Fiona Davis is one of my two favorite writers at this time. I have loved everything she has written. All of her books are set in some NYC landmark, which is fascinating!!! This book takes us inside the Frick Museum before it was a public place, in the past, and after, the present story. Back then it was a home owned by Mr. Frick and he lived there with his family. His daughter Helen has hired a personal secretary with a sordid past and alias that is a secret even to her employer. Of course like Ms. Davis likes to do, there will be a story that is deeply woven with the location in both time periods. (How does she keep doing this?)

Ms. Davis once again wraps up this tale with a nice bow blending both time periods in a superb way.

If you have not read any of Fiona's books, please do yourself a favor and do so, today!!!

When Lillian, better known as the model Angelica, finds herself tangled up in the murder of her landlord’s wife, her plan is to make a run for it. However, she doesn’t make it far before she ends up awkwardly and unintentionally accepting a job at the Frick mansion. In the next three months, she finds herself constantly mixed up in one mess after another, but she gets to enjoy the amazing beauty of Mr. Frick’s art collection while dealing with all of it, so….it kinda balances out. Until the sh** really hits the fan.

Flash forward to 1966 (Davis nails the dual timeline, btw). Veronica is a struggling model who actually hates modeling. But she loves her sister, Polly, who due to health and financial issues, has recently had to move into a group home. So, she grits her teeth and does it for the money. Unfortunately, she can’t quite bite her tongue, nor can she quench her love for history. While on a photo shoot in the Frick mansion, she finds herself drawn into the mystery of the house - lock, stock, and barrel.

I really enjoyed the way Davis brought these two timelines together, but she really drove it home with her extensive knowledge of the Frick family and art collection. I was very impressed with her attention to historical detail, the seamless blend between fact and fiction, and the informative author’s note at the end of the novel..

This one comes out on January 25, 2022 and I highly recommend picking it up. It’s perfect for a snow day. I finished it this morning in front of the fire while the snow outside just kept piling up. Definitely suggest you do the same.

Thanks to Fiona Davis, Dutton and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This is the 3rd book I have read by Davis and it ended up being my least favorite. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. It also may be because historical fiction isn't my favorite genre to read.

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, but I always forget just how much I love her books until I read the newest one! I fell into "The Magnolia Palace" and was wrapped up in it for what seemed like very short hours. I finished it much too quickly.

The Magnolia Palace features the Frick Collection; the famed art collection of Henry Frick which was acquired during his lifetime with the intent to leave his beautiful limestone mansion and priceless works of art to the City of New York after his death. While on the surface, a magnanimous gesture, it may have been Henry's attempt at rectifying the wrongs through which he made his fortune. Davis' work delves into Henry's gruff, bullying personality. It tells of the tragedy of his first daughter's heartbreaking death and his treatment of his other children and wife. It tells of his harsh treatment of his workers and how his careless actions were part of a failed dam that eradicated most of a small town in upstate New York. This story is also about Helen Clay Frick, the second daughter of Henry. The story paints her as extremely eccentric, privileged and difficult, but the reader can see she was a product of her environment. Considering what she was able to accomplish through the barriers of her father's mercurial affections and the time period in which women were expected to be devoted wives and mothers is nothing short of amazing and inspiring.

As always, I highly recommend Fiona Davis to those looking for good historical fiction. "The Magnolia Palace" was easy to start and impossible to put down!

A fascinating thriller and look back into the glamorous world of New York in the late 60's and the 1920's.

In the 20's we meet Lillian. A struggling young woman that makes her way through the world as an artist's model. She is paid a few cents per hour to pose as the artists work on stunning sculptures erected throughout the city.. Her controlling mother accompanies her to sittings and assists with keeping her true identity secret. The pair are struggling to find funds for food and rent when the death of Lillian's mother. due to the Spanish Flu sends her life into tailspin. Through sheer luck, she finds work in the Frick Mansion and becomes the personal secretary of Helen Frick. This is both a blessing and a curse as the Frick family is tumultuous at best.
Flash forward to the 60's and we find

Nearly fifty years later, model Veronica Weber has the chance of the lifetime to pose for Vogue. She travels from England with the hopes of earning money to support her family. The shoot is within the famous Frick Museum and is not going well. Enter a blizzard, and suddenly the stories collide!

