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The Magnolia Palace, a 2022 historical fiction novel written by Fiona Davis, hit my reading queue this week. Davis, a new author to me, now has another fan. Set in 1919 and 1966, the novel revolves around the Frick collection at the NYC museum Helen Frick founded after her father passed away. In 1919, a young model runs away only to be mistaken as a new personal secretary candidate for Helen Frick. She surprisingly gets the job and finds herself in the middle of the Frick family's conflicts. The father is dying, the mother is distraught over a daughter's death, the brother has run away to Long Island with his wife, and Helen is left to manage everything. When Lilly, the runaway model, helps find Helen a suitor, she finds herself entangled in the mess and accused of theft, on multiple counts. In 1966, two people are stuck inside the Frick museum after it closes down and they have no way out, so they explore various pieces of art, stumbling upon a secret from 1919 involving Helen and her family. How does everyone today connect to the past?

Loved the location/setting, having been to the Frick in the past - it is marvelous. I lived 10 blocks away and loved seeing the building's internal and external beauty. The stories are moving, if a little too coincidental and perhaps difficult to swallow. I also wonder if some may think there is a lot of truth in the tales- one never knows! But mostly, it was just the kind of book that firmly places you in a magnificent point in time. And the mention of magnolia trees and the various artistic connections kept me thoroughly intrigued. Definitely will be reading more from the author.