister was especially compelling. Lillian was my favorite, with her ability to think quickly and step into such a fascinating world that was so different from the one she'd inhabited before she became a personal secretary. The pacing of the novel slowed a bit for me in the middle, but picked up again in the latter half. The author has a rich, enjoyable style and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Fiona Davis has become one of those authors that I simply cannot wait to read whatever she writes. I've gifted her novels to several good friends and she has quickly become one of my all time favorite writers. Obviously, I was highly anticipating The Magnolia Palace and it did not disappoint!

Lillian Carter is still struggling with the unexpected death of her mother to Spanish Flu. She simply has to find some work so that she can pay rent. Her days as the famed model "Angelica" when all the artists and sculptors couldn't get enough of her, seem to have faded. All the while, her likeness graces many of the city's most well known landmarks. She returns home after another lackluster day to find the police at her doorstep with questions regarding the murder of her landlord's wife. While Lillian had nothing to do with it, this type of attention is not what she needs right now if she wants to start her acting career. She escapes the police and unknowingly finds herself on the steps of the Frick Mansion, being mistaken for a job applicant. Lillian accepts the role as personal private secretary to Miss Helen Frick with the intention of having enough money after one month's pay to make the journey to California where movie stardom awaits. This one decision will alter the course of Lillian's life in ways she never could have expected.

Now 50 years later, Veronica Weber has taken her first modeling job, traveling from Britain to America, for a photo shoot at the Frick Museum. The shoot doesn't go as planned, and Veronica finds herself left behind and locked inside the Frick Mansion during a disastrous snowstorm. She finds that she is not alone, but with the young museum intern Joshua Lawrence. They inadvertently discover clues to a scavenger hunt left behind by the young Miss Helen Frick for an apparent love interest. As they follow the clues, will they find the elusive Magnolia diamond that has been missing for decades or will they search lead them to some other discovery?

Fiona Davis's books are so immersive that I just want to go do a deep dive after reading them to learn more about the location that is usually an integral part of the novel, and then also discover all about any of the real life people featured in the storyline. The author's notes happen to be one of my favorite parts of the book as well.

If you haven't read Fiona Davis, what are you waiting for? I assure you that you will love every minute of The Magnolia Palace as I did. Five Stars!

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Magnolia Palace
By Fiona Davis
I picked this book to read because it was highly recommended by so many people on Facebook. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed the story immensely. Many times, I am bothered by a story that bounces back and forth between different time periods. This was not the case with The Magnolia Palace. I found the back and forth actually added to the storyline. It kept me interested.
Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis takes place in New York City in 1919 and in the 1960s. We switch back and forth between the young life of Lillian Carter, a famous model, and Veronica Weber, also a model. Their two lives are tied together through the Frick family and their museum.
Miss Davis’s style of writing is intriguing. You never know what to expect with each chapter. Where is she going with the characters? Where is she going with the mystery of what is going on
I recommend this book as a to read in 2022!
01.30.2022

The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis, introduces historical fiction lovers to the Frisk Art Collection of NYC. The story, written with a dual timeline, whisks readers between the years of 1919 and 1966. Early on, a young model is introduced as scrapping her way to becoming one of NYC's most prominent artists' models. She goes by the name Angelica and her statues scatter across New York City landmarks. Angelica becomes widely known as the top nude model of her time.

Soon Angelica's world turns upside down. Angelica is left to mourn the loss of her mother and with age, her own career. She falls upon hard times, her virtue is questioned, and Inadvertently, she finds herself in the middle of a scandalous murder. Fleeing the crime scene, Angelica, known also by her birthname Lillian, stumbles upon a job opportunity as a private secretary. Before long Lillian is living and working for the well known and affluent Helen Frick. Helen is the daughter of Henry Clay Frick, art collector, and one of the wealthiest men of the Gilded Era. Lillian knows little to nothing about being a secretary, but is able to pull off the position with quick wit and fast thinking. Her employer, Miss Helen Frick, is know to be quite demanding, unbending, and meticulous. Lillian embraces this opportunity and only hopes that her past does not lead to her demise. She not only keeps Helen content with her performance, but begins to form a valued friendship with Helen and takes quite the interest in the Frick art collection. All Lillian must do is remain unrecognized as Angelica and she could quite easily live out her life among the majestic art collection as an art curator.

