A fictionalized account of the life of the Post cereal heiress. Although fictionalized, Allison Pataki stayed close to the many nonfiction accounts I've read about Marjorie Post. Her life spanned so many significant events in American history and she played an important part in all of them. This is all the more amazing during this era when women did not control their own money, much less dominate their own lives with decisions that were unpopular on so many fronts. The story is amazing and deserves to be shared, especially with those young women who take for granted the place they hold in today's history.

This book was super well researched and showed the life of one of the first American businesswomen, Marjorie Post. While the research was impeccable, I failed to love Marjorie’s voice. I think once she was on husband 2, I just kinda fizzled.

Pataki's meticulously researched novel brings to life Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post cereal empire, and her incredible journey from gluing cereal boxes in her father's barn to becoming one of the wealthiest and most influential women of her time.

The novel takes readers through Marjorie's multi-faceted life, from her early years in Battle Creek, Michigan, to her rise as a savvy businesswoman, philanthropist, and socialite. The narrative is richly detailed, making the reader feel like they are walking alongside Marjorie through the grand halls of Mar-a-Lago, the opulent soirées with Hollywood stars, and the tense moments of history she lived through, such as her ambassadorship in the Soviet Union during WWII.

For fans of historical fiction and biographical novels, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is a must-read—a powerful testament to the life of a truly remarkable woman.

I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although I love historical fiction, I did not know what to expect from this novel because I did not know anything about the life of Marjorie Post. She was extremely interesting and accomplished so much. I was fascinated by her life and have enjoyed many books by this author.

✨THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST✨
Rating: 5 ⭐️ - I Loved It

If you’re looking to get into BIOGRAPHICAL FICTION, aka a historical fiction novel that centers on a specific historical figure, then @allison is your gal - no one does them like she does! Robust and extensively researched novels, but that read so beautifully and easy!

MARJORIE POST was the daughter and heir of C.W. Post, the founder of what is now known as General Foods - aka one of the largest food/good manufacturers in the world - but she built her own legacy all on her own. She was an incredibly remarkable women and trailblazer.

❤️ for my LOVERS of EVELYN HUGO & THE FROZEN RIVER, learning about POWERFUL WOMEN in history, learning about how one of the LARGEST COMPANIES in our world started, the life of the rich & famous during the GILDED AGE, lots of ROMANCE, etc.

❤️ if you’ve read and loved EVELYN HUGO, then you know how incredible her story was - almost a multitude of lives lived including some steamy ROMANCES - this story captures all those sentiment but in a real-life story!

❤️ oh how I loved MARJORIE’S story - so expansive from the late 1800’s in Battle Creek, Michigan, to now to long ago. He stories spanned countries, wars, great events, and through each of them, she cemented her place in history.

❤️ i’ve heard good things about the audio, but this is one I recommend savoring as a PHYSICAL READ!

A very interesting and entertaining read. I knew very little about Marjorie Post before reading the book, but then became so engrossed that I did several internet search to learn more about her life and that of her husbands and children.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book.


I knew very little of Marjorie Post prior to reading this book, but I love Historical Fiction so I thought this sounded like it was something that I would want to read.

This book did not disappoint me. It was fun and fast paced, and Marjorie Post was a fascinating person. She was definitely a person who loved philanthropy, but also loved lavish homes, parties, and jewels. She rubbed elbows with the wealthy crowed as well as friends from Hollywood. I had no idea that Mar-A-Lago was a home that she had built in Palm Springs.

I found this book really interesting, and I definitely will be reading up on Marjorie Post after this read. I will definitely be reccommending this book.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki was a delightful read. I wasn't aware of how the POST cereal company came to fruition and this little read gives us an insight. It is loosely based, so not 100% factual. The research that Ms. Pataki did on Majoire Post was intensive and it was visible throughout the storylines.
Relationships are difficult and when you are a woman during the Depression and WWI and WWII that owns a large company and has more money than you know what to do with it is no wonder she loved and lost over 4 times.
Majorie Post was an avid art collector, tough business women, and mother, and she would likely be remembered for her philanthropic actions. This was a lengthy read and a delightful one. I enjoy historical romance novels, but this one held my intrigue. It was a story of a determined woman that was beyond successful in the business world but could not find the same with her love life.


My thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book.

Once upon a time, about 100 years ago, a 27-year-old woman was the wealthiest woman in the nation. In The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, bestselling author Allison Pataki has crafted an intimate portrait of a woman who lived and loved on a grand scale, yet proves that money cannot buy happiness.

Marjorie Merriweather Post’s journey began gluing cereal boxes in her father’s barn near Battle Creek, Michigan and learning the business from the man who, at the turn of the 20th century, made a fortune by producing healthy and quick foods like Grape-Nuts. When her parents divorced, Marjorie was rudderless. Then in 1914, C. W. Post died by suicide and his daughter inherited his estate worth an estimated $250 million in 1914 dollars (about $6.5 billion in today’s dollars.

