I was given a early copy of this book. Nor the usual genre of book that I would choose to read and that is probably why I gave the book 3 *. I am not American born and therefore not familiar with the days of the upper elite in Manhattan and found the story and characters a little wanting at times. The main characters were both irritating and ignorant of the people who were around them. There were some interesting twists and turns which kept me reading until the end and that it why I finished the book. I wished I had read the authors notes before I read the book, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more as a lot the story is based on true facts. I had merely presumed this was just another historical fiction book about a wealthy family.

Wishes do come true thank you Dutton, Penguin Random House for granting my wish of letting me read one of my favorite historical fiction authors Fiona Davis new book the Magnolia Palace. I love how she winds fact with fiction and brings us back in time. I loved meeting the Frick family learning about the museum. I felt like I went on the scavenger hunt with Veronica and Joshua when the lights went out durning the snow storm in the 1960's NY.
Missing diamonds, the first supermodel, London and NY City I could not put this book down.

Thank you to NetGalley, @penguinrandamhouse, and @fionadavis for this ARC. 1919 - Lillian, stage name Angelica, is a Muse for many sculptors in New York when her neighbor kills his wife and Lillian is wanted for questioning. She decides to run and in an odd string of events, she falls into a position of Helen Frick's private secretary. 1966 - Victoria is a model, hired by Vogue, for a photo shoot in the now Frick Museum when a snow storm hits and she is left behind when the rest of the crew flees. The curator of the collection, lost track of time in the basement and together they find themselves snowed-in the mansion. Victoria accidently finds clues for a scavenger hunt and they spend the next couple of days following the clues. How do these stories collide? This book has it all - mystery, love, greed, death. I loved this book and venture to say it rivals The DollHouse and The Address. Everything @FionaDavis writes is magic and not to mention in my favorite city! #TheMagnoliaPalace #FionaDavis #Jan2022

The Magnolia Place by Fiona Davis is a historical fiction novel. The book takes place in the Frick Mansion. Fiona Davis' new novel alternates between duel timelines in 1919 and 1966. A mystery connects the timelines. Thanks NetGallery for the advance copy. I hope other readers will enjoy Angelica and Veronica's story as much as I have enjoyed reading their story.
#Fiona Davis; #Magnolia Place

The Magnolia Place tells a dual storyline of the Frick family home in 1919, and another in 1966 when it is the famous Frick Collection of art.

Fiona Davis once again shows she is a master of historical fiction novels. She tells a captivating story, based on real people and places that were well researched and come to life in the book, and weaves in mystery, secrets and love!

Thanks to NetGalley, Fiona Davis and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Join a scavenger hunt in a NYC mansion turned art museum!

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis is an intriguing historical fiction inspired by real people and events, with fact and fiction skillfully woven together to create a story I couldn’t put down.

It’s 1919 in New York City when Lillian Carter stumbles into a new job as private secretary to Helen Frick, the entitled daughter of multi-millionaire industrialist Henry Clay Frick. Helen’s demanding personality and social eccentricities make her a difficult and challenging employer, but the opportunity to continue hiding a secret while living and working in the beautiful Frick mansion convinces Lillian to stay.

An additional storyline takes place in the Frick mansion in 1966, as model Veronica Weber arrives for a photo shoot in what is now an extraordinary art museum. After a series of missteps, she finds herself taking part in a nearly 50-year-old scavenger hunt, hoping to find the ‘magnificent magnolia treasure’. Assisted by museum intern Joshua Lawrence, she finds more than she bargained for as the clues lead them to a deeper mystery involving an old betrayal, a stolen jewel, and perhaps even murder!

The Magnolia Palace introduces the reader to interesting people in a fabulous setting that is very much a character itself. I love touring historic homes like Hearst Castle, the Winchester Mystery House, and the Glensheen Mansion, so I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the Frick Mansion and its incredible art collection. Within 24 hours of finishing the book, I was Googling images of the mansion taken while the Frick family was still in residence and taking virtual tours around the Frick museum on the frick.org website. An illustrated version of this book with images of the house and art would greatly enhance the reader’s experience.

Lillian and Helen are my favorite characters, as the author carefully knit their personal histories into the story and crafted an interdependent relationship between the two that isn’t quite a friendship yet is more than a standard work partnership.

My favorite element of the story is the scavenger hunt! A long series of quirky, poetic clues and the promise of a mysterious treasure bring characters together in 1919 and in 1966 and effectively bridge the years in between. I may be biased by fond memories of a childhood scavenger hunt, but I thought it was a terrific integration into the plot.

Into every review a little rain must fall, but I have only a few concerns. The ending of the book feels a bit rushed to me after reading the beautiful detail that came before. I wish Ms. Davis included more of Lillian’s experiences after leaving the mansion, and the wrap-up for Veronica and her family seems so miraculous and convenient as to be unbelievable. There is also a jarring jump ahead in the timeline at the end of the book. One minute we are in 1966, and then in the next chapter someone is pointing out a pond that was installed next to the mansion in 1977. It left me confused and rereading the last few pages trying to figure out what I missed.

An Author’s Note by Fiona Davis at the end of the book describes her inspiration for the plot and also details which parts of the narrative were based on real people and events. It additionally shares more Frick family history and lists many books she found useful for her research and books she recommends for further reading.

All in all, I very much enjoyed The Magnolia Palace, and I believe other readers who relish historical fiction, art, historic homes, or New York City will also appreciate this interesting tale.

Content Warning: Death; some verbal abuse

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House LLC, and author Fiona Davis for an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review. The expected publication date for The Magnolia Palace is January 25, 2022. #NetGalley #TheMagnoliaPalace

This is the third book I have read by this author and her work continues to intrigue me from start to finish. In “Magnolia Palace” readers are transported to both the early 1900s and also the mid ‘60s, and is set in the renowned Frick Art Museum. At the start of the story, we learn about the Frick family, and all their drama and turmoil. Those events cross with the events on a snowy weekend in the turbulent 19060s when mysteries are discovered. The ending of this book definitely surprised me, yet made perfect sense.
If you are a fan of a good historical fiction novel with some mystery thrown in, this is one I would highly recommend!
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

I am a huge fan of Fiona Davis’ books, and The Magnolia Palace did not disappoint. The research is thorough, the character development is deep, and the overlapping of fictional storylines with historical people and events is woven together into a true page-turner.

The story centers around the Frick Collection in New York City. The dual timelines of 1919 and 1966 highlight two different eras of the Frick family - first while they had been living in their home, the Frick Mansion, for only about five years and the second, when the home had been converted into the Frick Collection, an art museum and research library. There’s drama, mystery, a smidge of romance, incredible art, and characters that really come alive.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The attention to historic detail that Davis always provides is wrapped into Magnolia Palace and doesn’t disappoint! I was intrigued by how the character relationships and morphed as they learned more about each other. Finished off with a beautiful happy ending.

Wow!! I was totally blown away by this beautifully written masterpiece!

The time periods of 1919 and 1966, were woven together so expertly. The house and the art were so beautifully integrated into the story, that I felt they were characters on their own.

This book had it all, family, secrets, scandal, history and wonderful characters!

While this is my first Fiona Davis book ( I know, I have a lot of binge reading to do ) it will not be my last and she will forever be on my TBR list.

I am a long time fan of Fiona Davis's novels. She is the Queen of historical novels. Each of her books is set around a New York City landmark. The Magnolia Palace is set at The Frick Collection. It has two timelines -1919 and 1966. Both revolve around The Frick family and their famous art collection. This is more than a historical novel - it is a mystery, a story of emotional survival and a love story. The characters are based on real people and are multi-faceted. I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Davis and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis. I love historical fiction novels, especially ones involving art history. I always learn something from them and that was true with this novel. Although I recognized the Frick name, I did not know anything about the Frick Collection or the Frick family before I read this book.
The mysterious disappearance of a beautiful cameo brooch featuring the countenance of Martha Frick and a pink diamond known as “The Magnolia Diamond” tie the two storylines of this book together.
The main story takes place in 1919 and revolves around Henry Clay Frick’s slightly eccentric and prickly daughter, Helen, who through happenstance, hires Lillian Carter to be her personal secretary. Lillian is actually a famous artist’s model whose often sculptured figure adorns a multitude of buildings and artworks throughout New York including one above the port-cochere of the Frick Mansion. Seeing herself above the entrance to the house, Lillian stops at the open door and asks for a drink of water, not knowing that the staff thinks she is there for an interview. In reality, Lillian at that moment is trying to hide from the police who want to interview her in connection to the murder of her lecherous landlord’s wife, in what the newspapers are erroneously calling a scandalous love triangle.
The second storyline revolves around another model set in 1966. Veronica is a photogenic young woman from England, who through some luck and a quirky haircut, finds her way to the Frick Museum for a photo shoot that ends up with her and Joshua Lawrence, one of the Collection’s interns, being stranded in the museum during a blizzard. Although I found this second storyline weaker that the main one, it was still entertaining and solved the mystery of the brooch and diamond.
Davis is a very descriptive writer, and it is evident that she spent much time researching the art collection and history of the Frick family that come to life on the pages of her latest novel.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy of this book. Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors because I love how she brings historical buildings and places to life with different timelines bringing to life to not only the buildings but people who are/were associated with them. The Frick mansion/museum is one of these buildings and the Audrey Munson (in the book, Angelica) one of those people. Authors whose books entice further learning especially well written, are are treasure to the world.