Near the mid 60's, young aspiring model, Veronica Weber, finds herself unwillingly stranded within the Frick Museum mansion Visiting as part of a Vogue photo shoot, Veronica finds she does not fit in well with the other models or the photographers. She questions her career choice. Escaping to a quiet room away from the photo shoot, she becomes accidentally locked within the premises when the workers and models leave for the night. Soon she finds she is not alone, but the museum's art curator, Joshua, is also locked within the building.. Veronica soon discovers a set of papers in the museum that may provide clues to finding a rare pink diamond once owned by Helen Frick that went missing back in 1919., One clue leads to the next as Veronica and Joshua partake on a treasure hunt among the art exhibits. They soon discover more than anticipated on their excursion, Not only do they recover the missing diamond, but hidden truths about the prestigious Frick family unfold.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Magnolia Palace in exchange for my honest review and opinions. Thank you to Fiona Davis for another treasured NYC inspired novel.

#Netgalley #themagnoliapalace #fionadavis

THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis is a wonderful work of historical fiction from this very popular author. Like her other novels (The Masterpiece, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, etc.), this story features an iconic New York City location (Henry Clay Frick's mansion in this case) and two time periods (1919 and the mid-1960s). Based on a real-life model, Audrey Munson, the character of Lillian Carter (or Angelica) has been a sculptor's muse in New York – her position changes dramatically after the deaths of her mother and of her landlady. Through some fortunate coincidences, she ends up becoming the social secretary for Helen Clay Frick, the businessman's daughter. It is fascinating to read about the family dramas and that Gilded Age time as well as the art collection with which a subsequent model, Veronica Weber, poses decades later. Locked in the mansion, Veronica and a young intern discover clues to a mystery that lead to a murderer from the earlier time. History and mystery – especially appealing to fans of the new HBO series. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly (describing this title as "Davis's best work to date").

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Fiona Davies.
My wish was granted with this novel and I truly enjoyed this dual timeline story.
Fiona Davies is a great storyteller, I loved the characters in both timelines 1919 and 1966.
This was my first read from this author and it surely will not be the last.
I was intrigued by the Frick family and Angelica and even went on the website to know more.
Recommend
4 stars

4.25 stars-- THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis is a story of historical fiction following two alternating timelines (1919 and 1966) that focuses on models Lillian ‘Angelica’ Carter, and Veronica Weber.

Told from dual third person perspective (Lillian and Veronica) THE MAGNOLIA PALACE adds color, and up close but fictional retrospective into the lives of the wealthy and controversial Frick Family of New York City. In 1919, model Lillian Carter is an artist’s muse known as Angelica; a sculptor’s model whose image has been used throughout New York, attached to buildings and museums, but a scandal is about to send our heroine on the run, and in the wake of her mother’s death from the Spanish Flu, has left Lillian penniless and alone. A case of hunger and mistaken identity finds Lillian Carter working as the private secretary for the wealthy Frick heiress Helen Frick, a thirty year old spinster whose own life is entwined with that of her embattled and ailing father. For three months Lillian will keep a low profile working for Helen Frick and the Frick family but her alternate identity is about to be exposed, and another scandal will force our heroine to run for the sins of someone else.

Fast forward to 1966, wherein model Veronica Weber’s latest assignment has landed her in New York for a Vogue shoot at the famed Frick Collection, a museum that was once home to the Frick family heirs. Fired within minutes, Veronica finds herself wandering the museum, only to be trapped inside, along with intern archivist Joshua Lawrence, when a power failure locks down New York City in the wake of a storm. Walking the museum, Veronica finds what looks to be clues to a scavenger hunt from years before, a scavenger hunt that will reveal a truth that will ease some of the ghosts and troubles from the past.

