Review: The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

THE MASTERPIECE by Fiona Davis
Release date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 368
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: First to Read
Links: Author • Goodreads • Amazon 

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars 

For the nearly nine million people who live in New York City, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.
For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future, which she is certain will shine as the brightly as the constellations on the main concourse ceiling. It is 1928, and twenty-five-year-old Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. A talented illustrator, she has dreams of creating cover art for Vogue, but not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist." Brash, fiery, confident, and single-minded--even while juggling the affections of two men, a wealthy would-be poet and a brilliant experimental painter--Clara is determined to achieve every creative success. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression, an insatiable monster with the power to destroy the entire art scene. And even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.
Nearly fifty years later, in 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Full of grime and danger, from the smoke-blackened ceiling to the pickpockets and drug dealers who roam the floor, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor hidden under the dust, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece--an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Review: 

This is my first Fiona Davis book and it was certainly an interesting read. I love New York City, so was extremely eager to read about Grand Central in a historical context. THE MASTERPIECE alternates between the 1920s and the 1970s following two characters: Clara Darden and Virginia Clay. These two woman are unique and each are working to prove themselves as independent and capable in very different time periods. Clara Darden is an artist teaching at the Grand Central School of Art and Virginia Clay is a divorced woman who finds a job at the train station information booth. At first it seems that the only thing tying these two woman together is their time spent in Grand Central, but that quickly proves to not be the case.

Clara dreams of becoming a famous illustrator, recognized for her talents and able to make a career out of it. Virginia simply wants to keep her and her daughter afloat. I appreciated the depiction of these strong woman who had to work around sexism and other challenges every day. Clara's coworkers at the art school were well developed characters and I appreciated the subtle hints of romance that took time to develop. It was interesting to see the different kinds of art being done at the art school and how there was some prejudice against illustrators at the time. I did like Virginia's character a bit more. She was very likable and the fact that she was dealing with scars both physical and mental made me want to root for her success even more.

The stories begin to come together when Virginia finds an old painting in Grand Central and starts to research more of Clara Darden's history. Several characters from the two time periods weave between both stories and it was a bit sad to see the state of the art school (and the station) in the 70s. Grand Central Terminal was a beautiful place of architectural wonder and it featured the art school, grand parties, and well dressed travelers. By the 70s it was falling apart and considered dangerous because of the muggers and drug dealers that frequented the dark corners of the station. There were numerous subplots to keep track of from the individual woman's experiences to the deterioration of the terminal to missing art to Virginia's daughter. This was one of my biggest issues with the book. Some of the plot points seemed rushed or unnecessary and the author tried to fit too much into the book.

THE MASTERPIECE, to me, was at its best when focusing on the characters. Fiona Davis did a great job of creating very fleshed out and unique individuals. Characters who only made a small appearance were memorable. The ending just felt a bit rushed and because so much was happening in two different time periods the book often felt rushed and a tad unbelievable. Still, I liked the characters and seeing Grand Central through the years. I'm glad the beautiful building still stands. Fiona Davis always receives a lot of praise so I will be checking out some of her other titles for sure.