4.5 stars Fiona Davis writes fantastic historical fiction- this one revolves around the Frick Museum in New York. Told in two-time-lines- 1916 and 1966- we learn about the Frick family. There's some drama, some romance, a little mystery- what more could you ask for? Definitely recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-galley.

Lily is a model down on her luck & just wants to head west to become an actress. She gets caught up in a murder scandal & is forced to leave her home. When she accidentally gets a job with the Frick family, she sees it as her way out. She'll stay just long enough to earn money to leave NYC, and won't get involved too deeply.

In a strange turn of events, Lily finds herself a little TOO involved. She's asked to meddle in the personal affairs of her employer, Miss Helen. It turns out as well as you think.

After the strange and sudden death of Mr. Frick & the disappearance of an important family heirloom, all fingers are pointed at the stranger, Lily. Is there any way to prove her innocence, or will everyone just assume she's out for money (& blood)?

I was never a historical fiction gal until I read Fiona's The Lions of Fifth Avenue. She's easily become one of my favorite authors. The way Fiona tells a story through alternating timelines & POVs but seamlessly ties them together at the end is an art. I will read literally anything Fiona decides to publish.

I haven’t read many historical fiction books but this one captivated me from the beginning to the last page. Loved how much I could learn about art and some interesting information about New York 1919 and 1966. It’s a story told in them and now timelines but it’s so well done that I had no trouble knowing where I am at all times. The characters are so intriguing and the mystery part kept me guessing what actually happened. I enjoyed the romance side a lot and how Veronica stood up for her career.
I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in a beautiful yet intriguing story.

Fiona Davis does it again! The Magnolia Palace is her latest in her series of historical fiction that uses a New York City landmark as a character in her book. Her dual timeline story features the Henry Clay Frick home with its enormous collection of art ranging from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. The threads of the dual timeline are expertly plaited together by Ms. Davis. The story of Helen Clay Frick and her personal secretary/artist’s muse made me eager to keep reading until late in the night. Ms. Davis juxtaposes the main characters’ stories in an elegant style, showing the reader the background of living in an art museum, mixing in family drama, the gap between the poor and the High Society of New Year. There’s even a mystery in the form of a scavenger hunt that binds the timelines together. Ms. Davis is an expert researcher for her books, but the historical details do not overwhelm you, but lead to you research the details of the Mansion, Art Library. Just seeing the photographs of the bedrooms/sitting areas, dining room, that are just filled with art on every wall and surface that are available brought me back to details of the story. Five Star Review

In The Magnolia Palace, Fiona Davis crafts a masterful dual-timeline tale revolving around the actual steel baron Frick family. In 1919, a desperate young woman - the former model / muse for New York's top artists - accidentally lands a position as difficult daughter Helen Frick's assistant. Nearly 50 years later, another distressed model comes to the house for her first big break. As both of their lives go awry in the house, the two women become linked by mystery and deception.
Davis contrasts the decadence of the Frick’s lavish lifestyle with the near-poverty circumstances of the models. The emotional upheavals of these two POV characters are finely drawn, as are the Frick family’s deeply flawed dynamics.
One can tell if a historical fiction novel resonates if it drives you to the internet to check out the main characters. After I finished, I looked up Henry Frick, Helen, and “Angelica” the artists’ muse. It’s evident Fiona Davis did intensive research to form the backbone of her absorbing story.

Historical fiction novel that takes place in 1919 and 1966 in the Frick Mansion in NYC. I enjoyed learning a little more about this NYC landmark and the family who lived there. The fictional story had a little bit of mystery and a little bit of Downtown Abbey. A quick and fun read!

This is a wonderful, well researched book, set in two timelines, with characters that come to life! I felt as if I was transported back to 1919, and, alternately, to 1969. Fiona Davis expertly weaves the two time periods together in a story with mystery, love, family dynamics, and a love of beautiful art. She also tells the tragic story behind the Frick's ability to acquire all of the artwork. I absolutely loved the way the two time periods were brought together! As a fan of dual timelines, this one was both unusual and extremely well written. I did receive a complimentary copy from the publisher/Netgalley, and I am very glad I did! Any book that keeps me reading until midnight, is definitely a 5 star!!