After WWI, Marjorie takes a more active interest in the Postum company, spearheading a major expansion. In 1929, she renamed the company General Foods Corporation. Not content to stay in her prescribed roles of high-society wife, mother, and hostess, she, along with her second husband, E.F. Hutton, began expanding the business and acquiring other American food companies such as Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Jell-O, Baker’s Chocolate, Maxwell House, and Bird’s-eye.

So what did she do with all that money? She partied and traveled. She dined with the rich and famous, including presidents, heads of state, and movie stars. When the economy was booming in the roaring twenties, she bought up Russian artwork and jewelry, and built palatial homes. But although she sought happily ever-after with men and money, she never truly found it.

Marjorie did everything on a grand scale, especially with love. She had four husbands: Investment banker, Edward Bennett Close; Financier Edward Francis Hutton; American Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Joseph E. Davies; and Pittsburgh business executive, Herbert A. May.

That a synopsis of the woman. But what did I think of the book? Marjorie’s focus on accruing and spending her obscene wealth bothered me. Post funded a US Army hospital in France during World War I, but it wasn’t until after the 1929 stock market crash that Marjorie had a true philanthropic wake-up-call. She locked away her jewelry in a safety deposit bank and used the money she saved on insurance to open the Marjorie Post Hutton Canteen in the neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Hiring men who were out of work, she outfitted them with white gloves and blazers. She asked them to shave and paid them as waiters. Every table had a starched linen tablecloth and a glass vase of fresh-cut roses. The Canteen served over 180,000 free meals in its first year and a half.

Marjorie Post was a fascinating historical figure, but I didn’t get a sense of emotion from the author, whether it was joy, passion, grief, or sadness. It was especially glaring after her divorces. Overall, an interesting read. 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about Marjorie Merriweather Post before this book, but this book made me research even more after reading because she was so fascinating. I loved reading all about her life and the people she knew.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Random House, through NetGalley. I am grateful; I thoroughly enjoyed it! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is about Marjorie Post as well as the history of the Post family and the inception of breakfast cereals. Marjorie's father, C.W. Post, was "the man who turned breakfast into America's favorite city." An old toaster to be thrown out changed their lives with “dry food with taste”: Grape Nuts! The Posts introduced the world to cereal, changing breakfast forever. Mr. Post also created a coffee substitute (Postum). Breakfast is easier and healthier.

The reader can't help but admire and like Marjorie! She was generous: during WWI she sent monies and supplies to start a hospital in France; during the Great Depression, she started soup kitchens and was known as Lady Bountiful, and much more! During these times, Marjorie was unable to lead the Post (General Foods) company because she was a woman. Her uncle took over, as did her husbands. When divorce occurred, her uncle stepped in again. But Marjorie was behind most major decisions for the company. Eventually, she joined the board of directors.

Marjorie was a "leader, mother, businesswoman, and philanthropist." She befriended and entertained U.S. presidents, politicians, and other highly influential people. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy biographical books with some history. This book seemed to be both to me!

Five stars for this book! I flew through it. Obsessed with the characters, the story, the details!! Adding this author to my must read list.

Marjorie Merriweather Post was a woman whose hand stitched the fabric of so many cornerstones of American life. From Post Cereal to Birdseye Frozen Foods to Trump's infamous Mar-a-Lago Club, Marjorie Post had a hand in them all. She was truly a remarkably extraordinary woman ... and a rich one. Amassing a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, Marjorie was once considered the richest woman in America. But just how did she come into her considerable wealth?

Allison Pataki delves into the life of Marjorie Post in her aptly-titled biographical fiction novel, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. In this captivating tome, Pataki explores the beginnings of the Post cereal food empire started by Marjorie's father C.W. Post, and its later expansion as General Foods under the stewardship of Marjorie, her father's only heir. Through Post/General Foods, Marjorie would come to acquire many brands, including Birdseye Frozen Foods, which Marjorie insisted on taking under her wing, despite the doubts of others, to give harried housewives the convenience of cooking easy-to-prepare, yet nutritious meals. Through Marjorie's innovation and shrewd thinking, she created a name for herself as a prominent woman both in business and society, ever outshining the seemingly powerful men by her side.

As much as The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post shines a light on Marjorie's immense success in the food industry, it also gives great insight into her four marriages and subsequent divorces. Pataki explores how the men in Marjorie's life handled - quite badly - being married to such a strong-minded, successful woman. Pataki's fictional story of Marjorie's life is a fascinating exploration into how brilliant women of yore were forced to yield and come second to their husbands due to the laws of the time. Although Post Foods and all of its success was held in Marjorie's hands, she couldn't even sit on the board of her own company, nor have many of her well-earned possessions in her name.

