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I am an outlier here. This book was not a favorite. Pretty predictable. Sad stories all around. Family disintegration, suicides, thievery, lost relationships, emotions and opportunities stymied, parental neglect, unlikely scenarios. The main theme of the book was not as portrayed in reviews and synopsis. It was not about the library so much or book theft but about women navigating free life choices and being denied opportunities, IMHO.Overall, it was a big disappointment for me. No favorite quot...
The Lions of Fifth Avenue Aug. 2020What a great read. Five stars all the way. This is a historical mystery with two strong female protagonists, one from 1914 and one from 1992, alternating stories in two time periods linked by books and a mammoth library. What more could a read want, a story about books. The setting has equal weight the same as a main character with a fascinating library taking center stage. The first story deals with the oppression of women’s rights as they fight pitched battle...
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.” Th...
Another day, another outlier review. I seem to be on a roll lately....I just didn't love this book as much as I hoped I would, although to be fair, Fiona Davis books are rather hit or miss for me. I guess I just didn't think I would ever not gush over a book set in the New York Public Library, which I have visited and have been enamored with ever since. I figured what would there be not to love about a tale of book thefts in the NYCPL eighty years apart? As it turns out, quite a bit actually. Th...
Have I been reading too many books during the Pandemic or is the two person story in different time zones been done to death? I am so weary of it. It's become so common place that it is no longer an interesting twist. The problem is that one story always seems to suffer. This is true here too. The story starts in 1914 when Laura Lyons is living with her family in the NY Public Library. Her husband is in charge there and a free apartment is part of employment. Can you imagine anything better? Li
This book had me in the palm of its hand straight from the title, because I have always loved the lions outside the New York Public Library. (Did you know their names are Patience and Fortitude? Although at the time of the 1913 opening of the library at the center of this book, as the book taught me, they were called Astor and Lenox.) My hands-down favorite part of this novel was our 1914 heroine, the intrepid aspiring reporter Laura Lyons.We also spend some time in the grunge era, with Sadie, a...
4.5 starsI've always loved how Fiona Davis brings something different to the historical fiction genre as a famous building is usually what she focuses on rather than a person or event. For this book most of the story took place at the New York Public Library and it was a perfect setting. I have read all of the author's books and this one by far is my favorite.Back in 1913, Laura Lyons is married with two children. Her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library and the family li...
*now available4 New York Public Library starsThis was a fascinating historical novel with an amazing setting – the New York Public Library. Filled with compelling characters and the thefts of valuable books, this one really drew me in. I loved learning that there once was a residence in the library for the superintendent and his family. Hidden passageways and secrets swirled in both storylines of this one.The older storyline is set in 1913 and features Laura, her husband, and family who live in
Having liked The Dollhouse by the same author, I was elated to receive an advance review copy of this her newest title.The story covers two resourceful heroines set eighty years apart.Sadie and Laura were related as granddaughter and grandmother but had never met. They were also entwined through the historic New York Library and each had a significant impact in their respective time periods. As Sadie currates an exhibit for trustees and benefactors, rare books disappear. With her passion for the...
Fiona Davis’ books feature iconic buildings in New York City. In 1913, Laura Lyons is living in an apartment within the New York Public Library with her husband, Jack, and two children, Harry and Pearl. The two stone lions, Leo Lenox and Leo Astor, named after John Jacob Astor and James Lenox, two of the library’s founders, flank the outdoor entrance. Jack is the library’s superintendent and is writing a novel. Laura has her own dreams and gets a scholarship to the Colombia Journalism School. Ho...
“The Lions of Fifth Avenue” by Fiona Davis is billed as a love story to the New York Public Library. I found it to be a fantastic women’s study story of the struggles of women in the early 1900’s. Additionally, it illuminates the significance of rare books and artifacts of great literary authors to our culture.The story revolves around two book heists, 80 years apart, at the New York Public Library. In 1913 a family of four lives in a tiny apartment inside the New York Public Library. The father...
