The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post: A Novel by Allison Pataki.

 

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post: A Novel by Allison Pataki. Ballantine Books (a division of Penguin Random House), 2022. Historical fiction; Biographical fiction.

Most of us in the current age do not know much about Marjorie Post or her father, C.W. Post, who invented Grape Nuts cereal and changed the way Americans eat breakfast. She grew up poor in Battle Creek, Michigan, but came to be one of the richest women ever. This fictional tale follows her childhood, her four marriages, her children (including Dina Merrill, Hollywood actress), and her fame as a hostess in Washington, D.C. Marjorie made history because she was not willing to be merely a wife and mother but involved in the General Foods business as well as giving to many charities and noble causes. Pataki does a good job of telling her story in a straightforward and seemingly well researched manner and it will appeal to those who like to learn more of interesting women of the past.