The Masterpiece

Fiona Davis’ new novel “The Masterpiece” is as brilliant as a shining star, a magnificent historical tale that takes the reader back in time to both the 1920s and the 1970s. Fiona’s talent wondrously builds the lives of two courageous strong women by weaving the past into the present, alternating back and forth in such a seamless manner that you believe you are in one world, not two. Near the end of the Roaring Twenties, young Clara Darden runs from family disgrace back in Arizona and lands underneath the bright city lights of New York City. Back home she taught art in a local school but found her life empty and without purpose. Hoping to turn her life around, she lands a job working as a teacher of illustration in the train terminal’s Grand Central School of Art. Meeting many interesting people, fellow teachers and talented young students, she begins to outshine them and everyone involved has a thing or two to learn. Surrounded by Bohemian artists and men to fall in love with, Clara’s life soon rockets to success as she becomes a famous magazine illustrator. But all does not end well for Clara. Broken hearts, scandals, and the coming economic depression, twist her life into a tailspin of doubt leaving her future dim and uncertain. Fast forward to 1974 and we meet Virginia Clay. Coming hard off the heels of a bitter divorce, and a tragic secret she guards with her life, she is a single mom trying to keep a roof over her head by accepting a job in Grand Central Station’s information booth. Prowling the station’s empty hallways and dusty abandoned rooms on her time off, she one day finds a beautiful watercolor illustration behind a cabinet in the old art school and decides to keep it. Settling into her new life, Virginia and her daughter Ruby find great interest in the history of the train station and both begin to photograph and research the fascinating history and sad future of its architectural glory. Just as things are looking up for Virginia, threatening notes arrive in her mailbox demanding she return the painting adding danger and intrigue to her world. Fiona magically brings Grand Central Station to life for fans of historical fiction. She blends each woman’s lives masterfully as both stories soon captivate the reader with art history, romance, intrigue, scandal, and drama. This author does all with finesse. The characters in both eras are lifelike and I felt both eras of New York were told in an evocative and atmospheric way. From the shining brass and art décor of the times to the flapper style high fashion of the day, as I read this literary jewel I felt I was standing in Grand Central station on the sidelines watching the story unfold and could clearly hear the whistle of the trains pulling in. As brass ages with a coating of patina, and as mirrors fog over in time, both can slowly glimmer and shine again with a little effort and hard work to rub off the grime revealing beauty beneath. This is what Fiona does with The Masterpiece. She creates the lives of two ladies that at first glimpse are a bit worn and faded. But with time, determination, tears, and creative talents, Virginia and Clara beam with radiance! Five stars once again for another bestseller for Fiona. Standing ovation please!

Fiona Davis fans, you don’t need me to give you reasons to read her latest novel THE MASTERPIECE but for the rest of you soon-to-become fans, here are a few: It’s yet another historical fiction masterpiece. Pun intended. If you have a fondness for Grand Central Terminal (yes, terminal, not station), you will want to read this book right away. If you live in or adore Manhattan, read, read, read. If you love a good, intriguing story that will capture your heart, will surprise you, has do-gooders and evil nay-sayers, it’s a must. If you admire Jackie O, of course, it’s your book. (If you know her history, this is a slight spoiler alert) If you are an artist, have a thing for striving artists, love art, get to it. Who knew that a building, a hub of the city and crown jewel of architecture, will utterly absorb you. Yet it does as it comes alive on the page. As do Davis’ characters. Her talent lies in melding the past together with present day and she will surprise you with this one. Oh, just wait. It is perfectly, beautifully told and while you won’t be able to wait until you get to the end, you don’t want it to be over. When we think of quintessential masterpieces, such as Sargent’s elegant yet once scandalous Madame X or Picasso’s symbolic Guernica, now think of bold storyteller Davis’ THE MASTERPIECE.

This novel employs the increasingly common technique of switching between eras, and using the plot to bring them together. Knowing the location, Grand Central Terminal, reasonably well, gives the story interest. The writing style is straightforward, the characters reasonably developed. A good, but not great, read.

This book was a disappointment compared to Fiona Davis\’s other books. I kept waiting for something to happen but instead it just dragged on and on. I really had to talk myself into finishing this book. I really enjoyed \”The Dollhouse and The Address\”; but this book did not measure up. I\’ll be looking forward to her next book!

I greatly enjoyed this book from beginning to its very satisfying end. It\’s a good story that reflects well the two time settings — the late 1920s and the mid-1970s and gives insight into both. Also liked how the two women protagonists adapted to their changing situations, got stuck, changed again and adapted again. The historical info about Grand Central Terminal was new to me and fascinating, prompting me to dig deeper into other source material. As a side note, the Detroit Railroad Depot, famous in recent years as \”ruin porn\”, was designed by the same architectural company during the same time period as Grand Central and also was a splendid building. Ford Motor Co. recently purchased it and plans to rehabilitate it.

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