The Magnolia Palace: A Novel

Fiona Davis

Jan 2022 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions.

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.

Ratings and reviews

A tale of murder, mystery, and love set in the historic Frick mansion. this beautiful book is told in alternating timelines and features two predominant women, Lilly and Veronica. Lilly is an artist's model and one of the most if not the most famous sculpture muse of her time. Veronica is trying to become a famous model herself fifty years later. Both are doing it in order to save and protect others, and both have far more in common than they'd like to admit. This is an extraordinary tale that wraps you tight into the story and leaves you wanting more! The details of the actual Frick mansion are exquisite, and the small added fictional things fit perfectly into the story and make it far more interesting. Details of the time periods are perfect and not overdone. The story is written seamlessly and easy to follow the alternating timelines . The Love story wrapped inside and perfectly done but not overly focused on. I loved the underlying theme of female empowerment in a time when such wasn't the norm. A woman was open to love yes, but it wasn't the end all be all of her existence. These women had goals and dreams that didn't include a husband or children and were just fine on their own if need be. This was an utterly lovely story and I was truly sad to see it end. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Davis, and Penguin Group Dutton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Surrounded by Art. Two stories about the Frick art collection nearly fifty years apart. Both stories involve models and romance. Mostly both stories involve the Frick mansion with its collection of art and the people that owned it. Lillian Carter known as the model Angelique posed for sculptures and had her likeness throughout the country on different sculpted works of art. When her mother dies from the Spanish Flu it leaves her alone at twenty one. Unfortunately her fame as a model died out while she was nursing her sick mother. When the landlord of the tenement house she is living in murders his wife and she is implicated in the murder she flees the city. She happens upon the Frick mansion as she is looking for a job and a place to stay. They think she is the new applicant for the secretarial job for Helen Frick and she lands the job. She thinks she will only stay for a little while then leave when she has a bit of money set aside. The longer she stays with the family, the further she becomes involved in the dysfunctional family. When Mr. Frick is murdered she is framed for the murder and for the theft of a diamond and must flee for her life with the help of the organist who has befriended her. Almost fifty years later a young model named Veronica with a very bad haircut lands a modeling shoot at the mansion. It turns into a disaster and she flees the room. She is left behind by accident and locked into the mansion which is now the Frick Art Museum. She finds she is not alone and an art student has also been locked into the mansion by accident as he was working at his desk in the basement. With a snowstorm and a blackout they are stuck there until the storm goes and the electricity returns. When the storm subsides they are found in the museum by the owner and eccentric owner Helen Frick who had waited the storm out in the Library next to the museum. This story works into the other story as Helen and the two young people track down the organist and the model to try and find out what actually happened the night Mr. Frick died once and for all. This was an interesting book and I think anyone interested in art or in historical fiction would find it very entertaining. I am not an art person but a good historical fiction book is what I enjoy. I did enjoy reading this book and I would recommend it. Thanks to Fiona Davis for writing a great story, to Penguin Group Dutton for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

4.25 stars-- THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis is a story of historical fiction following two alternating timelines (1919 and 1966) that focuses on models Lillian ‘Angelica’ Carter, and Veronica Weber. Told from dual third person perspective (Lillian and Veronica) THE MAGNOLIA PALACE adds color, and up close but fictional retrospective into the lives of the wealthy and controversial Frick Family of New York City. In 1919, model Lillian Carter is an artist’s muse known as Angelica; a sculptor’s model whose image has been used throughout New York, attached to buildings and museums, but a scandal is about to send our heroine on the run, and in the wake of her mother’s death from the Spanish Flu, has left Lillian penniless and alone. A case of hunger and mistaken identity finds Lillian Carter working as the private secretary for the wealthy Frick heiress Helen Frick, a thirty year old spinster whose own life is entwined with that of her embattled and ailing father. For three months Lillian will keep a low profile working for Helen Frick and the Frick family but her alternate identity is about to be exposed, and another scandal will force our heroine to run for the sins of someone else. Fast forward to 1966, wherein model Veronica Weber’s latest assignment has landed her in New York for a Vogue shoot at the famed Frick Collection, a museum that was once home to the Frick family heirs. Fired within minutes, Veronica finds herself wandering the museum, only to be trapped inside, along with intern archivist Joshua Lawrence, when a power failure locks down New York City in the wake of a storm. Walking the museum, Veronica finds what looks to be clues to a scavenger hunt from years before, a scavenger hunt that will reveal a truth that will ease some of the ghosts and troubles from the past. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE is a story of power and riches, the haves and the have-nots, secrets and lies, vengeance and family. Seamlessly blending fact with fiction, as per her style, Fiona Davis pulls the reader into an intriguing and fascinating story of murder and betrayal, family and friendships, love and acceptance, romance and art. Lillian ‘Angelica’ Carter’s character is loosely based upon the scandal-plagued, real-life, early 1900’s artist’s model Audrey Munson, whose image graces the pediment of the Frick Collection, as well as a number of famous statues found in New York. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE is a wonderful escape into a Gilded Age house, and the ghosts that continue to inhabit its’ world.

About the author

Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Dollhouse, The Address, The Masterpiece, The Chelsea Girls, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, and The Magnolia Palace. She lives in New York City and is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School.