The Lions of Fifth Avenue
Books | Fiction / Historical / General
3.7
(370)
Fiona Davis
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick and a New York Times bestseller! “A page-turner for booklovers everywhere! . . . A story of family ties, their lost dreams, and the redemption that comes from discovering truth.”—Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife In New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis's latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces. It's 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn't ask for more out of life—her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she is drawn to Greenwich Village's new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club—a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women's rights. Soon, Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. And when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she's forced to confront her shifting priorities head on . . . and may just lose everything in the process. Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she's wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie's running begin disappearing from the library's famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-averse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However, things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage—truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library's history.
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More Details:
Author
Fiona Davis
Pages
464
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published Date
2020-08-04
ISBN
0593285980 9780593285985
Community ReviewsSee all
"Interesting concept but poorly written and executed. I couldn’t even finish the book. I hated the main characters from the beginning. They were whiney and not fully developed. The strong feminist storyline was unbelievable for that time period (1920’s), while the 1990’s storyline was so weak. There was so much more the author could have done with the storyline. There was no transition between the two time periods Very clunky. Felt very much like a YA book. Ugh… can’t believe it got so many good reviews."
"DNF...there is really no reason why this isn’t working for me. I love the author, I love libraries, and I love historical NYC. Maybe it’s a timing issue and I just miss the city too much? Whatever it is, the story is just not holding my interest. I did have the good fortune to hear Fiona Davis speak about her research and writing process, and it made me love her even more! I’ll definitely continue to read her novels, and who knows, maybe I’ll pick this back up next time I visit New York."
A P
Allie Peduto
"Interesting plot"
E P
Elizabeth Potter
"Superb storyline that keeps you turning the page!"
B E
Brenda Eggers