The Masterpiece Audiobook By Fiona Davis cover art

The Masterpiece

A Novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Masterpiece

By: Fiona Davis
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

In this latest captivating novel, New York Times best-selling author Fiona Davis takes listeners into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, 50 years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them.

For most New Yorkers, 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.

It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. Though not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist", fiery Clara is single-minded in her quest to achieve every creative success - even while juggling the affections of two very different men. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression...and that even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

By 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Dilapidated and dangerous, 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, 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.

©2018 Fiona Davis (P)2018 Penguin Audio
Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Fiction
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

“Fiona Davis in The Masterpiece continues a winning formula that showcases the stories behind New York City landmarks...a hard-to-resist and a timely reminder that for far too long the work done by women has been dismissed and disrespected.” (USA Today)

"Fiona Davis achieves a world in which fictional characters and real life seamlessly meld.... The Masterpiece is a beautifully crafted, meticulously researched story." (New York Journal of Books)

“Davis has written another paean to a New York City landmark. Historical fiction fans will love the compelling dual narrators and time periods perfectly captured in this novel based on the history of one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world.” (Library Journal, starred review)

Historical Detail • Compelling Storyline • Skilled Storytelling • Strong Female Protagonists • Dual Timeline Narrative
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I loved the dual narrative of two very interesting women struggling to find themselves in the era they occupied! Setting their struggle against the history of the ground central station was superb. I was drawn in immediately!

So worth the read!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Loved the story of artists their talent and their struggles in the early 20 th century. With the war and homeless people. Very humble to know the struggles that my parents in the 40s had when my dad went to war.

Art from the past to the present

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

this is not the sort of stories I listen to but I was impressed. woujderful.

excellent book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What a lovely story, I really enjoyed learning about it all. Great narration as well. I recommend!

Fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I took art lessons as a kid and have always enjoyed art in general, so I was excited to have Fiona take me to the Grand Central art school. I loved the story and the subject matter but I did not enjoy the narrator that much. Forgot she was the one that screwed up Where the Crawdads Sing for me. She cannot do accents and she cannot do different voices for different characters well. Loved the story, will skip the narrator next time I see her name.

Love Fiona Davis

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Fiona Davis handles back and forth in time periods and characters very well. The stories of each time and each woman stands alone and are worthy of their own stories. When they are intermingled and you see how the past influences the present and future, it reminds us that is true in real life as well.

Love it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoyed the characters and themes. The narrative was spot on, interesting and engaging. Great read!

Excellent story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Can't remember the last time I waxed nostalgic about Grand Central. Made me want to visit with fresh eyes.

Yes, please.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Ending not as strong as The Address., a bit too far fetched especially given the time span of the characters.

Ending a bit strange

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Back story is very interesting. I go through Grand Central Terminal so I was interested in the history. But the fiction rendition is just Ok.

The narrator is not my cup of tea. Too breathy and stilted.

Just Ok

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews