Historical fiction with timelines intertwined=a really good read from Fiona Davis!
I enjoyed reading "The Magnolia Palace". From Lillian who is running away from being falsely accused of murder, to Veronica, a model from the UK who is left behind accidentally in the Frick Museum. Twists and turns, friendships and betrayal, the story has it all. The storyline moves along quickly and ends with an unexpected twist. I look forward to reading more by the author. Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Davis, and Penguin Books for the preread in exchange for an honest review.

Dual timeline historical loveliness. Set in the early 1900's and 1960's it encapsulates those periods beautifully and all set against a New York city backdrop. If you love historical novels then this will surely be enjoyed.

A model so beautiful that statues are carved in her likeness turned maid to a very spoiled mistress. An unlikely bet and a murder in a beautiful Magnolia mansion? Yes, please! I did think the ending was a bit underwhelming, but all in all it was very enjoyable read. I liked how people of color took center stage from the Gilded Age to later on in history.

Thank you @Netgalley #themagnoliapalace for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Lillian, AKA Angelica, is the most popular artists' model of the gilded age until she isn't. She'd like a film career but a murder by her lecherous landlord derails that dream. She needs a place to hide and stumbles into the Frick mansion and a job as the secretary to Helen Clay Frick. Henry Frick would like his daughter to marry and enlists Lillian's help. Meanwhile, in the 1960s, Veronica a hot new model, gets locked into the Frick mansion after a photoshoot. Long ago a famous Magnolia Diamond went missing, now Veronica may have a clue to its whereabouts.
This is a review of a digital galley provided by NetGalley.

I loved, loved, loved this story. As an avid reader of historical fiction I found the earlier timeline fascinating as the story of Angelica/Lillian unfolded along with the Frick family and their New York mansion. The later timeline was equally interesting as the mystery of the Frick diamond was revealed.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of historic fiction as well as lovers of “lifestyles of the rich and famous”. The lavish art world was unveiled beautifully and it makes me anxious to visit The Frick Museum one day.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Fiona Davis for the ARC.

I look forward to each new novel by Fiona Davis and this lived up to my expectations. I love the way she weaves history into her fiction and brings something physical to life for me. I've added the Frick Mansion to my must sees thanks to her.

All the glamour of the 1910s NYC was brought to life in this book, as we go inside the Frick Mansion, through the eyes of one of the first “supermodels.” Lillian is hired to be the assistant to Helen Frick, daughter of the Frick empire, and in charge of the Frick social status.

Lillian was based on a model from this time who posed for many sculptures around NYC. Davis mentions (in the super interesting author’s note at the end of the book), that the original model had quite a rough life. She and Lillian had one similar story in this book, the initial scene in which Lillian is accused of something to do with the murder of her landlord.

We also meet another model from Europe who is doing a photo shoot at the Frick house, after it is turned into a museum in the 1960s. When she gets locked into the house, she accidentally comes across a scavenger hunt (designed during the time Lillian and Helen worked together). The scavenger hunt/mystery was one of my favorite parts of the book, leading to a magnolia stone, created for the book. (The mystery is not historical, just something created by Davis). This part of the story is about 30% of the book.

I found myself searching the Frick website for the paintings mentioned and doing the digital tour, which is incredible. It’s fascinating to think of these families and the lives they had in these mansions, once upon a time.
I loved the connection to the magnolia trees in front of the Frick Mansion, still there today:

“They’re some of the largest magnolia trees in the New York area. Planted in 1939 by the board, and chosen because they represent transience, as the blossoms emerge and then drop away every spring.” … “Like the way this was a house and then a museum. The way the family was here and now they’re not.” Chapter 8

Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read an ARC for this book.

I enjoyed reading this book set in dual time periods at the Frick Museum in New York City. At first, I was attracted to the book to learn more about the Frick family and the collection. However, I was pleasantly surprised while reading to learn about America's "First Supermodel". A woman who posed for many of the statues that stand around NYC. I was fascinated by her life and the stigma that being an "Artist's model" was attached to her by people who would themselves spend an enormous amount of money on nude statues. Talk about a double standard!

What an incredible story! Fiona Davis does such an amazing job researching New York City history, and as a resident of NYC, I'm fascinated by all of these landmarks that I've always just taken for granted.

Ms. Davis also has a fabulous way of weaving dual timelines together, keeping the story moving along and teaching us, the readers, interesting history without bogging us down and making us feel like we are "being taught." (I mean that as a compliment; I've walked away from 4 of her books knowing infinitely more about my city than I did before I read them, and I barely realized I was being educated because the stories themselves are so riveting!)

i highly recommend this book - if you're already a fan of Fiona Davis, you won't be disappointed; if you're new to her writing, you will be so glad you've found her.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis. Pub Date: January 25, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟. Told in dual timeline fashion, this is a story of the famous Frick Mansion and one woman’s quest to find not only herself, but also discover hidden secrets within this glorious place. I’ve always loved Fiona Davis books and this was no exception. Filled with a scavenger hunt that unravels the history of the mansion with a murder wrapped within the clues, the pages keep flowing and the readers find themselves immersed in the times of the Gilded Age. If you’re a historical fiction fan, I highly recommend! Thanks to Penguin Group-Dutton and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #penguingroupdutton #duttonbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #igreads #fionadavis #themagnoliapalace

I am a huge Fiona Davis fan and was thrilled to get an advanced copy of The Magnolia Palace. I was not disappointed! As usual with her historical fiction, I learned so much about an NYC landmark (The Frick) while also becoming enchanted by the mystery at the heart of this story. I didn't feel like this story moved quite as quickly as The Address or Chelsea Girls, but the character development was excellent, and the writing was beautiful and captivating, as always. I really enjoyed this one, and I am thankful to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

‘The Magnolia Place’ is my first Fiona Davis novel, and most definitely not my last. What and excellent historical fictional novel set in NYC in 1919 and 1966 that blends the Frick history with an extremely engaging fictional story of the legendary artist muse - Angelica on the 1900’s. Definitely a must read for your reading list.

My first Fiona Davis novel and definitely not my last! It’s been awhile since I’ve read a good (and well-written!) mainstream historical fiction book. Loved the dual timeline here - I was equally interested in each storyline. Lillian’s character was especially fascinating. I have been craving a trip to NYC lately and this helped to satisfy me. I will need to go to the Frick mansion during my next visit.

This story was so lovely. It told the story of 2 women: one down on her luck and the other trying out the modelling world far from home, I really enjoyed the two different stories separated by decades and the way they intertwined. Lillian & Veronica were both great characters and very strong women. I really liked Helen too.

There was one thing that confused me but I’m thinking it might be fixed in the finished copy. In the 1966 timeline Helen says they put the garden in back in 1977 but that didn’t match that part of the story. I wondered if maybe she meant 1917. It didn’t change the story but left me feeling confused.

The end of the book was so fun & tied up each character’s story in a wonderful & fitting way, I would have liked to know what happened to Richard but that’s no big deal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the chance to read this book.

One of the things that I like about Fiona Davis’s novels is that she uses setting as character. If you haven’t read any of her books and don’t know what that means, think of Tara in “Gone With the Wind.” Tara is as much a character in the book (and movie) as Scarlett and Rhett. In Davis’s books, she writes about famous buildings in the New York City. In her other books, she has written about Grand Central Station, The Dakota (the apartment building where John and Yoko lived), the Barbizon Hotel, the Chelsea Hotel and the New York City Public Library. Davis sets this novel in the Henry Clay Frick Mansion (currently closed for renovation, but the massive Renaissance to the twentieth-century art collection is still available for viewing at Frick Madison).

As in her other books, Davis wrap a historical mystery in dueling timelines. This story is set in 1919 and 1961.

In 1919, Lillian Carter (based on the real-life artists’ model Audrey Munson) must support herself after her mother dies in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. She becomes renown as “Angelica,” a model, often posing nude, or nearly nude. Statues of Lillian’s classical image dot Manhattan landmarks. Behind on her rent, Lilly tries to sneak out of the apartment she shared with her mother, leaving all her belonging behind. On her way out, she becomes entangled, albeit minimally, in a murder. Still she manages to sneak away and spends a few days on the streets. She winds up at the Frick Mansion, inadvertently interviewing for the position of private secretary to Frick’s daughter, Helen.

In 1966, Veronica Weber arrives from England for a photo shoot at the Frick Mansion. She manages to do everything wrong and is fired from the set. Humiliated, she retreats to a part of the Mansion and gets lost. When she decides to leave, she learns that the house is empty except her, and she is trapped. She settles down to wait out the night, but a snowstorm creates a blackout, leaving her stranded in the dark, heatless mansion for gosh who know how long.

Veronica explores the best she can, even the pipe organ room, which house forty-seven hundred pipes. There she finds some papers stuck between the pipes that send her on a scavenger hunt. Soon Veronica learns that she is not alone in the mansion, but the intern, Joshua, had fallen asleep in the basement and was also stranded for the duration. Together they manage to make life bearable until the storm abates.

As always, Davis vacillates between the two time periods with ease. She knows instinctively when to end a section that leaves readers wanting more, only to be wrapped up in the other time period, causing readers to stay up way past their bedtimes. Based on the buzz I’ve heard about this book, Davis did not disappoint; she certainly didn’t this reader. The only problem that comes from this novel is that I have to wait about another year before a new novel is available. I wonder what she’ll write about next. I can’t wait! “The Magnolia Palace” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I forget every year how much I love Fiona Davis's books. I know that I like them, but when I fall into the pages I remember how completely immersed I get in her NYC historical fiction. I really am going to make a tour based on her books when and if I get to visit.

This story of the Frick Museum spans two timelines. One is set surrounding Lillian, Helen Clay Frick's private secretary, and another set in the 60s with an archivist and a model who stumble upon her story. The intrigue and twists in both timeline kept me reading when I probably should have stopped. The relationships between the characters had me both rooting for them and nervous for their outcomes. I loved being swept away by this story and can't wait to see what comes next from Fiona Davis.

It’s 1919 and Lillian Carter lost her mother eight months ago to the Spanish flu. Lillian is broke and owes her landlord Mr. Watkins rent money. Heartbroken and grieving she’s having a hard time finding work she’s gained some weight and she’s older now. Lillian started working as an artists muse when she was only fifteen years old and many of her statues are on public display around New York City, no one knows her actual name she was only known as Angelica. When her landlord is wanted for the murder of his wife, and when the police find a letter Lillian had written to him they feel she’s also a suspect, so packs a few pieces of clothing and runs. She soon finds an opportunity in becoming Helen Frick’s secretary, and this job gives Lillian a place to stay and time to figure what she’s doing to do? What’s even more surprising is one of Lillian statues is located right at the front of the The Frick mansion, they don’t recognizes it’s her, Miss. Helen’s is a bit demanding of a person, eccentric, and Lilly can’t wait to leave she wants to be in movies in Hollywood, she plans to make just enough money and then leave.
Its 1966, Veronica Weber’s in New York, doing a fashion shoot for Vogue and the shoot is at the Frick museum, she feels out of place it’s her first official modeling job. Veronica is worried about her mother and sister Polly back in England, and plans to make enough money to take care of Polly who has special needs. When a snow storm causes a power outage, college intern and budding art curator Joshua Lawrence and Veronica find themselves locked in the museum. Veronica and Joshua soon uncover a scavenger that lead them to a mystery that dates back to 1919 and that involves the missing Magnolia Diamond that belonged to The Fricks. This book was amazing, I finished this book during a cold snowy weekend. Five stars! Loved the dual timeline!!

Loved this book, couldn't put it down. Follows the stories of two different women in two different time periods, dealing with similar situations. My first time reading this author but won't be the last.

Thank you to Dutton books for both my digital ARC and my finished copy of this book. This is the second book by Fiona Davis that I have read, the first being The Lions of 5th Avenue. I will say that Davis definitely has a knack for bringing historical fiction to life and transporting the reader back to a different time. This book alternates between two different timelines and women, and eventually they connect to each other. I definitely enjoyed learning about Angelica/Lilly and her struggles and new life as a private secretary in the Frick household. The outbreak of the Spanish flu as a catalyst event in her life was definitely reminiscent of the current pandemic. Overall I enjoyed the story; I will say that I felt more invested in Lilly's story rather than Veronica's. I also thought Joshua's character was interesting and how he was treated as a Black man in 1966. This one didn't quite rank as high as Lions of 5th Avenue for me, but overall, I did enjoy reading it.

I think the characters were the best part of this story. Fun little mystery in the scavenger hunt but I didn’t care as much about the later timeline as I did the earlier part of the Frick family. Lilian and Helen were so well written I would get sucked into their chapters. I didn’t really know much about the art world or the Fricks going into this and found the authors note fascinating to learn more.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy to review. I look forward to reading more from Fiona Davis in the future!