Pataki's novel had me utterly captivated throughout, teaching me so much about the incredible Marjorie Post. I knew not who she was before reading this novel, but I have since discovered that Marjorie played an immense role in our country's history, paving the way for women in business, and demonstrating that women can be successful in their own right. My only gripe with this easy-to-follow novel is that Pataki framed Marjorie's story around her marriages, using these four men as the focal points of her book. While Marjorie's four husbands did play a significant role in her life, I found Marjorie's business dealings and acquisitions to be of more interest than her relationships with men dreadfully bitter about their wife's success. A success they benefitted from immensely, I might add.

Highly recommended to fans of biographical fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance read copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. My apologies for not reading this sooner.

I really enjoyed this book. In reading the author’s notes, I found everything I wanted to share here, she also shared in her note. For example, I knew the name was the same as a cereal brand but I didn’t know more than that about Marjorie. So I have chosen one statement that was me throughout the entire book - so much so I found myself going to Google to look things up as I was reading along: “I was so struck when I encountered this quotation because the statement hit on the very sentiment that I myself had felt many times over while researching and then writing about Marjorie Merriweather Post and her extraordinary life. She did that? She lived through that? She met him? She befriended her? She was there? She built that? Marjorie Merriweather Post lived her long life to the fullest;”.

The author does a fabulous job highlighting this extraordinary woman and making her feel like your best friend. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially that which takes place in the 20th century and features a strong woman center stage, then I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because I really got a good feeling from the cover and hey, who doesn't love a magnificent life? It didn't take me long to understand that it was about the daughter of the maker of Post Grape Nuts and once I got going, I didn't want to stop. It seemed like I was looking things up constantly to see if they were true or to see what people looked like...I have no idea how the author took all of this true information and created a fiction novel but it was SO good...if slightly too long. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone that is into historical fiction (even though most of it is true)...I can't really say it is romantic even though there are multiple relationships in it...but let's just say that she certainly DID have some magnificent lives...

What a fascinating account of a truly remarkable woman! Ms. Pataki clearly conducted fantastic research, which allowed her to bring Marjorie Pist to life!

If you had beauty, intelligence and wealth, what would you do with it? Marjorie Post had it all or did she? The daughter of founder C.W. Post, along with Kellogg changed the way Americans eat breakfast was an entrepreneur in her own right. Not allowed to run her family's business or vote in the 1920's, she used her talents the best way she could. Fascinating story of how this woman lived and used her wealth for the betterment of others. I couldn't put it down.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki tells the story of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post cereal fortune and one of the wealthiest women in the United States. Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by her father's self-made success with the Post cereal company and went on to make a name for herself as a philanthropist, hostess, and advocate. Pataki provides a detailed look at Marjorie's life, including her role in the creation of the Post cereal company, her marriages, and her philanthropy.

One of the highlights of the book is the early sections on the creation of the Post cereal company. Pataki does a thorough job of exploring the history of the company and its impact on the American way of life. The amount and quality of treasures that Marjorie was able to bring home from Europe during her ambassadorship in the Soviet Union during WWII is also impressive and adds to the book's historical detail.

However, some reviewers found the book to be slow-paced at times and felt that the emotional impact was lacking. Marjorie's relationships and marriages, in particular, seemed to jump from one to the next and it was unclear why she was drawn to certain men. Despite this, Marjorie's life was still full of beauty and grandeur and Pataki does a good job of capturing this in her writing.

Overall, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is a worthwhile read for those interested in history, book clubs, and historical fiction. While the book may not always hit the emotional depth that some readers may be looking for, it is still a captivating look at the life of a powerful and influential woman.

Interesting concept. Ultimately the book wasn't engaging enough for me to continue reading. I do love the cover though!!

THE GOOD: The early sections about the creation of the Post Cereal company were fascinating (I wish there had been more of this!) Also, very engaging was the period of ambassadorship in the WWII-era Soviet Union. The amount and quality of treasures Ms. Post was able to bring home from Europe was also awe-inducing. (I wouldn't call it "rescuing ", as she bought them for her own self to wear and/or display. Although she did, in the end, donate much of it to the Smithsonian in her will.)

THE BAD: It took a bit for me to get into this book. At first, my impression was that the author was stringing good research together, but lacking in the emotional impact factor. (Why do I care about this character?) (In fact, I had the same trouble with the author's The Queen's Fortune.) And, though it got better, it did still seem like Marjorie was flinging herself from one romance to the next. (Did she fall in love at first sight with every man she met?)

CONCLUSION: Definitely Ms. Post lived an interesting life, so it's worth a read. Much of what she, as well as her father, did left a lasting impact on the American landscape and way of life, so it's a good jumping off point for history lovers. Book clubs snd historical fiction fans will enjoy this one.