3.5
Look, I really don't think it's the book's fault, but I have to be honest and tell you that this just didn't capture me. And, like, that happens, but the problem is that it should have: There is a predictable but pretty mystery, there are empowered women at the turn of the 20th century, and the freaking New York Public Library is practically a character. Yet. I got no zing.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue
Thank you, Dutton Books, for the gifted copy of this book! {partner}

Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: NYC, 1913 & 1993
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 8.4.2020
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Leave it to a librarian to point out the alliteration in my life's tragedies."

The Lions of Fifth Avenue might be my new favorite Fiona Davis story - it grabbed my attention from the first chapter; I was fully invested in the lives of not one but all of the characters within the pages. It was fascinating to read along as everything about the history (and future) was revealed.

Both Sadie and Laura were the female protagonists that I desperately needed to read about. They were both willing to stand up for themselves and do what needed to be done for the library's good.

Speaking of the library, Fiona Davis painted such vivid descriptions throughout The Lions of Fifth Avenue that I was transported right into the New York Public Library walls. By the end of the book, I was itching to visit!

✌🏼Alternating POV
🗽 New York Public Library
🕰️ Dual Timelines
💪🏼 Strong Female Protagonists

❌- suicide

I recommend reading The Lions of Fifth Avenue if you're looking for a bit of adventure with your historical fiction and love a good library setting!

3.5 stars
Who doesn't love a book set in a library?

This consists of two storylines, one in 1993 and one in 1913, and I definitely felt like the 1913 story was more interesting; this is definitely an historical fiction title that could happily have just consisted of the earlier time frame. But the use of missing rare books from the Library is a good way to connect the two.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is another dual timeline book featuring a stalwart of NYC architecture, the New York Public Library. The first timeline begins in 1913, with a young family moving into the Superintendent's apartment in the 5th Avenue and 42 street Main Branch, with the stone lions out front! The story begins with Laura Lyons, wife of superintendent Jack Lyons, waiting to hear if she has been accepted to Columbia University's Journalism program. Although Laura enjoys being a wife and mother, like many women in the early 1900's, she is beginning to want more from life - including more autonomy in her own life's choices. When Laura is accepted into the program and is reunited with a fellow Vassar alumni, her life is forever changed. She begins attending meetings of the "Heterodoxy Club" (a real club!)- a radical all-female group where women are encouraged to share opinions about birth control, suffrage, and women's rights. Her problems begin when rare books from the library go missing, including an extremely rare edition of poetry by Edgar Allen Poe called "The Tamerlane" and her husband falls under suspicion. Laura is so swept up in her own life and Jack is consumed with writing a novel and children Pearl and Harry go unnoticed until a near tragedy occurs jolting the family.
Fast forward to New York, 1993 where we meet Sadie Donovan - the granddaughter of the disgraced Superintendent, who is now a curator of an exclusive exhibit at the New York Public Library Berg Collection. Sadie knows that Laura Lyons was a famous essayist about women's rights, but has learned very little about Laura from Pearl. Pearl refuses to speak about those times, and Laura chose to have all her letters and writings destroyed upon her death. When Pearl dies, and suddenly famous books begin to disappear again, this time from the collection that Sadie is in using for her upcoming exhibit, the scandal of the Lyons family comes back to light. With the help of a detective, Sadie tries to figure out both mysteries, and clear her family's name - and keep her joy!
Oddly enough, I enjoyed the modern story more than the historical one, despite being fascinated by a family living in the library (this is true - superintendents did live in the NYC libraries!). I felt the storyline was a little preposterous, although it was entertaining.

I loved this read set in the New York Public Library, with the storyline alternating between two timelines. A little bit of mystery, love, family, women’s rights, and of course history, along with the bookish setting make this a cool read. The characters and the setting get equal billing, and I love that I learned a lot about the history of the NYPL itself.
Davis has found her way onto my list of favorite authors now!!!

thanks to netgalley for the digital review copy of the book. these are my honest opinions.

