The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

Summary

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 finds herself 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. But 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-adverse 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 Setting: New York City

  1. New York Public Library: Laura Lyons, Jack Lyons and their two children Pearl and Henry lived in an apartment in the building.

  2. Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: Laura attends graduate school here.

  3. The Redbury Hotel: Laura had her first journalism school reporting assignment here.

  4. Morningside Heights: Jack first lived in this neighborhood before he married Laura.

  5. Lower East Side: Laura first runs into Amelia here when she is reporting on an assignment for graduate school. She meets Amelia in one of the tenements.

  6. Brill Building: Sadie’s father used to be a session musician in one of the studios.

  7. CBGB: Sadie liked to go to this venue and watch punk bands in her free time.

  8. Vassar College: Laura attended college here with Amelia.

  9. 135 Macdougal Street: The Heterodoxy Club met here at Polly’s Restaurant which is now gone.

  10. Bryant Park: Laura and Henry would play catch in the park here.

  11. Patchin Place: Amelia’s apartment was on this street.

  12. Book Row: The Strand is one of the only bookstores left of Book Row which Sadie learns about from Mr. Babenko.

  13. 23 Fifth Avenue: Mabel Dodge’s home was here. Laura and Amelia attend a salon here one evening.

  14. Saint Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church: Laura and Amelia attend a march that gets violet here.

  15. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Sadie attends a New York Philharmonic Concert here runs into Nick afterward who is attending a dancing event.

  16. Public Theater: Sadie and Nick sit on the steps here while going over the case.

  17. Union Square: Henry, Red Paddy and other boys would hang around here.

  18. Grace Building: Nick’s company’s office is here.

  19. Village Vanguard: Nick and Sadie decide to have their official first date here.

Reviews

“Davis delves into the history of the New York Public Library in this delightful mystery ... The characters and story are stellar, but the real star of the show is the library, which Davis evokes beautifully.”

— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Lions of Fifth Avenue is a book written for book lovers.”

— O, The Oprah Magazine

“In a compelling novel that’s part family saga, part high-stakes heist, and part love story, Fiona Davis creates an intricate and beautiful puzzle that kept me turning page after page as I tried to solve its central mystery along with her characters. A gripping and satisfying story for book-lovers the world over.”

Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost