Author: Fiona Davis
Publisher: Dutton
Released: January 25, 2022
Received: Own (BOTM)

The Magnolia Palace was one of my three BOTM picks for January, and I am so glad I took a risked and nabbed it. I don’t read as much historical fiction as I should (sorry), and this choice was an effort to correct that. And boy, was The Magnolia Palace the right pick!

Lillian Carter’s life has been slowly crumbling for a while, but it took the death of her mother for it all to fall apart. On the run, desperate for cash and a cover story, it is hard to believe that she was the famous model that all the artists were clamoring for once upon a time.

Nearly fifty years after Lillian’s story hits its peak, Veronica Weber is about to find herself embroiled in the same story. She’s desperately seeking the life and career of a model, and it isn’t going so well. However, it did open a surprising door for her.

“The rich think they’re protected, that they have magical powers, when in fact they’re only mortals, like the rest of us. Bodies break down, betray you. People you love die. Children die.”

If you pick one historical fiction novel to grab this year, let it be The Magnolia Palace. This novel enchanted me, taking me away to two very different lives that somehow found a connection, despite all odds.

I’ll be honest with you – it took me a little while to get into The Magnolia Palace. At first, I was second-guessing my decision to read it, but once I hit the thirty percent mark (or so), I was hooked. This went from being a book I was nominally interested in to a book that I devoured. I do love it when that happens.

To be clear, The Magnolia Palace takes place at two different points in time, and the novel jumps back and forth between the two women and their stories. Lillian’s story comes first and is set in 1919. Veronica’s story follows fifty years later.

These two perspectives weave in and around, leaving readers wondering how they’re so connected. That connection builds a mystery, one that left me desperately turning pages to see how it all worked out. In other words, it made for a fun night of reading for me, and thus I cannot recommend this book enough.

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