Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨⬜
Title: The Magnolia Palace
Author: Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author Info: Female
Setting: New York City (1919 & 1966)
Month Read: January 2022
Book Type: Hardcover
Publication: January 2022
Pages:368
*Book of the Month January Pick
TRIGGER WARNING-
Murder / Death / Death of Child / Verbal Abuse / Light Physical Abuse /
"The rich think they're are protected, that they have magical powers, when in fact they're only mortals, like the rest of us."
No Spoiler Summary:
The Magnolia Palace is a dual-timeline historical fiction novel told by the point of view of two separate women who find themselves in The Frick Mansion, and follow the shared mysteries the house holds. Lillian, or Angelica, a former model finds herself in the Frick mansion by accident, and Veronica, so many years later, finds herself there for a Vogue photoshoot.
The Mansion holds many secrets, and both Lillian and Veronica work in their own ways to discover what was thought to be long-lost. Twists and turns around the mansion, and it's glorious art collection, pepper the novel with facts and characters alike. It's a quicker read, and an actual place you can visit, which I think really made the novel stand out.
Review:
I'm really glad that I got this book in my January Book of the Month box, because I was fascinated to hear that many of the places, people, and artwork discussed are real and actually at the Frick Collective in Manhattan. Having spent 2 years in New York, I knew a lot of the statues discussed, as well as many of the places that the characters went while in the novel- and that was really exciting for me. I also LOVE reading about art, and this book does so beautifully.
However, I was way more into Lillian than I was Veronica. I think Lillian's storyline was definitely the dominant one, and was far more interesting. If the Veronica storyline had been cut entirely, I don't think I would have missed much- but I understand needing it to be there for the reveal towards the end. I wish we could have either stayed in 1919, or travelled through time with the characters from that time period. I would have realllllllly looooved getting a first person narration from Helen, and I think that could have been a great way to move them into the future, but alas, we get Veronica. I wanted to like the 1966 storyline so much more than I did, because I do think that time period is amazing, but I just feel like the characters (especially Joshua) needed more fleshing out, and I think the stakes needed to be more than what they were. Also, the bow ending didn't really do it for me, but I do understand some people really love that.
Ultimately, solid 3.5 for me, and I am glad I read it for everything I learned. I definitely want to read more about the actual model Lillian was based off of, because that little tidbit we got sounded really, really interested. If you're on the fence about reading The Magnolia Place, I would definitely get it- if you love history, art, or New York this could definitely be the book for you.
Recommendation:
Dual Timelines:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Books Set in NYC:
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
NYC Based Historical Fiction:
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs
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