I’ve loved all of Fiona Davis’ books, and this one was no exception. I’d never heard the story behind the Frick Collection and family, and loved getting the chance to read such a vibrant story about this iconic building.

I especially always like the way Davis’ books are structured between an older era and one that’s a few decades later. This helps make each of her novels such page-turners, including The Magnolia Palace.

If you enjoy historical fiction and mystery, and have a penchant for art, this book is for you. Fiona Davis juices up the real lives of the legendary Frick family, and Audrey Munson, who was the inspiration for Lillian Carter’s character. One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading this book was going online to research the lives of these characters. Don’t worry, though, I’m not a spoiler. You’ll have to find out for yourself. Dual narratives are tricky, but Fiona Davis does a fine job jumping between the Twenties and the Sixties, both fascinating decades. I have several of her other books on my TBR list, so I’m glad I enjoyed this one. 4 stars.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is a fascinating work of historical fiction. The author has clearly done her homework and the time period comes alive with such vibrancy. I found the occupations of the main character particularly interesting and the mystery embedded in the book really brought the story to life. Overall, it was such a wonderful read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I love reading about anything Gilded Age and the description of the art and dual timeline really added to the story. It contains lots of references I would love to visit the Frick museum and experience myself. I love books by Fiona Davis. This one has all her descriptive details, research, a touch of mystery and heroines that move the story along to a satisfying conclusion.

The Magnolia Palace has a little bit of everything:

- Dual Timeline for two sets of interesting characters - I loved both of the female leads from each of the timelines. It seemed that their lives were on a somewhat similar track for a period of time which confused me at first as I kept getting them mixed up but once the storylines took on their own unique style, it was easy to track. I was completely committed to both MC's story ARC throughout the book

- A mystery within a mystery. As the first mystery presents itself, I assumed the story would focus around this resolution. However, a new mystery begins to unravel which is the focus of the story and takes us through to the end of the book. Loved this one even better than what I had thought the book would focus on

- A Historical Fiction that focuses on a wealthy family and what would be in today's world, a supermodel, weaving a tale that was both unbelievable and completely entrancing

The pacing was not slow but also not action-packed. I enjoyed this quiet story as it leisurely unfolded. Wonderful!

Fiona has done it again! Centered around the Frick museum, this book focuses on the Frick family and the history and legacy of the art. An incredible story!

Fiona Davis never disappoints! Her books take NYC landmarks and tell their stories through the experiences of women through the years and this may be my favorite of hers yet. I cannot wait to revisit The Frick after reading this fantastic novel!

I was intrigued to learn about this real life family, and the real life woman whose image graces many NYC buildings from the early 1900s. This story is told from dual timelines in 1919 and 1966, focusing on the Frick mansion and artwork, laced with mystery, excessiveness, romance, and tragedy.
I'm impressed with the research that must have been done to get this fictional story factual enough to portray a fictional twist of real life artist model, Audrey Munson's life, and the Frick family, specifically Helen. I love how the author took these two real women of the 1900s and entwined their lives to make up this fantastic historical fiction story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this interesting story!

3.5 rounded up to 4

Bear with me, this is a confusing one ...

To start with, I REALLY liked the story line. I thought it was super unique and interesting!
I love dual timelines and POVs in stories so that was a big plus.
I really liked Miss Lily and Miss Helen. It was a "fun" dynamic and I was very invested in their chapters.

Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of Veronica. I was pretty bored with her chapters early on. A little over half way through there's a turn (when Veronica meets up with Miss Helen and Miss Lily) and I definitely got more interested in Veronica's story.
Overall I found this VERY slow. I've read other Fiona Davis books and didn't feel like they were slow, so I'm not quite sure what made this one seem so slow. Overall I'd say I'm glad I read it. However, I do wish the first half wasn't quite so slow as I enjoyed the second half much more than the first.

The Frick museum in NYC is a personal fave and I was looking forward to reading some Gilded age historical fiction. This book gave a brief and wonderful history of the building and its art, but otherwise, for me, the story fell somewhat flat.

Overall, I was fairly entertained by this book and got through it quickly. The time-hopping format works well and helps to unify the overall narrative.

Unfortunately, I found the plot a little weak. It reads a bit like a game of “Clue.” I think the overall story would’ve been enhanced had the works of art (and the stories behind them) been further incorporated into the narrative. Davis starts down this line but doesn’t complete the endeavor.

The premise is compelling, but I really would’ve enjoyed more depth in the characters. Some of them appear and disappear without much consequence. The ones that do have some dimension only have it at the end by an assortment of random pieces of personal information that are tossed in as afterthoughts. This lack of detail makes the motivations and actions of some characters difficult to understand. The ending is rushed with important tidbits merely tossed in to tie a neat bow on the story.

It was not my personal favorite, but would be a good one for a plane trip or a day by the pool.

The Magnolia Palace is a work of fiction based on The Frick House and the Frick family in New York. Set right after WWI and the Spanish flu, we meet the lively characters of the Frick Family and Lillian Carter. Lillian had been an artists muse for many different paintings and sculptures around New York City. Once her mother passes away from the Spanish flu, her landlord tries to get frisky with her and ends up murdering his own wife. Lillian not wanting to get caught up in a police investigation, finds herself on the streets of New York and stumbles into an interview at The Frick house to be a private secretary to Helen Frick.

