I absolutely loved everything about this book! Both of the storylines set in different times drew me in so well that I never cared when it switched. Usually I favor one over the other but the author has done an amazing job! The descriptions, the characters, the families, the relationships, it all made me want to keep reading.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis, 368 pages

In 1914, Laura Lyons and her family have the most unusual living situation: the family of four shares a small apartment inside the grand central branch of the New York Public Library. Laura's husband is an aspiring author and superintendent of the building, while homemaker Laura is determined to attend journalism school and become a reporter at one of the city's many newspapers. But the theft of some very rare editions from NYPL's archives cause a wrinkle in their plans, with suspicion falling on Laura's husband. Seventy years later, Laura's granddaughter Sadie is an archivist in NYPL's Berg Collection, curating an exhibit of rarities when another string of rare book thefts begins, threatening Sadie's job and the literary history of the library. Could the two crime sprees be related? It seems unlikely, but there are definite similarities.

Who doesn't love a mystery set in a gorgeous library? Davis certainly chose a strong setting, and her dual storylines are intriguing, pulling in everything from early-wave feminists to the rare books black market. There were certainly a few things that I had questions about, particularly in the 1914 storyline, but overall this was a great story to sweep you away from the world at large today.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is a historical novel set at the New York Public Library. It tells the story of two women whose lives are changed by their time at the library. In 1913, Laura Lyons lives in a mezzanine apartment at the library with her family. Her husband works as the library's superintendent and she is pursuing a career in journalism, unusual for a woman in her time. When a rare copy of Edgar Allen Poe's Tamerlane goes missing, their lives are changed. In 1993 Laura's granddaughter, Sadie Donovan, is working as curator at the library. Once again, several rare books go missing, and the search is on for the thief.

I wanted to read The Lions of Fifth Avenue because I enjoy Fiona Davis's writing and I absolutely adore books with a library setting. I sell vintage books, so the antiquarian book storyline was especially appealing to me.

I absolutely loved this book and have been telling friends about it since I first started reading. The history of the New York Public Library is fascinating, from the early apartment cloistered in the building, to the methods of handling and cataloging books (and other historic, book related artifacts), to the curators' daily work. The details of antiquarian books at the library and their special markings and attributes was especially fascinating to me.

There are intriguing passages about the library like this:

"Sadie led the trio through the halls, pointing out all her favorite spots: the painted ceiling of a cloudy sky above the back stairwell, the Edward Laning murals depicting the history of the written word in the rotunda, and the view of the foyer from the second-floor balcony. Then down to the stacks where the library’s millions of volumes were housed.

'If the shelves were laid end to end, they would measure over eighty miles,' she said.

Mrs. Smith let out a small 'Oh, my.'

'This particular branch of the New York Public Library is a research library, not a circulating one,' said Sadie. 'That means we don’t lend the books out, they must be consulted on-site. Furthermore, the stacks are not for browsing, they are closed off to the general public. Instead, a patron consults the card catalog and puts in a request, and then the book or books are sent to the Reading Room. The retrieval process hasn’t changed much in all the time the library has been open to the public, since 1911.' The stacks consisted of seven tiers that rose from the basement level to just below the Reading Room. They reminded Sadie of an ant colony, with library pages dashing up stairs and down the narrow aisles, locating one book among millions within minutes along the steel shelves. She pointed out the conveyer system that carried books up to the patrons waiting in the Reading Room, as well as the dumbwaiter used for oversized works." (Kindle location 337).

I found the lives of Laura, in 1913, and Sadie, in 1992, very compelling. They both struggle with pursuing work that they are passionate about. Laura wants to be a journalist and essayist at the point that few women pursue this career. When she runs into an old college friend and attends the Heterodoxy Club in Greenwich Village (a group for women to express opinions on the vote, birth control, etc.), her conviction about her future changes.

Sadie longs to be curator of the library, but she has to fight for the position and really struggles in her early days on the interim job.

Both women also try to sort out their personal lives. Laura is married with two young children, but she wants more than the conventional life of wife to a powerful man. Sadie is divorced and intends to stay single, until she meets the investigator working on the case of missing books at the library. I found Nick, the investigator, very intriguing -- he was much more complex and sophisticated than expected. I loved the slow building romance between Sadie and Nick.

The two parallel cases of missing antiquarian books were utterly fascinating, and the mystery from 1913 wound into the 1992 timeline as well. I found the search for the books, through old bookstores and covert dealers and collectors, so interesting to read about.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is one of my favorite reads from recent years, and will certainly be high on my book list for this year. I cannot recommend it highly enough for fans of historical fiction, libraries, antiquarian books, literary history, New York history, or just fans of a beautifully told, compelling story.

Hidden within the grand architecture of the New York Public Library, Laura Lyons lives in an apartment with her husband and their children. In 1913, Laura seems to have an idyllic life, but she yearns for the same passion that her husband has for his novel in progress. Hoping to find her drive in life and help with her family’s finances, Laura applies to the Columbia School of Journalism. The search for stories takes her across the city, where she wants to go beyond the “women’s assignments.” This leads to Laura connecting with an old classmate who introduces her to the new bohemia in Greenwich Village - where women discuss suffrage, politics, and traditional roles. As Laura’s world is expanding and changing, her home life threatens to fall apart when a string of thefts occur at the library. Laura must choose her path forward or risk losing what she has always known.

Sadie Donovan’s dream job as a curator in the library’s famous Berg Collection is disrupted when items for the upcoming exhibit begin to disappear, eighty years later in 1993. As she works to uncover the truth, Sadie must also grapple with her family history as the granddaughter of the famous feminist essayist Laura Lyons. Teaming up with the library’s private investigator leads Sadie to reveal shocking realities of her family’s involvement in those thefts eighty years earlier.

Fiona Davis, best-selling author of The Dollhouse, The Address, The Masterpiece, and The Chelsea Girls, delivers another carefully crafted historical fiction novel centered around a New York City landmark. This story encompasses mystery, women’s rights, and most of all a love for reading and books.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this book. I wanted to like this book more than I did. I loved that it took place in a library which is what drew me to it. The mystery of the missing books was well done. I found a few things about it unrealistic though. The circumstances behind Harry leaving and what he does and the way that Laura reacts is just unbelievable in my opinion. I don't want to give the story away so I won't say too much. The book thief and how that all played out also seemed unrealistic to me . However I had no problem staying interested in the book. It kept me wanting to know what was going to happen. I did like the ending.

This is the 4th Fiona Davis book I've read. I keep coming back to her titles because each one is a love story to a famous New York City building. And I just love NYC. ⁣
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In this case it's also a love story to the New York Public Library, a spot I return to every time I visit. Because I LOVE libraries. And I like to say hello to Patience & Fortitude. ⁣
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This book made for a perfect weekend read. Told in dual timelines: 1913 and 1993 it follows two women who are not only related, but also intertwined by a mystery related to stolen rare books. Family secrets, feminist awakening, loss and growth- all set against the historic, one-of-a-kind The New York Public Library, I found it to be compelling and compulsively readable. I enjoyed the 1913 story line a little more than 1993, but it all came together seamlessly. ⁣

“The Lions of Fifth Avenue” tells the story of a family that lives in the superintendent apartment inside the iconic New York Public Library in 1914, with a complementary storyline set in 1993.
Davis uses two strong female protagonists to bring the reader along these two connected narratives, releasing details and building anticipation about the mystery surrounding valuable literary artifacts that go missing. Davis’ characters are believable I wanted to get to know them, given their experiences with feminism in the early and late 20th century . Not surprisingly, this librarian found the story fascinating; I’d like to think readers who aren’t librarians will enjoy it, too.

A wonderful read. I enjoyed reading and learning about the New York City Public Library.

I didn't realize that there were living quarters in the library. I was very intrigued by this. I hope to someday visit the New York Public Library and maybe see these living quarters if they are open to the public.

I was really excited about the premise of this book. The library setting, the split but related perspectives, and the running mystery all captured my attention...in theory. Davis had a great idea, but I felt like this book just didn't deliver. The beginning of the book felt slow and it was hard to get invested in. I did eventually get more interested in Laura's chapters. She felt a little better developed, her experiences were fascinating, and I loved the direction it took away from a picture-perfect ending. In contrast, I found Sadie's chapters to be far less compelling. Her character didn't feel well developed, I felt no buy-in and her relationship felt far too contrived. Had Davis chosen to write a book about Laura alone and dive deeper into her experiences I think I would have loved it. Instead, she chose to tell two stories and neither held up well enough, especially not Sadie's.

Fiona Davis is a skilled writer who is particularly adept at making New York City landmarks come alive by weaving stories of her fictional characters with the always fascinating background of the building. Her latest historical novel takes the reader into the history, architecture and collections of the New York City Library. The title, “The Lions of Fifth Avenue” refers to the towering stone lions flanking the entrance to the building.

In 1913, Laura and her family live in an apartment in the library. She longs to be a professional writer, but is thwarted by the mores of the times and lack of encouragement by her very traditional husband Jack.

In the same library, in 1993, Sadie is a recently divorced librarian who had landed her dream job as curator of the Berg Collection of rare manuscripts, diaries, and quirkier memorabilia of famous historical figures.

These two women, especially Laura, are well-drawn characters with similar ambitions to be successful, independent career women with fulfilling private lives also. Though their stories are separated by 80 years, they are both devoted to their work, are willing to take risks, and are resourceful when pursuing their goals.

The other figures in the novel are peripheral to our heroines; some are more important than others, but they round out the story nicely. Throughout this book there are topics examined lightly or more deeply: domestic harmony, love, family relationships, the nascent fight for women’s rights, and an enduring mystery to be solved. The library itself also feels like a living breathing entity as it affects the characters in the novel.

While the character’s stories hold our interest, the real “star” is the New York Public Library—the building’s history, design, secret passages, and atmosphere. Davis has done deep research and engages the reader in the joy and importance of this library, and libraries in general. This is another terrific glimpse into an American landmark by Fiona Davis!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton (Penguin Group) for the ARC and the opportunity to give my honest review of this novel.

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite go-to authors of historical fiction. She does not disappoint with her newest book. As someone who works in a library and loves to visit libraries whenever I travel, I loved the setting of the New York Public Library. The dual perspectives of Laura and Sadie, as well as the dual timelines made the reading experience feel fast-paced and weaved a bigger picture into a historical event. Davis did an amazing job of keeping the story moving with an interesting mystery, while also touching on more serious topics such as women's rights and sexism in the workplace. I will definitely be recommending this one and consider it for a future book discussion at our library.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't know if this would be a book for me- I tend not to be a fan of books that move between different timelines. However, I am happy to say that I loved this book from start to finish! I think I can speak for all of us when I say that being able to live in a library and spend all of my time with books is a dream. Getting to "live" in the New York Public Library with Laura and to experience the library decades later with Sadie was like getting to live the dream vicariously. Even though I'm not American, I've heard of and seen photos of the library, and I have never thought of it as a home before- Dsvis did a wonderful job at getting us to consider things from different perspectives.

The characters from both timelines are interesting, and I would have loved some more time with some of the supporting characters (Pearl especially). I think that Davis' skill as an author really shows with the way that she links characters from different generations and periods- you don't see the connections at first, but once you do, it is incredible. Overall, this is an amazing read, and one of my favourite fiction books of 2020!