I decided to read this book because I love to read about libraries and librarians and books. I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that is charming, educational, and filled with history and suspense. Sadie Donovan works in a section of the NY Public Library that houses a collection of historical books and artifacts. She also happens to be the granddaughter of a well-known writer of feminist essays, Laura Lyons. When rare books (like the last diary of Virginia Woolf !!) start disappearing, Sadie tries to figure out who is stealing the items and how it could possibly be related to her grandmother.

Told in alternating chapters -- present day (Sadie) and 1913 (Laura), we learn about the thefts, but also about the change mores of the early 20th century and also some of the peculiarities of rare books. This is part story of a family with secrets (both present day and in the past), part suspense/mystery, and part romance. Something for everyone. I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it was the library connection, but I think it was because of the strong characters and well conceived plot. Although I figured out the "thief" long before the big reveal, it was still intriguing watching everyone else make the discovery. A very pleasant read.

Another homerun by Fiona Davis! I loved everything about this book. Of course, the setting at the New York Public Library was incredible and I really enjoyed learning about the history of this magnificent and important building. Davis is deft at interweaving storylines and she did it again with the stories of Laura and Sadie. I've not yet been disappointed by any of Davis' books and her fans will love this one!

Fiona Davis always writes such thoughtful, well-researched books, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue is no exception. I loved the story line and how she always bring such emotion to her characters and their stories. She makes you feel like you are actually in the story, which makes the book that much more enjoyable. I absolutely loved this book!

Like in other works by Fiona Davis, this book is set in two different time periods and follow two different MCs. In 1913, we follow Laura Lyons and her family. Her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library and they are living in an apartment in the beautiful library. Laura is happy but wants more, applying to journalism school. While working on her studies, she discovers the Heterodoxy Club, an all-female group of radical women discussing suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. This opens up a new world for Laura and she finds herself confronting her priorities.

In 1993, we are following Sadie Donovan, the granddaughter of Laura Lyons, working as a curator for the New York Public Library. The job was always her dream job but soon a selection of rare manuscripts comes up missing from the Berg Collection and Sadie is finding her job at risk. Sadie teams up with a private security expert to find out what is happening in hopes of saving both her career as well as the exhibit. Doing this, though, brings out some truth from her family that she did not know about.

Fiona Davis excels at making two beautiful stories that work amazingly separately but really shine when brought together. I found myself more drawn to Laura’s story, though Laura’s story added so much to Sadie’s. This book keeps you engaged page by page. You’ll devour the words as you travel to the past, a movie developing in your mind. I highly recommend this one!

When I read the synopsis for The Lions of Fifth Avenue, I knew I wanted to read it. I'm always excited to read books that features the two lions. I work for the "two lions", although not at this location.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis is yet another of her historical mysteries with parallel timelines. I generally find she does a wonderful job bringing the past to life for me, and while this wasn't my favorite of her books it was certainly a good read!

The writing was good, but I don't enjoy dual POV historical fiction when one is historical and the other is more modern. The setting of the library was interesting, but this book just wasn't for me.

Interesting story with the time changing element. Several grammatical errors, Hopefully, proofreaders will catch before final publication.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

RATING: 4.5 STARS
2020; Dutton/Penguin Group

How fitting that my first novel by Fiona Davis is the one about a library! I was enthralled with this book, despite it being a dual-timeline novel. I really liked that the more contemporary timeline was in the 1990s, and that the two stories flowed well together. Sadie and Laura are strong characters that have flaws which make them more realistic and relatable. It was cool to see NY in 1910s (1913 more specifically) and how the libraries ran. I hope you give this one a try as it will be worth the read!

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Hello, new favorite author!! This book was so well written- I was absolutely immersed. I loved that the NY library is at the very center of the story- which brought me to a better time when the entire city wasn't infected :( e

This was a fun literary mystery with alternating POVs and strong female MC. I love that both the granddaughter and grandmother bucked expectations and made their viewpoint heard. This is a must read for all book lovers!

