I'm a sucker for books about libraries and this intimate look inside the New York Public Library and the fictionalized stories of the family who once lived behind the bookshelves is fantastic.

In 1913, Laura Lyons and her family move into the library when her husband takes the role as the library's superintendent. We go alongside Laura as she works to be a good wife, mother and excel as one of the first females at Columbia Journalism School. Her white-bread life gets turned upside down when she runs into an old schoolmate and scores an invitation to the Heterodoxy Club-- a group of forward-thinking women who challenge the norm and debate issues like women's suffrage and birth control. When books start going missing from the library, the Lyons family comes under suspicion and as authorities close in, the Lyons family is set to lose everything

In 1993, Sadie Donovan has found her place as a curator at the New York Public Library. Her grandmother, Laura Lyons' legacy initially drew her to the job, but quirky Sadie in her vintage outfits has found her place among the books and priceless objects. When she's promoted to head a new collection, things seem to have fallen into place... but when priceless pieces of history begin going missing Sadie's job and reputation are on the line and she thinks her family's past might play a role.

Buckle in as Sadie digs into the elusive Laura Lyons' history and crack the mystery of the missing books.

A very engaging historical about the New York Public library that unfolds a mystery of missing rare books that spans 80 years and involves two generations of one family.

In 1913 Laura Lyons is a wife and mother living in a fabled apartment within the NY Public Library, where her husband is the superintendent. Laura is an aspiring journalist who manages to secure a scholarship to Columbia Journalism school, where she is one of just a handful of female students. Through her class assignments she connects with an early feminist group downtown where she gradually expands her ambitions. She does eventually work her way up to becoming a respected essayist years later, but not before several rare books go missing from the library’s collection and the crime is never solved in her lifetime. Forward to 1993 where Laura’s granddaughter is now employed at the library, and again, under her watch rare books begin to disappear. I would describe this work as a “gentle” mystery, and what I enjoyed most about it was not the solving of the crime, but of the legacy of the library itself and the lions of Fifth Avenue who guard it.

I adored this book. Fiona Davis is truly a master at telling an architecturally stunning dual story line set on the streets of Manhattan. This read helped me travel despite being grounded during a global pandemic.

Nestled in the superintendent apartment in the newly designed New York Public Library at Bryant Park, rare and valuable books begin to go missing in the early twentieth century. New ideas and ways of life are budding downtown, and the superintendent's wife is determined to find out who is at the center of these crimes. Fast forward to the early 1990s, when a descendant of the superintendent's family is working the Berg Collection at the NYPL and things begin to go missing... again.

This book warrants a trip to NYC as soon as social distancing is lifted, and a COVID-19 vaccine is developed!

Laura & Sadie battle between interpersonal love and professional love. As with most of us, feel you can't have both, and envy those who seemingly have it all figured out. ie. Amelia and Claude. This book follows all of the characters to the brink of their love scales - risking it all personally or professionally. Some bounce back to their happy balancing act, some retreat inside with the scars of their experiences, and others lose themselves completely. What makes this book so heartfelt is we have been/known each of these characters in some way: the beggar, Laura, Sadie, Valentina, Jack, Professor W, Amelia, Claude, Gretchen, Dr. Anderson, Harry and the understated, Laura's mother. You appreciate the all of the feelings, vintage or contemporary. The weaving in of the Spinster book goes to show that love of all types, personal or professional and everything in-between, is timeless. Ms. Davis showed us an interpretation of how the loss of something tangible can manifest itself into the loss of something intangible. Mind, heart, body, soul. Lastly, and most importantly, it teaches us to be grateful for the strong women who came before us, who paved the way for the choices we have today.

As a huge Fiona Davis fan, I was grateful for the opportunity to not only read, but review this book.
As with most of Ms. Davis's books, the female characters are fierce New Yorkers, who are tested to find their internal strength, something that many of us struggle with in our own lives. While there is often a romantic counterpart, it is always the newfound zest and confidence within our ladies that is the real love story.

I don't think I have ever read a book so fast. With both Laura and Sadie's lives so closely paralleling my own, and at such a transformational time in our lives, I wanted to know what would happen! There were two potential dead ends that had me on the edge of my seat hoping to have cracked this whodunnit. (I did not, would love to know if further details made it into another version!). Must note: I kept having to do a little math to understand ages.

Coming in at under 266 pages, I would have liked more about the physical differences of NYC in 1913 (Laura) and 1993 (Sadie) i.e. riots, CBGB, the subway. as well as Bryant Park (!!!). adding the color and grit that is NYC. I.e. the tone of jazz bar in "The Dollhouse" or the hotel details of "Chelsea Girls". Also, completely aside, a drawing of a "cage", vast depths of library storage and vintage blueprint of NYPL would be helpful for those who are not familiar.

This was a very good book. Told the story in a really interesting way. This book kept me reading for many hours. Characters are well written, story was good until,the end of the book. This author has written many good novels. Recommend.