THE MAGNOLIA PALACE is a story of power and riches, the haves and the have-nots, secrets and lies, vengeance and family. Seamlessly blending fact with fiction, as per her style, Fiona Davis pulls the reader into an intriguing and fascinating story of murder and betrayal, family and friendships, love and acceptance, romance and art. Lillian ‘Angelica’ Carter’s character is loosely based upon the scandal-plagued, real-life, early 1900’s artist’s model Audrey Munson, whose image graces the pediment of the Frick Collection, as well as a number of famous statues found in New York. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE is a wonderful escape into a Gilded Age house, and the ghosts that continue to inhabit its’ world.



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I am a huge fan of Fiona Davis and will eagerly devour everything she writes. I was so grateful for NetGalley for an ARC and I’m so excited this was selected as a Book of the Month January pick so our book club could discuss it this evening! I loved the strong, unconventional female characters. I was intrigued by the story lines and mysteries that spanned across the centuries. We all agreed that we were more invest in the story line of the past then the more present day (1960's), but that the dual timeline was necessary to help solve the mysteries. Yes, they may have wrapped things up a little too nicely by having the two characters fall in love. We hoped this would lead to another book as they navigate the challenges of being an inter-racial couple in the 60's. This was my also my first book about the gilded age and I am hooked! And now I need to plan a trip to NYC to see the art and museum that inspired so much of this story. Until then I am grateful for the author’s notes that provides background and additional books and resources for more information. I know a book is good when it leaves me wanting to know more! 4.5 stars!

You know that when you start reading a book by Fiona Davis you are going to get a truly good one, and The Magnolia Palace is no exception. With very well researched historical facts, extremely well character development and with New York City as a setting, we the lucky ones that call this amazing city as our home, can feel like part of the city, even if the story happens to be many years apart than our present.

The buildings, sculptures and landmarks portrayed in the book still exist on this day and you can go visit them and be a lot wiser by knowing their history after reading the book. How many of us have walked thru the city and seen the sculptures without knowing who's the model? Now, after reading the book, know who was this woman that got immortalized all over the city.

With a dual timeline, two strong, some can argue three, main characters, a mystery and a famous house (now a museum) this book has it all. I strongly recommend it.

This is a beautifully written story. The descriptions are so vivid you actually feel like you are there. Our main character is Lillian, who is delightful. She supports she and her mother by posing for sculptures. Her mother passes away which leaves a young Lillian to fend for herself. She winds up in a job for the Frick family of New York City. We meet the family and their stories intertwined with Lillian's story. The Frick Mansion develops with a story to be told. The only drawback of the book is it ends!!

A beautiful story about overcoming the past, self-growth, and solving a mystery.

It's 1919 and Lillian Carter a/k/a Angelica is one of the most famous women in New York. Serving as a muse to some of the most well recognized artists of the time, Lillian isn't ready to accept that with the death of her mother and her prime behind her, life must change. But when she becomes a prime witness (or suspect?) in a murder, Lillian must disappear in plain sight. By happenstance, Lillian is admiring a statue (of herself) when she's invited into the Frick home for an interview. Upon being offered the job as private secretary to Miss Helen Frick, Lillian's entire life changes in a flash.

50 years later, Veronica is in the Frick House with several other models for a Vogue photo shoot. When the shoot goes horribly wrong and Veronica extracts herself from the situation, she finds herself locked in the Frick home after hours during a citywide blackout. Prior to being trapped, Veronica stumbled across several handwritten clues detailing a scavenger hunt. By the light of day, she and Joshua, an intern who also found himself trapped during the blackout, begin the hunt. Together, they will find so much more than they bargained for.

This was a really well done story. I loved that the two timelines were still both set in the past and both involved models of different sorts. I was enraptured with both storylines but slightly preferred Lillian's as Miss Helen was quirky and fascinating to me.

I loved how both women - Veronica and Lillian - were both naive but also both had major growth throughout the story. Both women were forced to overcome obstacles from trauma in their past and discrimination due to their profession.

With the exception of the house, it wasn't super clear how the two storylines intersected for much of the novel but I really enjoyed how everything played out and tied together.

This was a novel I struggled to put down and couldn't wait to pick back up. I felt connected to the characters, loved the historical fiction aspect, thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, and even liked the romances.

This is a must read for historical fiction lovers!

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful novel.

Another great book about NYC! The Frick comes to life in this dual timeline story. The interweaving of 1919 and 1966 was very well-done. I also enjoyed the art information in this novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books for the chance to read an advanced copy of The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis. Fiction and fact are woven together so wonderfully that you are not sure which is which! The story is once again told in two timelines; Lillian's in 1919 and Veronica's in 1966; Lillian is forced to flee from the police when she is implicated in a murder but stumbles into a job that will change her life, private secretary to Helen Frick; but she must hide her identity as THE model Angelica, whose body graces sculptures and artwork around New York, including the Frick Manor.
Veronica has just landed a Vogue modelling job; she needs this in order to help support her family. But when she talks back to a bullying photographer she is fired, then finds herself locked in the Frick Manor overnight with a young art curator. After she show Joshua the hidden messages she had stumbled across they continue to try to solve a 50 year mystery. I loved this book and totally recommend it..

Another engaging story by Fiona Davis, "The Magnolia Palace" is the intriguing telling of the Frick family. To say this family was dysfunctional underestimates its effect upon the family members, the staff that ran the mansion and all the people the Fricks influenced for good and bad. I really enjoyed reading this book also because of the revelations concerning the future Frick museum and all of the artwork freely donated to the city of New York City.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is the story of a fabulously wealthy robber baron, Henry Clay Frick, and his very maladjusted household. Part of it takes place in 1919 when Lillian is so tired and thirsty she accepts an invitation into the kitchen of a mansion, pretending to be looking for a position. Well, she got more than she bargained for when she got a job as Helen's private secretary. Previously known as Angelica, an extremely famous artist's model, Lillian had run after her landlord, who had made inappropriate advances, kills his wife and she is wanted for questioning. Helen was difficult, but Lillian learned how to handle her and enjoyed her job. Then things truly fell apart and Lillian was running again. The second part of the story takes place in the 1960s and involves Veronica, an English model, and Joshua, a young, Black intern in the Frick mansion-turned-museum. They accidentally get locked in, separately and thus the beginning of a friendship as well as solving a mystery that is over 50 years old.

I had a little trouble getting into this book, but once I was in, I was in. Helen is a study in, not only privilege, but in a lack of love as a child. At least, recognizable love. Her home was dysfunctional and so she grew to be dysfunctional. Looking back after 50 years, she was able to discern which things happened for the best and her only regret was that her family never knew the truth. Veronica and Joshua are more modern characters and have modern problems, none of which included the lack of a loving family. Helen helped many of these people to lead good lives. She got better as she got older, and soling this mystery made her even better. Lillian lived a life she had never anticipated, but that turned out for the best. There is a lot going on in this well plotted book and no review and do it justice. My recommendation is that you read it for yourself.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Magnolia Palace by Dutton, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dutton #themagnoliapalace #fionadavis

