Gilded Age Wonder: The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

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I've seen this book all over IG and I have enjoyed the books that I've read set in NYC during the Gilded Age, so I decided to give this one a go. In this story, we follow the life of Lillian Carter (based on the real life of Audrey Marie Munson--must read this one at a later time-The Curse of Beauty: The Scandalous & Tragic Life of Audrey Munson, America's First Supermodel) and the Frick family, also a real family. The Frick family have an obscene amount of wealth and several members of the family leave a lot to be desired in social skills. The main plot of the story centers around betrayal, murder, and the theft of a pink diamond. It was an intriguing plot and I loved following Lillian's relationship with the Fricks. The artwork and architecture were beautifully described in the novel, another highlight, felt like I was in NYC. I enjoyed all the nods to historical events including the Johnstown Flood (another interesting book on the topic-The Johnstown Flood). What I did not like as much was the dual time line but I have not been a big fan of this type of storytelling so I have my own biases. For those that do enjoy dual time lines, Veronica and Joshua help bring the past to the present by solving the mysteries of the past. They were a good vehicle for bringing the past to the present but I don't feel like I ever really got to know Veronica or Joshua very well. Overall, an enjoyable story that I do recommend. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
More on the book: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57099323-the-magnolia-palace

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