Laura Lyons lives with her family in the superintendent’s apartment within the New York Public Library in 1913. This wonderful detail, based in fact, caught my eye and drew me into this book. While Fiona Davis’ character is entirely fictional, I was charmed by the idea of living in a library, especially one as grand as this one. Laura is a wife and mother who feels constrained by society’s expectations of her as a woman. She wants to be a writer and journalist but the times conspire against her. Meanwhile, she watches – ever the encouraging wife – as her husband reaches his dream of finishing a novel. A series of thefts of rare books plagues the library and casts suspicion on the Lyons.

Sadie Donovan lives in 1993, the granddaughter of Laura Lyons, and works at the New York Public Library. She is proud of her grandmother, famous for critical essays about women’s rights. A series of rare book thefts echoes those of the past and, like the past, casts suspicion on her. Can the two events, decades apart, be somehow related?

Fiona Davis writes a compelling mystery about these two women and I was caught up in both their stories all the way to the very end. I enjoyed reading about the library, women’s issues of the early 20th century, and also Sadie’s more modern storyline. I felt there was the slightest bit of a stretch to connect the two events across the decades, but I was a willing reader because the storytelling was so good. I found myself cheering on both women to reach their goals. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Fiona Davis hits it out of the park once again! The Lions of Fifth Avenue does a fantastic job with combining historical fiction and the mystery genres! This addictive novel time hops between 1913 to 1993 to create an intricate storyline. I have always found that Fiona Davis is a master at character development and that most definitely proven true in this book—completely unique and intriguingly complex!! I finished this 5 star novel yesterday and I still have it swirling around in my head! The Lions of Fifth Avenue needs to go on your summer MUST READ list!! Fiona Davis has exponentially improved summer reading lists for the last 5 years and I am already looking forward to next years book!

The New York Public Library serves as one of the important characters in “The Lions of Fifth Avenue.” Fiona Davis tells two interwoven stories, one begins in 1913 and the second ends and brings closure to both stories about eighty years later. There are wonderful descriptions of the library, its fabulous architecture, and the treasures contained within it. The characters are interesting, sympathetic and believable. Laura Lyons appears to be a typical wife and mother at the beginning of the 20th century. But she harbors ambitions and develops into an independent feminist and writer. Her rather staid granddaughter, conveniently an archivist at the NYPL, is thrown into circumstances requiring her to confront truths about herself and her family while trying to save her career and an exhibit she’s working on. It is an engaging work and great fun to read. It has it all – good character development, an appealing story, a mystery, love connections, hidden family secrets, and as a librarian I loved the research and setting. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona Davis does it again with her latest page turner of a novel, The Lions on Fifth Avenue. ⁣
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If you’re a stranger to her books, Davis weaves incredible tales around historical New York City landmark buildings with incredibly rich, meted out characters. In this book, Davis makes the New York Public Library come alive as it loans itself as a character to the characters and storyline of this novel. And, while the library has no voice of its own, it’s existence and valuable contents make it an integral character in this mystery.⁣
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This story, told in two different time periods by two different generations of the same family, surrounds two separate strings of New York Public Library book thefts which occur eighty years apart. Davis winds us through one family’s extensive and extended history with the NYPL as well as its inner workings, and the intricacies of the building while creating mystery and scandal. The storyline also focuses on the growth of women and changes in career, marriage, and family throughout the decades. ⁣
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The thought, research, and creativity put into this book make it fascinating. Davis slowly hands out pieces of the puzzle as she takes us on the journey of the two women telling this tale. At the end, she ties the story together with a beautiful bow. ⁣
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An absolutely enjoyable book that held my interest and had me turning pages until the very end. ⁣

There are a few writers who live on my "auto-buy" list. Fiona Davis is one. I was thrilled to receive an advance copy through NetGalley, but that won't stop me from buying a copy for my personal home library. AND for a librarian friend who will also love it. Historical fiction can be a delight, or it can be too dry by spending more time teaching than entertaining. Ms. Davis hits all the notes perfectly. The Lions of Fifth Avenue is a treasure.

I'm a recent discoverer of the immensely talented Fiona Davis. I've been incredibly blessed to review most of her books. I have loved them all and while this one wasn't my favorite, it was a dleight to read. I've always loved how Miss Davis takes historical fictin out of it's preconcieved box. Rather than sticking with the traditional wars, she takes a thing from the past and wraps it up for us readers in an engrossing package.

This particular story revolves around Laura Lyons- herself, immediate family and decendents. You start out with her happily married to her husband and living in the esteemed New York Cigty Public Library with their two children. Dreams she had of being a journalist had been placed on the backburner for women weren't typically with careers at the time. An opportunity presents itself with her being able to pursue her dream and the life she knew slowly unravels. Journalism schools allows her to see a world beyond what she currentlty knew. She meets people a woman who she knew from school, but now will open doors- and viewpoints- that she never purseud before. Over time the friendship changes her life in ways the heavily sheltered Laura couldn't have predicted. All this happens as her husband's job is under intense scruiteny as someone is discovered to be stealing books from the library. Within a short period of time, the life Laura started out with looks nothing like the life she ended up with.

