While I am pretty much always reading historical fiction at any point in the year, I really dig into it in the winter. I was immediately excited to see that one of my favourite historical fiction authors has a new winter release- there is nothing like curling up on cold day with an engrossing novel. This week’s Book Bite is looking at one of my favourite new novels, Fiona Davis’ The Magnolia Palace!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Magnolia Palace, Fiona Davis
Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.
Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.
Why You Should Read This…
I have to say, I normally love Fiona Davis’ books but The Magnolia Palace was incredible. She weaves together two timelines seamlessly. THere are two distinct stories happening, but they stand alone, as well. Lillian and Veronica are very different protagonists that balanced each other well. They embody two distinct periods in time, but show that some things remained the same for women despite all of the advancements (theoretically) made.
I also adored the mystery aspect of The Magnolia Palace. Both Lillian and Veronica’s stories were fascinating, but it was the mystery of the Magnolia jewel that really grabbed me. And as always, the real life setting of the Frick House in New York- Davis is meticulous with her research, and it really comes through in novels like this. (And now I’ve added yet another place on my “must-see” list!)
Is The Magnolia Palace on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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