I just loved this book and cannot recommend it enough. I hesitate to mention this, but the truth is I avoid historical fiction and was happily surprised by this fascinating thrilling novel. Fiona Davis is a wonder at laying the fictional lives of characters over the bones of history. The suspense builds and there is a mystery and wonder to how the story will all play out. Best yet, the female characters are strong and interesting! If you like thrillers, historical thrillers, NY life or just a great standalone thriller, this is the book for you! #NetGalley #TheMagnoliaPalace #Dutton

The Frick family were uber wealthy in the early 1900’s and lived in NYC. They built a mansion and furnished it with known art and furniture with the intent to turn their home into a museum. Today you can go visit the Frick Museum on 70th St. right next to Central Park.

This was a fun historical fiction book that created a few scandals and mysteries to envelope the Frick family in to tell their story of their home. It was delightfully done with a 1916 and 1966 time periods that slowly built the story including their family and a well known art model.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group Dutton for the advance e-copy in return for my honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Fiona Davis, and I really enjoyed it. At first I didn't like the dual timelines, but once I got to know all the characters I thought it was fantastically done.

It's always refreshing to read historical novels that aren't just about WWII (although I love those as well). So having these timelines in 1919, and then 1966, the author was able to depict unique time periods of 20th Century American history that aren't always highlighted in today's new releases.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes commercial historical fiction.

Lillian, or Angelica, depending on who you talk to is a muse for many sculptors in the early 1900s. It’s how she feeds herself and her mother and keeps a roof over their heads. After the passing of her mother and a bizarre murder in her building, Lillian finds herself on the run to escape police questioning. In a rather interesting turn of events she finds herself getting a job as the personal secretary for Helen Frick…of the very rich Frick family. The Frick family has their share of issues and while Lillian doesn’t plan to stay with them for long, she becomes entangled in a mess she never saw coming.

This is a dual timeline book, which I don’t always love, however this was woven together in a way that made sense and kept the story flowing along both timelines, I was engaged with the characters and wanted to know more about what became of each of them. Books about art and history aren’t usually my thing, but the fictional story was quite entertaining!

A book that sends me to research what I'm reading about is an excellent book. This story by Fiona Davis is one of those. It's a fictionalized account of the real-life Fricks, a wealthy family living in New York City during the infamous gilded age, specifically 1919, Two well-known legends occurred during that time frame. The aforementioned Frick family and their uniqueness is one of them. The other is the story of Angelica, muse to sculptors and artists, who mysteriously disappeared one day after being implicated in the murder of her landlord. Interwoven with these plotlines, We move to 1966 where two strangers find themselves unexpectedly stuck in the old Frick house as they wait out a blizzard. How they inadvertently solve long-held mysteries is interesting and fun. There's a lot of truth in those old stories which is one of the things that sent me to Google. The major plot points are fact. The other thing was the fascinating descriptions of the masterpieces hanging on the walls in the Frick household. Legendary. As they were woven into the storyline, I found myself wanting to see for myself what these pieces really looked like. Because they really have survived and still exist today for everyone to enjoy. The story itself is a slow build as the plot is set up, but once it starts rolling, hang on. You will find yourself loving some characters and hating others. You may even find your opinions changing a few times throughout the story, because this one will keep you on your toes. And when books do that, and I get to learn something too? Well there's nothing better than that. Thank you to #NetGalley for my early copy. Excellent, excellent read.

A wonderful story of historical fiction that is fascinating. Fiona Davis does a tremendous job creating a fictional story to go along with the real facts behind Helen Frick as well as the famous woman who posed as a model for sculptures during that time period. I really enjoyed reading about the Frick household, the unique characters and the true mysteries that developed following the death of Mr. Frick. The fictional additions made this an even more enthralling read.
Greatly enjoyed and would highly recommend this one!

Scandal and secrets abound in this intriguing novel told in a dual timeline format. Part of the story is set in 1919, and is told from the point of view of Lillian, an artist’s muse who becomes private secretary to a harsh, wealthy woman. The other timeline is set in 1966, and is centered around a young woman who finds herself embroiled in the history of a wealthy family. Each of the women have compelling stories, as each of them strive to escape scandal and poverty, but their paths are filled with pitfalls.

1919: Lillian Carter has lost her mother to Spanish Influenza and her world has been turned upside down. Formerly known as the artists' muse, Angelica, she is at a loss as to how to make a living. She is then drawn into the murder of her landlady when it is believed that she and her landlord were romantically involved. Lillian runs away so as not to be brought in for questioning. She finds herself hired as a personal secretary for the famous Frick family under false pretenses but sees that this may be her way out. She finds herself embroiled in family drama, theft, and a possible murder. She escapes again despite being under the cloak of suspicion.

1966: Veronica is new to the modeling world but quickly finds herself on the outs when she stands up for herself with the photographer. To allow herself to avoid others, she hides in the organ room. When she comes out hours later, she is locked in the Frick mansion and must find a way to keep herself safe. She later discovers that she is not alone, a museum intern named Joshua. As they explore the building together, they find clues for a decades-old scavenger hunt. When they meet the owner of the building they start to unravel the mysteries of the past. When the past meets the future, old suspicions are laid to rest, and old friendships are repaired.

Fiona Davis is a genius when it comes to the retelling of the history of New York landmarks. While I had heard of the Frick family, I was unaware of their history and how deep their commitment to the city went. That being said, I had never heard of Audrey Munson, the basis for Lillian Carter. I had seen the statues of Munson when working in New York City and never realized they were the same person. I loved learning this information and can't wait to see what other NYC landmark historical fiction Davis rights next.

Fiona Davis again excels at drawing us in to fascinating New York places and fictionalized stories of the people who inhabited those real places. The action for this book takes place in the Henry Clay Frick Mansion in two parallel, but connected, stories with timelines in 1919 and the 1960s. Davis paints a wonderful picture of the contrasting circumstances of the characters (upstairs and downstairs) but what makes the story particularly compelling are all the true stories interwoven into the book. Frick’s art collection is vividly described; the rather cruel tactic of Frick pitting his children against one another is based on fact as are many of the details in the story. Davis provides a mystery begun in the early timeline and solved in the later timeline. The Fricks come alive, particularly the unmarried daughter Helen, who played a huge role in the creation of the Frick Museum and Art Library. It’s a good read and it led me to read more biographical works about the Fricks. Thank to NetGalley and Penguin Group Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Plan to set aside a block of time to read The Magnolia Palace. Once you start reading, you will not want to stop! Two strong female protagonists find themselves in the Frick Mansion in different time periods. 1919–Lillian Carter is trying to avoid the police who want to question her about the murder of her landlord’s wife. She escapes on the fire escape in her apartment building and ends up inside the Frick mansion where the Helen Frick thinks Lillian is there for a job interview. 1966-Veronica finds herself locked in the Frick Mansion when the electricity goes off during a snow storm. Both protagonists find themselves involved in mysteries that come together late in this piece of historical fiction. I have been a fan of Fiona Davis since I read her second book, The Address. I like how the author interjects fiction while writing historically about buildings in New York City. Her cast of characters are well developed. I sure would like to have her as my tour guide when visiting New York. Fiona has strong author notes at the end of the book which divulge what is true and what is fiction. My thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed all of the art in this book! It was fun to learn about Angelica, a model for many sculptures around NYC based upon an real person. It was also interesting to learn about the Frick family and their legacy in the art world, and wild dysfunction. I’ll say that the characters Veronica and Joshua in the 60s we’re sort of underdeveloped for me.

