I really wanted to like The Magnolia Palace. When it comes to the equation of book writing, this book had it all. It has mystery, historical facts/place/people and written well. Yet, something didn’t click for me.
The story has two dueling timelines. The 1966 timeline didn’t really add to the story for me. It took up pages as I waited to read more about the 1919 timeline. If the author left out the 1966 timeline, I think it could have really added to the story and allowed the author to develop the characters in the past more.
None of the characters spoke to me. Maybe they weren’t developed enough or maybe it was a personal preference, but I had a hard time connecting with them. On top of it, the whole story felt clunky. All the plot points felt forced. Therefore, I was never able to really get into the story due to the bumpy road I was on.
Overall, this book should have blown me away and it didn’t. It had everything that I love in books, so it makes me sad that I was relieved when it was over.
cmacs paperbacks 
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