Book Review of Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read. I like feeling like I’m learning something while also reading a story I really enjoy. It seems like most historical fiction is about war, and although there are some really good books in that vein, they are usually very heavy and intense to read. I love learning about art history, so when I come across art historical fiction, that’s almost always one I’ll pick up or at least add to my TBR. I put this one on hold right when I heard about it and was so excited to read it. Keep reading for my full review of Masterpiece by Fiona Davis.

Synopsis

Masterpiece is a fiction novel loosely based on two artists from New York City in the 1920s. The main character, Clara Darden, is a female artist teaching illustration at an art school in the Grand Central terminal in New York City in the 1920s. As a female artist in the 20s, she had to fight to prove herself as an artist and teacher. The other artist is a male teacher at the same school, whose art career has come much more easily due to the fact that he is a man.

The book switches back and forth between the story of these artists and the story of a recently divorced mom in the late 1970s. She’s lost everything financially after her divorce, so she has to find work with few job skills and little experience. She ends up getting a job at the information desk at Grand Central Terminal. While working there, she discovers the abandoned art school that the two art teachers taught at 50 years before. As these two very different stories progress, they start to overlap.

Thoughts

As a reader, I enjoy books that switch between different perspectives throughout. I know there has to be some way they are connected, and if it isn’t obvious, it’s fun to try to figure out the connection before it’s revealed. I didn’t guess exactly how these stories were connected, but I was pretty close. The big twist at the end was a little bit unrealistic, but it was creative and a good surprise nonetheless. I liked both of the artists a lot; I thought they as characters were interesting. Their stories were very well written, and I found that I was really rooting for both of them.