Fiona Davis has another bestseller on her hands with this book!!!!!!! No one else could have wrote this book with such eloquence and beauty yet still made it so mysterious and wonderful. To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement. I kept pausing my reading because I didn't want the story to end but my pause didn't last long. I couldn't wait to get back to it to find out the mystery but at the same not wanting the story to end.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a beautifully written historical fiction mystery that spans decades following the trail of a missing diamond, a murder, and the dysfunction and drama of the uber-wealthy and influential New York family, the Fricks. Through dual timelines, 1919 and 1966, Fiona Davis masterfully takes us right into the Frick home during the Gilded Age and that same home, now an NYC art museum, 50 years later.
Under the assumed name of "Angelica," Lillian Carter is an artist's muse who posed for many famous sculptures adorn NYC. Unfortunately, at 21, Lillian's best days are behind her. When the police start looking for her to question her about a crime, she flees and finds herself working for Helen Clay Frick, the headstrong and bullish daughter of Henry Clay Frick and living in the Frick mansion overflowing with priceless art. Fifty years later, an aspiring fashion model named Veronica and an intern/archivist named Joshua become trapped in the museum and find and follow the clues of an old scavenger hunt that Helen once set up for her fiancee. Will they unravel long-held secrets? The dual timelines flow seamlessly while creating suspense, and the story is engaging. As an art lover, I could not wait to read this. I was captivated by descriptions of the artworks and the rich setting, the plot, the secrets and betrayals, and the well-developed characters.
Davis states that her visit to the Frick Collection museum inspired this novel in the author's note. Now I am very interested in learning more about the real-life family, museum, and the model Audrey Munson, on whom the Lillian/Angelica character is based. Munson was the real muse whose likeness adorns many famous statues in NYC. Sincere thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton Books for this ARC. I so enjoyed it!

My first truly meh book of 2022. It's a fine historical fiction with multiple time periods woven together.

I found it interesting to be in the world of the Fricks and appreciated the author's attempts to discuss the heinous ways they made their money....but ultimately it felt like too much of a "poor little rich girl" story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I LOVED the story and that it was loosely based on real history! Dual time lines that weaved together quite nicely. I have read other Fiona Davis books and this was does not disappoint! I definitely recommend!!!

Review will be posted on 1/21/22
The year is 1966 and Veronica Weber is an aspiring model. She has landed her dream job at a photo shoot on location at the Frick Collection in New York City. Things don't go as planned though and she ends up sulking at the museum and consequently finds some hidden old papers. These papers aren't just any old papers though; she realizes that they are old scavenger hunt clues, which she thinks may provide the location of the missing pink diamond once owned by Henry Frick. The other parallel story line, which takes place 50 years earlier, is from Lillian Carter's point of view. Lillian is a former artists' model who is now working as Helen Frick's personal secretary hoping to escape the scandal, which is currently following her. Even though her very resemblance is found in many of the statues from the time period, including some at the Frick household, she is trying to be incognito as Helen's secretary. Lillian's part of the story is slowly developed as readers come to realize her role in not only the Frick household, but also the diamond's disappearance. Fiona Davis's The Magnolia Palace is a wonderful historical novel filled with suspense, historical details, and a lot of art.

I really enjoyed Lillian from the start of The Magnolia Palace. I could tell from the beginning that she was going to be one of those characters that I didn't always agree with, but I cared about nonetheless. She tends to run away from her problems, instead of facing them, and that makes for a very entertaining story. For example, when she somehow gets tied into her landlord's homicide case, she runs from police instead of subjecting herself to the questioning. She makes an awful lot of rash decisions without her mother's guidance; however, you can't help but root for her. When she finds herself at the Frick household interviewing for the position of a personal secretary to Helen Frick, she can't believe her luck. She literally happened upon this opportunity as it was a case of mixed-up identities. Since she was running from the police, this turned out to be serendipitous. Lillian thinks this job will just be temporary (so there's no harm in concealing her real identity) as she is just trying to get enough money to head out to California to pursue her dream of acting; however, things get super complicated.

The parallel story line in The Magnolia Palace is from Veronica's perspective and is fifty years later. At first, I had no clue how Davis was going to tie these two seemingly different plot lines together, but once Veronica ends up at the Frick Collection for her photo shoot, I knew we were headed in the right direction. Veronica encounters these hidden papers and with Joshua, the archivist's, help, they realize the importance of them. Could they withhold Frick family secrets as well as the location of the missing pink diamond?

The Magnolia Palace includes a lot of action and a lot more suspense than I thought it would have. I was pleasantly surprised by the mystery and how it unfolded. Davis is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical authors, especially if you are looking for a historical mystery.

Have you read The Magnolia Palace? Is it on your TBR list? Are you a fan of Fiona Davis? Let me know in the comments below.