"Some people are busy working on their pose instead of their purpose." (Saji Ijiyemi)

The Magnolia Palace is a remarkable endeavor by the talented Fiona Davis. Davis walks us across an unexpected bridge of thought that spans from 1919 after the Great War and its impact on society to the Mod Years of the 1960's and beyond. It serves as a split screen depicting those who held on covetously to the past and those who blindly chased the future.

Lillian Carter finds herself dialing for life and survival in the expanse of New York City in 1919. She and her mother, Kitty, make the rounds on the 67th Street Studio District searching for modeling jobs for Lillian. Lillian has finally struck gold. Several artists have been taken with her Grecian attributes of classic beauty. With mother monitoring nearby, Lillian poses for breathtaking statues during the Beaux Arts period in New York City. Her image in The Three Graces stands in the entrance of the Hotel Astor.

But soon Kitty is taken too soon during the outbreak of the Spanish Flu and Lillian, known professionally as Angelica, is on her own with just pocket change after the funeral. Her dream is to be in films in Hollywood. And making that into reality is going to be a challenge. Her landlord proposes a way out with the rent. And to add insult to injury, Lillian is a suspect when his wife's murder is revealed. Out the window, Lillian, and into the streets........

And here's where Fate steps in and Lillian is mistaken for someone else applying for the private secretary position at the Frick Mansion. She's hired on the spot and Hollywood could not have developed a better stage presence than the one that Lillian fakes. She now works for Miss Helen, the daughter of the famous Henry Clay Frick, steel magnate and art collector.

Fiona Davis does a masterful job of presenting daily life within the Frick domain......like New York royalty. Miss Helen is a very cantankerous and difficult woman to please, but Lillian manages to reveal her knowledge of art without revealing her identity who's wanted by the police. We'll follow the storyline of these two women who will face a tragedy in the making.

Fastforward to 1966 with the now Frick Museum allowing a photo shoot with a bevy of models to take place within its walls. Veronica Weber is originally from London trying to make advances in her modeling career. Fate pays her a visit as well when she is locked inside the museum after the others have left. A fierce snowstorm hits the city and the power goes out. Veronica comes across Joshua Lawrence, museum archivist, down an unlit hallway. These two are on the edge of an adventure big and bold.

The Magnolia Palace is a wonderful read. There's constant action and the characters are loosely based on the real ones. My only concern was the ending in which everything is wrapped tidily with no loose strings. But it is the Author's Note that will grab you in the last pages. Davis gives us some excellent background information on the Frick Family and their Mansion/Museum. Ol' Miss Helen will be elbowing her way into this most satisfying read.

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Penguin Random House and to the talented Fiona Davis for the opportunity.

The Magnolia Palace is a dual timeline novel following two different models, Lillian and Veronica. It is a fictional account of the Frick Collection in New York City and focuses on the Frick family and their art collection.

I found the story fascinating and it was very well written. There is also an element of mystery which kept me reading. I highly recommend this novel..

I love Fiona Davis’ books ! The Magnolia Palace is wonderful and so rich in history and characters. I loved it from start to finish.

1919: Lillian has grand plans of making it to Hollywood until her life is upended by the death of her mother and the murder of her landlord’s wife, who police suspect Lillian had a hand in. Escaping her apartment when the police show up to question her, she finds herself at the Frick mansion and somehow finds herself hired for the job of personal secretary. Her experience as a model for sculptors and artists haven’t prepared her to run a household, much less budget and payroll, but something about her stands out to Miss Helen. Motivated by the chance to earn enough money to travel to California and try her hand at acting, Lillian takes in the job with the intent to leave after her first month’s pay. What ensues is romance, accusations, death, and the pink Magnolia diamond disappearing.

1966: Veronica has just landed her first big modeling gig for Vogue. After ridiculous demands by the photographer to make snow angels in large snow drifts in evening gowns, she protests and is sent off the shoot by the photographer. After getting changed, she explores the Frick mansion and after slipping and falling, discovers some old papers inside an organ pipe. Upon reading, she discovers they are from 1919. When the lights go out, she finds herself scrambling to find the group of models she arrived with but is met with silence in the house. She is found by an intern in the Frick art museum, she shares the papers that she found. Together, they embark on completing the scavenger hunt and stumble upon the famed, and reported lost, magnolia diamond. But how did it end up being hidden where it was found?

I was first introduced to Fiona Davis’ books when I stumbled upon The Dollhouse. I was entranced! When I found the ARC for her newest book, I was excited to be chosen to read and view it. Once I found the time to sit and get lost in the book, I couldn’t get through it fast enough. The back and forth storylines were easy to follow and the chapters belonging to a Veronica were a great lead in for what happened next in Lillian’s saga. I encourage you to pick this one up and fall in love with the art and story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #themagnoliapalace #fionadavis

When you can get your hands on this one YOU SHOULD! It has me smile- teary! Lillian who is really Angelica, a muse for sculptures, is mistaken as an interviewee for a private secetary position at the famous Frick house. All she wants to do is hide out from a scandal that involves her landlord and become an actress. She gets the job because of her knowledge of the art pieces housed there. Miss Helen Frick is her boss and is in more need of a friend than anything else. The loss of Helen’s sister brought grief and gloom into each of their lives and they never recovered. Helen’s father offers to pay Lillian to help secure a husband for her and as things in the house deteriorate, Lillian finds herself being accused of murder and stealing a precious cameo. The characters in this book were animated and full of life! I couldn’t put it down and loved reading about the art pieces and time. Another wonderful read by this author.

Fiona Davis never disappoints. I didn’t think she could top The Lions of Fifth Avenue but she has with The Magnolia Palace. I absolutely loved these characters, especially Miss Helen. She just gets better and better with each book she writes.

This is the first book I have written by Fiona Davis, but it will not be the last. Davis has an engaging style of writing.

This book, set in New York City, uses dual timelines. It is an excellent work of historical fiction, blending the story between 1916 and 1966. It's setting, the Frick Mansion, was somewhere I was not familiar with previously. I enjoyed learning about this piece of history. I found the author's description of the time periods to be very accurate. She was able to paint a picture of the thinking of these times.

This is a captivating story of painful loss, betrayal, love and redemption. The characters are multi-faceted and illustrate the time they lived in history, as well as their place in society. Along with all of this, there is a mystery surrounding a 50 year old crime to be solved. In this book, the reader gets knowledge of history, as well as a story about love, friendship and class status. In addition to that, it is also a mystery!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of Davis's works.

Fiona Davis has again written an engaging dual timeline story worked around the Frick Collection, which was established in the mansion where Henry Clay Frick, his family, and team of servants lived post WWI. The hidden secrets and mysterious history are revealed when artists' muse and aspiring model/actress Veronica accidentally gets locked inside the mansion, which is being used as a photo shoot location, during a winter storm. She encounters Joshua, an archivist sent to study the history and to catalog the contents of the mansion, To stay entertained until they can be rescued, Joshua fills Veronica in on the history and contents, while Veronica, who spent her young years as an artists' model, recognizes the famous artworks and the fortune they represent. They reveal to the reader the tragedies that befell the Frick family, as well as unsolved mysteries and secrets from an earlier time. The characters within the story are well written and I highly recommend this book.

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.