Please Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.
Review:
I have a deep love of historical fiction novels, as they place the reader in a time and place that is often unknown. Good historical fiction develops empathy for the characters and helps us understand the past. In the last few years, author Fiona Davis has put out several novels, all set in New York City, that explore the challenges women face at different points in history. The Magnolia Palace, her latest book, is a wonderful addition to Davis' list of achievements. There were several characters that I quickly became invested in, and historical details about New York that I didn't know about. For fans of historical fiction, this is a must-read!
What I Liked:
Historical Details:
This novel actually is set in two different historical periods, 1919, and 1966. Both time periods are richly drawn. In 1919, New York is a city of contrasts. Some neighborhoods are filled with tenements, with the threat of severe poverty just around the corner. Other areas are filled with mansions from The Gilded Age, with almost obscene excesses. The concerns of poor and rich couldn't be more different. I liked how the author showed how much the newspapers oft he day influenced the city. If you were targeted by the gossip pages, your life could be ruined.
In 1968, the Frick mansion has become the Frick Museum (an actual place in New York City), where the massive art collection of Henry Clay Frick is displayed. But even in this setting, we can see the struggles of the time playing out. A young black intern at the museum shows the reader about his challenges as he has to constantly prove he belongs there. And Veronica, a young woman on a modeling assignment, is dealing with the harassment, and sexism that is so rampant in that time. I was particularly struck be the details of what models had to bring on photoshoots. The model, not the company who hires her, must provide her own makeup, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories for the assignment. I can't imagine how expensive that must have been! Again, the extravagance of the fashion world is in sharp contrast to realities of regular people who want to aspire to something more.
Story:
In 1919, The Gilded Age is over, and what is left in New York are mansions that are too big, and rich people living in the past. For Henry Clay Frick, it means a reckoning at the end of his life. What will his legacy be? Does he want to be known as a union-busting villain, or as a dignified patron of the arts? Obviously, he wants to be know for his massive art collection.
For Lillian Carter, a twenty-year old sculptor's model who just lost her mother to the Spanish Flu, all she's thinking about is survival. After she is implicated in a sordid murder, the newspapers of the time have a field day portraying her as little more than a prostitute. She inadvertently stumbles into the Frick household, and is hired to be the personal secretary of Helen Frick. No one in the house knows who she really is, so she feels this is a good place to hide in plain sight. As she settles into her new job, she finds that she is very good at organizing, planning, and carrying out projects. She can earn a living using her mind, and not just her beauty. However, Lillian seems to attract scandal wherever she goes.
1968 is a time of change throughout the world, but especially in New York. Veronica is a young model from England who is doing a photoshoot at the Frick Museum (formerly the Frick mansion). The job is for Vogue magazine, so this is her big opportunity. But, as she is verbally abused by an egotistical photographer, she starts to think that maybe being a model is not all it's cracked up to be. But what can she do? She doesn't have an education, and her family is counting on her to make good money.
She meets a young Black man who is an intern at the museum, and sees the kind of challenges he has to face daily. He has to constantly prove that he belongs there and isn't a threat. It's exhausting. But she also sees how hard he is working towards he goals and becomes inspired. There is a mystery that ties the two timelines together. It really made the stories compelling.
Characters:
I loved Lillian. She is someone who has had to survive using her wits, and her beauty. Although she is quite intelligent, Lillian is still a very young person who isn't sophisticated enough to see she's in a dangerous social situation that could harm her. Even in challenging situations, Lillian knows her worth and doesn't succumb to self-doubt.
Helen Frick is the single thirty-something daughter of Henry Frick. She is a really complicated person. On the one hand I hated that she was so abusing to her staff, berating them and treating them worse than her pets. On the other hand, she was also mentally messed up! Henry liked to pit family members against each other, so there was constant bickering between Helen and her brother. She also had to compete with her sister, who died at six years old. Her parents idealized Martha (the dead sister) and Helen never felt she could make up for her parents' loss. What a terrible thing to never feel the love of your parents.
Veronica, the young model in 1968, was much like Lillian. Both were models and needed to find their own path in the world. Both faced an ethical dilemma. For Veronica, she was seriously thinking about stealing something valuable from the museum . Lillian, flattered by the attentions of Helen's suitor, was offered a large sum of money from her employer to help Helen find a man and get married. Will they do the right thing, or will money influence their moral choices?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Author: Fiona Davis
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Historical Fiction.
Page Length: 368 pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: If you love historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. I certainly did!
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