Magnolia Palace, The: A Novel

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Or to be sitting in a car as it careens down the Saw Mill River Parkway, knowing that sometimes it's okay to be the passenger, instead of the driver. Wasn’t observing Veronica’s outside’ she was trying to understand her inside. It wasn’t about being looked at’ it was about being seen.’” As the story unfolds, Richard and Lillian’s relationship takes a sharp turn as Richard withdraws from his courtship with Helen and asks Lillian to move to Boston with him. Lillian is torn between her feelings for Richard and her dream of becoming an actress in Hollywood. She fears that if she reveals her past as Angelica to Richard, he may reject her. The Magnolia Palace is a remarkable endeavor by the talented Fiona Davis. Davis walks us across an unexpected bridge of thought that spans from 1919 after the Great War and its impact on society to the Mod Years of the 1960's and beyond. It serves as a split screen depicting those who held on covetously to the past and those who blindly chased the future. I was so caught up in this Old Hollywood feel, never before thinking about sculptures revealing their own legacy of people and their past. This capture by the author is so rich in history offering a magnetic draw to the past without disrupting their true events. The research will leave you hunting for more information on this vile bunch. An absolute amazing caper through their world!

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #TheMagnoliaPalace #NetGalley As Veronica tries to find a way out, a snowstorm suddenly hits the city, leaving her trapped inside with no power. With no means of communication, and nobody aware of her presence, Veronica is left to fend for herself in the eerie, desolate mansion. This Magnolia Palace is loosely based off of actual events. I really enjoyed the beginning of the story, but it started to drag in the middle. I almost didn't finish the book, but in the end the two stories merged together and it turned out fine. Overall, I found the story fascinating and am eager for another story by Fiona Davis. I think anyone with an interest in the architectural landmarks of NYC will enjoy this book.Yes, that's better." But his face didn't register approval. She knew why. Her hips and legs no longer resembled the earlier statues he'd seen of her. The clean lines once heralded as the classical idea of perfection were now more padded, to put it gently. Since Kitty's death, she'd felt a consistent, gnawing hunger in her gut that would only be satiated with butterscotch candies and lemon meringue pie. Her skirts had hidden the ripples of fat at that first meeting. "Maybe let the cloth down, all the way over the legs." Mr. Rossi studied it, confused. "I suppose. When I first set up here, I found a number of castoffs in the basement. Lukeman's studio is two floors up, so I wouldn't be surprised." Fiona Davis is truly a master at her craft. She continues to amaze me with each and every book that she publishes. I learn so much from her novels, and I find myself just completely enraptured in them. Truly, when I start a Fiona Davis book, there’s this itch inside me, that’s begging to get to the end, because you have to learn what the connection is with her two timelines. Her writing, such beautifully crafted, just draws you into the story and you don’t want to set the book aside. Iconic buildings are larger-than-life characters in Fiona Davis’s novels, and The Magnolia Palace is no exception.”

Many thanks to Dutton / Penguin Group, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this engaging book prior to its January 25, 2022 publication date. The magic of Fiona Davis is the tenderness with which she crafts her settings, so that they bloom into characters themselves. We come to know them. We come to love them. And they help us to understand our place in time. The Magnolia Palace is a love letter to art and history. An intriguing, beautiful read." - Sarah Addison Allen Oh, now, I've been working steadily for years, and trust me, you can always ask for more time. Artists are often accommodated by their patrons that way." After years of estrangement, Helen and Lillian finally reconcile and let go of the past. Inspired by the Magnolia Diamond’s legacy, Helen uses the gem to fund a scholarship program. Joshua, who had been struggling to finance his graduate studies, becomes the scholarship’s inaugural beneficiary. Meanwhile, Veronica, now employed as Helen’s new private secretary, brings her family, including her beloved sister Polly, to live in America. Together, they embark on a new chapter of their lives, filled with hope and promise for the future. I savor every glorious new Fiona Davis novel and The Magnolia Palace has it all—two intriguing heroines, two fabulous time periods to get swept up in, and a delicious mystery that keeps you on tenterhooks. I loved every minute of it!" - Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls and Sunflower SistersI dove into researching the disease just as I do for my books and learned a lot. Turns out it's caused by nerve damage in the brain that lowers dopamine levels and over time, the four major symptoms -- tremor, stiffness, slow movement and balance problems -- only get worse. However, I also discovered that everyone's journey on the Parkinson's roller coaster is different. That tremors can be controlled with medication and that high-intensity exercise appears to slow the progression. I spoke several women who'd been diagnosed at my age and ten years later were still going strong.

When have you seen a woman’s agency, her belief in herself and awareness of her rights and power, lifted up and when have you seen it squashed? How can we ensure women around the world are allowed to have agency, to ensure their voices are heard, they are at the table, they are included? When have you helped to amplify the voice of a woman and ensure her story is heard, her rights are upheld? Your True Self Fascinating . . . Allows Davis also to explore the struggles of young women to be taken seriously while adding an unvarnished look at the wealthy. . . . Davis smoothly layers fact onto fiction. . . . Excellent.” My tangled nerves in the passenger seat hadn't dissipated with the end of the marriage. While I'm perfectly fine behind the wheel of a car, as a passenger, I had become that annoying person no one wants to drive with: hitting the imaginary brake with my right foot, clutching the arm rest as if it were a lifeline. As we drove down the parkway, cars wildly merged in from the right while others flew up fast from behind. Greg -- who I trust completely, love dearly and has way better reflexes than mine -- stayed perfectly calm as I gasped, gripped and stamped. I tried to stifle my impulses but that only made it worse. Many historical fiction authors are skilled at finding and researching hidden stories and bringing them to the fore. Take My Hand and Horse are two recent historical novels that I enjoyed immensely as I read about individuals whose stories hadn’t been lifted up, whose names were not commonly known.Lillian gets drawn into the of the family and absorbed into their drama of secrets, jealousies, and betrayals she never imagined. Would she have to be on the run again? Control means a lot to me. My family moved around a lot when I was young, and not knowing what was going to happen the next day or the next month turned me into an anxious kid. I laid out my school outfits the night before and was a straight-A student who never missed an assignment. As an adult, I created a life that suited my nature perfectly. I became an author, setting my own hours and writing novels in my home office. I held a delicious control over every character: I decided if they were happy or sad, whether they lived or died. Glorious.

I loved trying to capture how New York has changed over time and how women’s voices and agency have changed over time, and how they haven’t.”

Mr. Rossi dropped the tool on the table beside him with a loud clatter. "Very well." He lit a cigarette but didn't move from the spot, as if ready to begin again right away.