Better late than never for this reader. How have I missed the pleasure of reading the previous books by Fiona Davis? Once I had devoured this wonderful work of historical fiction I set a goal for 2022 to catch up on her earlier works. It caught my attention because of the two time periods and the Frick Museum. I was hooks from page one when we meet Lillian aka Angelica in 1919 New York, working as an artists model. She's only 21 and has been a model since she was 15, guided by her mother. Now her mother has succumbed to the Spanish Flu and Lillian is in dire straights. She's finding it had to get work and, when her landlord kills his wife, the police are certain she is involved. Time to make a run for it and that leads her to a chance encounter at the Frick mansion where she stumbles into the job assistant to Helen Frick, daughter of Henry Clay Frick. If that was all of the story I would have been a happy reader but the depth of Lillian's story entwined with the Frick family was engrossing.
Fast forward to the 1960's and a fashion photo shoot at the Frick mansion, now a museum. Veronica is a novice model who finds herself locked in the museum with an intern archivist in the middle of a snow storm. With time to kill they embark on a decades old puzzle. Threads tie the two women's stories together along with the history of the house. Add to all of that, Lillian is loosely based on Audrey Munson.
This book had everything to keep me hooked - I have an art background, I adore the Frick, add a mystery and a murder with a smidgin of romance and I enjoyed every page.
My thanks to the publisher Dutton and to NetGalley for giving me an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fiona Davis' books always feature some obscure piece of history (or at least a piece of history of which I've never heard) combined with a layer of fiction to create a wonderful novel that makes me want to dig deeper into the history behind the story.

The Magnolia Palace introduces readers to the Frick family and their grand art collection as well as the fictional 'Angelica,' the model behind NYC's most famous statues. (Angelica is based on Audrey Marie Munson, who is considered America's first supermodel and who has a tragic story all her own). Presented as a dual-timeline narrative, the story features two models, one who joins the Frick household in 1919 under secretive circumstances and one in 1966 who gets trapped in the Frick home, now a public museum, during a snowstorm and accidentally stumbles upon a scavenger hunt that leads to an unexpected discovery.

In the "past" timeline, readers meet Lillian Carter, known in the art world as the model 'Angelica,' and Helen Frick, the blunt, demanding, and absurdly wealthy heiress. Although the two meet under false pretenses, they mostly work well together, and they come to share a dream of using the Frick art collection to begin an art reference library. These two women are very different creatures, but they bring out the good in each other: Lillian helps smooth Helen's sharp edges, while Helen helps Lillian realize that she's more than just a pretty face. Davis does a fantastic job of showing the tentativeness but trueness of the women's friendship tempered by their role as employer and employee, especially in an upper-class household where the family and staff were very clearly separate. Things are often rocky between Lillian and Helen--and even more so as secrets are revealed and trusts are broken--but the camaraderie between the two women is really the shining light of this novel.

In the "modern" timeline, young model Veronica finds herself locked in the Frick museum after a disastrous photoshoot. Just her luck, the city is experiencing a blackout caused by a snowstorm, and her career as a model is over before it's really begun. Locked in with her is Joshua, an intern at the museum, and although the two have a rocky start, they grow friendly as they work to solve a decades-old scavenger hunt and end up finding more than they bargained for. Veronica and Joshua are both young dreamers, and they both face their own hardships; Veronica needs a good-paying job to move her handicapped sister out of a care home, while Joshua's skin color keeps him at a disadvantage in the art world. I always like how forced proximity prompts people to share their deepest fears, and the honesty between these two characters is refreshing.

The two storylines meet when Veronica and Joshua are attacked (mistakenly) by Helen Frick, now in her eighties, and explain the results of their hunt around the museum. What follows is the resolution of two long-ago crimes that brought Lillian Carter's world crashing down so many years before. Davis does a wonderful job of tying up all the hints and clues sprinkled throughout both timelines and creating a satisfying conclusion that brings forgiveness, healing, and renewed friendship to all the characters. While some people may find the ending a bit sappy, I think that it's the perfect example of how people can grow and change.

The Magnolia Palace moves a bit slowly in parts, and Lillian's bad luck seems a bit over-the-top (although reading the author's note explains some of the drama included early in Lillian's story), but overall, Davis has written another historical mystery that not only entertains but educates. Four solid stars.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a stunning, historical fiction mystery that brings the art world to life. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction mystery and a new favorite of mine from Fiona Davis. Masterfully told in dual time line, I was completely drawn into the lives of the characters, as well as the background for this amazing art collection.
A beautiful and unforgettable book!!
My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook ARC.