Sorry, did not finish. This was slow as molasses in January. Not feeding the ducks, either. More words needed

A historical novel set in 2 different time periods, this book captivates from the very first chapter. The setting of the famous New York City library adds another interesting element. A must read for mystery and history lovers.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who has a love of books will enjoy this book set in the New York Public Library. Fiona Davis grabs the readers attention from the start, which makes a great read to forget about the pandemic. I loved how the author wove the story between 1913 and 1993 where Sadie learns more about her family history ties to the New York Public Library, while having her own career at the library as well. I loved how there are parallels to Sadie and her grandmother’s life. Such a wonderful story that is full of the unexpected!

This book is told between two alternating time lines, around 1913 and 1993, and both take place around the New York Public Library.

There are many similarities between the two time periods, one of which is rare books are going missing from the library and no one can figure out how. The frame of the book with the alternating time lines is the style of the author. It works well, and in this book the pacing is well done. Each time line leaves at a moment when you really want to know what happens next. There are some unexpected moments and, of course, some coincidences. I enjoyed this book and found it a good diversion, with a wonderful backdrop of a story.

Really enjoyed this book.

Fiona Davis's latest piece of historical fiction is a solid read. It alternates between Laura Lyons, a budding journalist in 1913 NYC and her granddaughter, Sadie, a librarian in 1993 NYC. There are stolen books in both time periods, as Sadie struggles to find the link between the books, her grandmother's life, and her own.

I'm a big fan of Fiona Davis and was excited to read this book. Both time periods of the book are well written and the story moves back and forth between the two seamlessly, making me want to keep reading and reading. I had a few moments where I really had to suspend belief about some of Laura's actions in 1913. In some places there wasn't enough backstory for me to truly believe in the character's motivation. Similarly, in the 1993 periods, I wished there was a stronger connection with who the thief turned out to be. Ultimately it was a satisfying ending though.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is set in the New York City Public Library, in both 1913 and 1993. The story moves back and forth between the two eras, telling parallel stories that involve members of the same family. In 1913 Laura Lyons and her family live in the library where her husband is the supervisor. Laura is looking for some personal satisfaction outside of motherhood so she attends journalism school, which distracts her when rare library books are stolen. In 1993, Laura's granddaughter Sadie works in the library, organizing an exhibit that includes some of Laura's things, when again rare books are stolen. The story moves back and forth between the two plot lines, with the author skillfully weaving the threads together, clearly and succinctly. I really enjoyed reading about the famous NYC Library. The book reminded me of the YA series "The Story Collector," which also takes place in the NYC library. I encourage library lovers to read this excellent historical novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing an ARC.

In 1913, Laura Lyons lives in the famed New York Public Library building where her husband is superintendent. Yet she struggles with her traditional role as a housewife and begins a degree in journalism. In 1993, Sadie, Laura's granddaughter, becomes the curator of one of the library's collection. When rare books begin to disappear, Sadie finds that history is repeating itself.

I have mixed feelings about Davis's latest historical fiction novel. I enjoyed the connection between the two stories. The modern piece, while less-developed than the historical narrative (a common problem to modern/historical narratives that irks me), was interesting enough to push the story forward. Laura's narrative was thoughtfully complex in spots and annoyingly simple in others, touching on motherhood, feminism, and family dynamics.

The story, told in chapters alternating between 1913 and 1993, is set in the New York Public Library. 1913, Laura Lyons lives in an apartment at the Library, with her children and husband Jack, who is the superintendent of the library. Jack is trying to write a book in addition to his duties at the library, and he devotes all his spare time to writing his book. Laura is accepted into the journalism program at Columbia. Because of some of the assignments she is given, she meets a large variety of people she would never have met otherwise. She becomes part of a feminist group known as Heterodoxy, which was quite radical for the time.

In 1993, Sadie Donovan works at the Library; she is the granddaughter of Laura Lyons, a fact that she has not disclosed to her employer. Besides being related, there is a connection between Laura and Sadie as it relates to missing rare books. It is this link around which the story revolves.