Dutton
The Lions of Fifth Avenue: A GMA Book Club Pick
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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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Book Details
ISBN:
9781524744632
EAN:
9781524744632
Binding:
Paperback
Pages:
384
Authors:
Fiona Davis
Publisher:
Dutton
Published Date: 2021-25-05
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A wonderful story and told so well. Will definitely read againHighly recommend reading it for yourself. Put it on your list
An interesting insight to the happenings in NYC during the early 1900's and a detailed view of the Library combined with a family's story of the emotional and challenging times of that era.
The setting here is the New York Public Library in 1913 and 1993. Laura Lyons and Sadie Donovan are the main characters. It’s about books that are stolen.Laura and Sadie might as well be the same person. Also, the author doesn’t do much with the setting of 1913-14 New York. Seems like Laura Lyons should be more worried about people tracking in horse manure. We should also be able to hear those noisy Model T’s.One original idea is Laura’s exposure to the Heterodoxy Club, and early club dealing with women’s rights that Laura is exposed to. Sadie works with a private security expert to find the thief in 1993.Seems like we’re talking first edition books that are being stolen; they were worth thousands of dollars. The thief is using a dumbwaiter to access a supposed secure area above. I didn’t think that was very realistic. Smelled like an author desperate for a plot device.I had trouble remembering what drew me towards this book. Perhaps the historical aspect. I was a history major.
This novel is very popular in Book Clubs so I was anticipating a good read. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met. I was thoroughly intrigued with the characters in the first couple of chapters but lost my enthusiasm as the story evolved.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and captivating.