Fast forward to the 1960's when Veronica is doing a model shoot at the Frick House, which is now like a museum perfectly persevered as it was in the early 1900's. Through some mishaps, Veronica finds herself left behind by the modeling group during a blizzard that knocks out the power. Veronica stumbles across clues for a scavenger hunt that was setup decades ago. With the help of the curator intern that as also been locked in, they finish the scavenger hunt that was started before they were born and brings the two stories together.

I loved Fiona Davis's descriptions and once again she taught me about a time and events that I did not know much about.

What a beautiful book. And enjoyable read from start to finish. I was engaged and loved the characters and the multiple narrators.

Thank you penguin group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Magnolia Palace in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed my first book by Fiona Davis, The Magnolia Palace. Her detailed way of writing has a way of drawing you into the story without being overwhelming. A dual timeline without any confusion. I will definitely read more books by Fiona Davis.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Magnolia Palace" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was okay. I do enjoy reading historical fiction. It was a slower read for me as I didn't connect with the characters.

"Thank you to Penguin Random House, Fiona Davis and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Magnolia Palace, Fiona Davis' sixth novel, is an amazing story about a model who is down on her luck and ends up working at the Frick Mansion. 50 years later, we learn the story of Veronica Weber, a new model who has been left behind in the Frick Museum, when she is abandoned on a photo shoot during a snowstorm. Davis brilliantly weaves these two women's stories together spanning from 1919 to the 1960s.

Lillian Carter, known as Angelika the model, is world famous. She has posed for statues all over the world but when her mother dies from the Spanish flu and they accuse Lillian of murdering her landlord's wife; she flees her home. Mistaken for an applicant as a personal maid to Helen Frick, she is whisked inside the Frick mansion and immediately hired. She now works for Miss Helen, the daughter of the famous Henry Clay Frick, steel magnate and art collector.

Helen Frick is a difficult woman but Lillian and Helen form a tentative bond. But when Henry Frick dies under suspicious circumstances, they accuse Lillian of poisoning him and stealing the famous magnolia diamond. She flees the mansion, never to be seen again.

Now it is 1966, and the Frick Museum is allowing a photo shoot with a gaggle of models to happen inside the museum. Veronica Weber is from London and this is her first photo shoot in the US. Her twin sister has been institutionalized and she must earn enough money to bring her home and hire a nurse to take care of her. When she raises a stink about being out in a snowstorm, the director and models leave her behind in the museum and she is locked inside. She thinks she is alone but then runs into Joshua Lawrence, a black student, doing a museum archivist internship. In the middle of a snowstorm, Joshua and Veronica explore the Frick museum with clues left over 50 years ago by Helen Frick for her suitor.

Historical fiction is not my normal genre, but I absolutely loved this book, as I have always had an enormous love for New York City, and seeing it through the eyes of history was fascinating. This is an amazing read and I can't wait to devour her other novels.

I wanted to love this one. But I don't think now was the best time for me to read a book that half of it is sent during the 1919 Flu outbreak. I ended up not finishing it. But I did enjoy the writing and the research that Fiona Davis put into the book. This will be one that I pick back up at a different time.

I absolutely love Fiona Davis’s work. Her meticulously researched historical fiction centers around some of New York City’s most iconic buildings. The Magnolia Palace, a January Book of the Month selection and New York Times Best Seller, centers around a Gilded Age mansion — the Henry Clay Frick house —later preserved as a museum, the Frick Collection.

Now, let’s go ahead and get the frame story issue out of the way. Many historical fiction novels rely on a frame story to set up the core story. And, all too often, the frame stories are laughably bad. One of the reasons I adore Ms. Davis’s novels is that she creates framework stories that are compelling and relevant, weaving together two compelling and well-written stories. The frame story of The Magnolia Palace finds 1960s model Veronica at a photoshoot gone awry, locked in the Frick Collection with museum intern Joshua during a blizzard. The earlier parallel story unfolds as Lillian Carter, seeking to leave behind her past as infamous artists’ model Angelica, takes a job as private secretary to Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick. Ms. Davis presents a fascinating story of deceit, stolen jewels, and the curation of a legendary art collection through these timelines.

The Magnolia Palace is a must-read for lovers of Gilded Age art and architecture. I received an ARC via NetGalley and read on my Kindle in about a day. I couldn’t put this one down — Ms. Davis’s prose was beautiful and lush to just the right degree.

Absolutely loved this book! I like how the author took really facts and fiction and blended them together! And then there's the mystery that will keep you turning those pages!

Lillian is an artist model in the 1920's. She's fallen on hard times since her mother passed away. Lillian stumbles upon a job opening to be the private secretary to Helen Frick, daughter of the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The job is demanding but it's the family drama that becomes too much. Fifty years later two people end up being locked in the Frick mansion during a freak snowstorm which leads to the discovery of a unsolved family mystery. I enjoy the way the author blends history with fiction. There's always additions in the author notes if you're interested in reading more about the Frick family and their art collection.

How the two stories of different times but the same setting were woven together was extremely unique and wonderfully done. I also love how this story is based on fact with a fictional storyline added in. I look forward to reading more from this author.