Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of The Magnolia Palace. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel, and nothing has influenced my rating and opinion.

The Magnolia Palace is set-in two-time periods, 1919 and 1966 at the Frick Mansion in New York City. It follows several women, and several characters are based on individuals who were park of the Frick family. The pacing is decent, but it speeds up dramatically in the last half of the book. Ms. Davis has clearly done a great deal of research of the time-period and of the Frick family, making the novel an excellent read.

In 1919, Lillian Carter, AKA Angelica. She is the primary character, along with Helen Frick. She stubbles into the role of secretary for this woman and Lillian becomes a pawn between Helen and her father, Henry Clay Frick. Lillian’s tale is a sad one and I had empathy for her.

In 1966, a young model is at a photo shoot in the Frick mansion and accidentally gets locked in, along with Joshua Lawrence, an intern for the Frick mansion. I enjoyed the scavenger hunt the two undertake and liked both characters. While there is definitely an attraction between these two, the story is centered on the mystery of the scavenger hunt.

Ms. Davis handles the transition from one time-period to the other seamlessly without confusing the reader. Her descriptive writing adds a great deal to the overall enjoyment. She also manages to tie up the significant sub-plots. I would have enjoyed finding out more about Lillian’s escape from the Frick mansion and how the organist helped her.

If you enjoy historical fiction filled with individuals who lived in the era it covers, along with a fascinating mystery to solve, then you will love The Magnolia Palace as much as I did. I’m so glad I agreed to read this excellent novel. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Davis and look forward to reading others by her. Happy reading!

Fiona Davis has a very solid style. Her writing is consistent and brings historical settings to life so well. This book was a great mix of true history and creative fiction. The author's note was particularly enlightening after completing the book and really just brought everything all together quite nicely.

I very much enjoyed her previous novel, The Lions of Fifth Avenue and found that The Magnolia Palace had a similar flavor. A rich family, old New York, and a missing valuable item. A story brought together using strong female protagonists and alternating timelines. Apparently all these things are my jam. I love the characters she creates and the mystery surrounding her narratives. I will admit that the mergings of Lillian and the Fricks as well as Veronica and the Frick Mansion were a little rocky for me, but the rest of the story was fun, enjoyable, and relaxing.

The pacing can be a little slow in places and there is some instalove mixed into the plot, but overall I just had a good time reading this and it was a great palate cleanser after reading some heavy and slow paced character novels. There was something light about this mystery that had me both intrigued and entertained in a way that really made reading pleasant.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Fiona Davis does it again with her latest, The Magnolia Palace. In this story we have dual timelines running through the Frick household. Shortly after the Spanish Flu takes her mother, Lillian must find a way to survive. Having been an artist's model for many sculptures around the city known as Angelica she is finding she is a bit past her prime and lost without her mother there to help. When she finds herself the key suspect in a murder investigation she flees and finds herself claiming a job in service at the Frick mansion.

In modern times we have Veronica Weber on site at the Frick mansion with an opportunity to make her modeling career a reality. When she ends up locked inside the mansion in the aftermath of a storm she takes to poking about and finds clues from an ages old scavenger hunt. At the end of the scavenger hunt may be a prize that can solver her financial woes and help her family. With the help of Joshua, an art curator working at the Frick, can she find her way to the prize?

In this book I did find myself far more drawn to the past timeline. The past timeline felt believable and real while the present timeline felt more unrealistic. Would the book have worked without the second timeline? Probably but the structure would need to change and I do always appreciate when the timelines meet up at the end for the conclusion.

Lillian in the Frick Household is akin to a Julian Fellows production. I'd say anyone that is a fan of Downton Abbey of The Gilded Age would love this novel from Fiona Davis. I love the alternating timelines and how they come together to paint a complete picture of the plot.
The style I'm of Ms. Davis is always crisp and elegantly immersive. I would say a theme is female beauty vs. male society including murder, betrayal, love and acceptance- romance and art. The characters always have flaws and to me that makes them more realistic. This story was well written and just what I was looking for - the interesting story of the missing pink diamond!

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for my e-arc in exchange for.my honest review.

Like other books from Davis, this book circles around a hidden/ forgotten treasure in an older building. I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as Lions of Fifth Ave. For readers who enjoy historical dual timeline books, this one will satisfy their needs. Interesting perspective of what can make a person deemed unseemly vs adored in future years. There is links to current feelings of loss during a pandemic, due to the inclusion of the Spanish Flu. For those who like a mystery set in a museum, you'll get a taste from the inside. I listened and read the printed books. The last 1/3 is better than the whole, but you'll need to read it all to appreciate.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC which didn't influence my review.

A stunning work if historical fiction that cleverly weaves a mystery into the story of a woman's self-discovery. Readers will absolutely fall in love with Lillian, a famous artist's model in the run, as she navigates the strange, complicated world of the Frick family and their family house.

This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the story. I loved the how much reality the author wove into fiction and the art that was involved. A great read that I would highly recommend.

I feel like Fiona Davis’ writing just keeps getting better and better. Magnolia Palace is a winning combination of historical fiction and mystery in a tale set in NYC’s famous Frick museum. Alternate time periods reveal two down on their luck women whose lives do not intersect until the end. Characters are well-drawn and sympathetic and the mystery isn’t solved until the very end, making this a page-turner. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting, enjoyable read.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A completely different direction than my usual historical fiction picks!

Set in the early 1900s in NY, Lillian has gone from being an in demand model to a private secretary for a wealthy woman. In the dual timeline, another young woman, Veronica, is in New York hoping for her big break. The secrets from the past come into play, connecting the two stories.

I originally requested a copy thinking the mystery sounded interesting, but I ended up really loving the time periods. After a LOT of WW2 (and some WW1 stories), a story not about any war but still historical fiction was a true delight.

I was lucky to receive an early copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW! Fiona Davis knocks it out of the park!!! The Magnolia Palace is a fantastic read filled with art, drama, mystery, and love. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend you reading this! BTW - that cover is fantastic.

I’ve been big on Gilded Age era books recently, so I knew I would love reading about the Frick family and their gorgeous mansion built in that time frame. The bonus was that this dual-timeline story also featured a missing pink diamond!

The story of Helen Frick and her assistant at a formative time in Helen’s life that coincides with Magnolia Diamond’s disappearance is riveting. As is the later timeline, told 50 years later, when a model and a Frick Museum intern are locked in the mansion overnight and on the hunt for the missing diamond.

I couldn’t put this story down. It might be my first Fiona Davis, but it won’t be my last!

Thanks to Dutton for my review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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!