Decades later, Sadie is the granddaughter of the elusive Laura Lyons. By now she has been gone for many years, but more questions than answers appeared to be her legacy. When history repeats itself with new books thefts within the same library, that Sadie is now employed with, she's forced to dig deeper for explanations and those elusive answers.

I was engrossed in most of the story. As with any reader, some aspects of the story were more intriguing than others. I was fascinated with life within the library. I never knew anyone actually lived within it's walls. I was equally intrigued with the whole journalism school aspect. Fiona Davis makes you feel you were there with each student, in Laura's case embarking on a rare adventure.

Fans of Fiona Davis will not be disappointed. Once again, she takes an obscure thing in history and make you unable to put it down while she unravels a story within it. Some characters were more relatable than others. Readers will find their favorite to root. You will feel like you're among the characters while everything is happening.

Intertwined stories of two remarkable women--joined by a passion for improvement, a relentless curiosity, and a love of books--make this historical novel sing. Pitch-perfect period details and a wickedly intriguing mystery only add to the fun. Fiona Davis is at her best in this captivating novel.

My first read by Fiona Davis did not disappoint! Two well done stories of women coming into their own. A mystery connects and through dueling timelines all. Is revealed. Loved this story and will be checking out more from Davis!

I really enjoyed Fiona Davis' novels The Dollhouse and The Address, both of which were dual-timeline stories around historic Manhattan buildings.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue follows the same model. The two stories in two timelines are linked by rare book thefts, both stories about highly valuable, one-of-a-kind historical artifacts that seems to disappear from secure storage at the New York Public Library.

In 1913, Laura Lyons, her husband, and two small children are living in the library, in an apartment for the library's director.  My local public libraries have closed for coronavirus, so I had even more than the usual envy about living in the library. Imagine sheltering in place with all the books! Laura has a complicated life, trying to attend journalism school Columbia, follow her heart, and be a supportive wife and mother at home, so the missing books are one more stress point for her.

In the 1990s, Laura's granddaughter, Sadie, is a librarian helping put on an exhibition of rare books at the NYPL. Sadie hasn't mentioned her connection with the Lyons family, but as more and more rare books disappear on Sadie's watch, and Sadie tries to find how they could be disappearing, she start to wonder about the connection. The books themselves are intriguing, charged artifacts, with secret library identification signs, handwritten author's notes, and other unique marks over the years.

The two timelines intertwine for a wonderful trip through the familiar landmarks and secret, closed-off areas of New York Public Library.

Having both worked in bookstores and a library (also visited the NYC Library), the premise of this book intrigued me. The story of art thieves, journalist and family mysteries added to the allure of this book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and probably will return to reading other books by this author.

I like historical fiction, parallel narratives, and the New York Public Library, so I expected to love this book. It definitely held my attention, but it became too melodramatic for my tastes and I didn't particularly like the main characters.

Davis is a master at storytelling - period. She takes factual events from history and sprinkles in her own flavor to weave incredible tales. It was evident the amount of time, dedication, and research Ms. Davis spent on this novel. I was blown away, completely flabbergasted. It is a gift to readers when authors hone their craft and additionally, spend a lot of time fact-checking. I've talked about this before in reference to historical fiction. . . when reading historical fiction, I like it to be as close to the facts as possible. In this book, it was clear that Ms. Davis knew her subject well.

This story is based on a number of book thefts that were occurring in the NY Public Library system.

This book used a technique that I have come to know well in the last few years. A technique I've had a love/hate relationship with. Alternating timelines. However I don't have a single complaint with how it was executed in this book!

If you liked Gentleman in Moscow or any other Davis books you'll love this!

I absolutely loved this book where – in classic Fiona Davis style – the setting becomes a character of its own through the narrative. And what a beautiful narrative. It's the story of two compelling women, connected through the New York Public Library across generations. More than just about rare books that go missing and the suspense therein, it's also about women who learn to live comfortably in their own skin, the sacrifices and challenges faced by those who brought us our freedoms and the entire history of a city. The research is superb and the characters are extremely well developed. Fiona Davis has done it again!

Fiona Davis has a way of intertwining history and fiction. She does it again with “The Lions of Fifth Avenue”. I always enjoy her style of merging two eras within the same iconic New York City address. This story is set in The New York Public Library. Rare books are missing from the library’s special collection so curator Sadie Donovan must figure out who took them. The story leads to the early 1900s and her grandmother, writer Laura Lyons. Just when you think you figured out whodunnit, the story takes another turn.

Loved this book. Historical and about Libraries....perfect for me. I will be reading more of Fiona Davis after this for sure!