I have really enjoyed books by Fiona Davis. However, this book just did not satisfy my love of historical fiction. I like dual timeline books, but this book felt so scattered to me. I could not connect with the main characters. The backdrop of the library was appealing and the historical facts were interesting. Essentially, there were too many aspects to this book that had a negative impact with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Bokos for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

his book is set in two time periods. In 1913 Laura Lyons is a wife and mother whose husband is a superintendent of the New York Public Library. The whole family live in an apartment inside the library. Laura is a modern woman who wants to become a journalist. She attends graduate school and through the course of her work meets some women who will open her eyes to the changing world. Eighty years later in 1993, Sadie Donovan works at the New York Public Library as a librarian. She gets a promotion and becomes curator of the Berg Collection. Some of the collections have been disappearing from the library which puts Sadie's job in jeopardy. At the same time we also learn that this theft of books was happening in 1913. There seems to be a connection to the thefts and the readers learn the connection towards the end of the book. The book is a quick and enjoyable read.

Fiona Davis writes some of the only historical fiction that I read, it’s definitely not my go to genre but she’s just that good. The library was fascinating for a book lover and her dual timelines were fantastic as always

Fiona Davis is one of my recent favourite historical authors. So to give her four stars is a bit surprising; but The Lion of Fifth Avenue was just not near as compelling as some of her previous novels. You'd think the setting, of the New York Public Library, would be more than enough to make this perfect; but the reality is quite different. Here we have a historical mystery (as Davis tends to write) where the mystery felt unsolvable as it was so tenuous a connection.

The Mystery
Stole artifacts, including paintings, books, manuscripts, sculptures, etc. are always super intriguing. For one, you have to find a buyer in order to get cash value out of them; and two, you need to know exactly what to take. Not just any old Shakespeare book is going to do. It needs to be a special one, for example: a first edition, hardcover, only 10 in the world left, etc. Knowledge plays a key part in stealing these items. And so I was disappointed to learn who our thief was (both in the present and past), their motivation of the theft was very dull, and the way it was stolen only had a hint of interest for me. Perhaps if there had been more details about each book/piece that was stolen, or even an estimated worth (although arguably priceless artifacts) I would have felt more drawn into the intrigue. All the who, what, where, when, why and how questions of this mystery are wrapped up in the last 25 pages and just stated. The whole core plot lacked a romance that I know Fiona Davis is capable of.

Characters
Our leading ladies; one in the past and one in 1993 were equally interesting however. Both had excellent love interests (including one that is lesbian!!) that kept me on the hook wondering how they might resolve the conflicts in their way of each relationship. As per usual these ladies had strong voices and Davis gives each their own way of telling their part of the tale. So that you can't mistake one for the other (even if you miss the chapter heading telling you when you are). I felt both ladies have good introspective moments and each is a much better person as they grow in life and love. It's refreshing to see two women, albeit in two very different times, combat prejudices of being a woman, and be faced with situations similar to ones I've been in professionally in the past.

Women's Rights
I really wanted to know more about what Laura Lyons (our past lady) wrote about women's rights that was so compelling. I know this is a made up character and Davis doesn't want to rewrite history; but some more examples of the types of writing she did near the end of her life would have whet my appetite. Our 1993 lady could have certainly been a little more staunch in her stance as a women. She seems to just fall into a number of the scenarios and promotions; as opposed to really fighting for, and earning, them. There should have been more of a connection here between our two ladies.

Overall
The weak mystery outcome and a lack of real connection between our two ladies (past and present) really brought The Lion of Fifth Avenue below the usual standard that Fiona Davis has set for herself. I would still recommend this book but I just can't give it the five stars I did The Address or The Chelsea Girls warranted. Much like Davis' novel, The Masterpiece, The Lions of Fifth Avenue is just missing the special spark that the other novels have. I hope she is able to bring it back in her upcoming novels! Either way I will still continue to read her stories and have them on my print bookshelf (my highest honour) as I do love to read Davis' style, tone and narrative overall.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.