Historical Fiction: The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

A mystery, spanning 80 years, and centered in and around the New York Public Library and the family who took up residence inside of it. That is the overall premise that drew me to The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. As a book nerd, I naturally have thought about what it would be like to live in a library or bookstore. What Davis has done is thought that idea through, while also adding a mystery that involves the theft of rare books.

The Situation: Laura Lyons and her husband Jack have been living in the apartment located inside of the New York Public Library as part of Jack's job as the library's superintendent. Laura's small children, Harry and Pearl, immediately took to the stone lions out front, Lenox and Astor, but have a hard time with living within the quiet and peaceful environment that must be maintained for both serious patrons and tourists alike. Laura also misses their life in the country, but when she is accepted into the Columbia Journalism School, she imagines a new kind of freedom for herself. Eighty years later in 1993, Sadie Donovan is working as a curator for the library, and while she is the granddaughter of Laura, whose writings have recently gained significant interest among the public, she has kept the connection to herself. And when rare books begin to go missing, much like they did when Laura lived in the library in 1913, Sadie is determined to find the thief, but is afraid that her connection to the past may cause fingers to be pointed in her direction.

The Problem: In 1913, the first book to go missing is a first edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. The stealing of rare books is nothing new, as some attempt to resell them for a tidy profit, while others only wish to add them to their own personal collection. For the New York Public Library, losing one rare book is terrible, losing more than that is a travesty. Unfortunately, more books begin to go missing, and since Jack is the superintendent, he will ultimately be held accountable. Meanwhile, Laura is attending graduate school, making friends while attending meetings in Greenwich Village held by radical feminists, and discovering that she wants more out of life. This, added to the recent thefts, puts a strain on her relationship with Jack. When Sadie must deal with the thefts in her own time, they threaten the career she has built for herself, while only adding to the mysteries in her family's past. If the thief is not caught soon, it may be more than only rare books that end up lost. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel that takes place during two points in time, 80 years apart. In 1913, Laura is the wife of the New York Public Library's current superintendent. With their two small children, they live in the apartment located inside of the library, but the close quarters inside of the big city eventually prove to be somewhat suffocating, and not only for Laura. In 1993, Sadie is a curator for the library's Berg Collection, a job she absolutely loves, but it is not without its trials, especially when one of the diaries of Virginia Wolf goes missing. She knows there was some sort of scandal that forced her grandmother and her family to leave the library 80 years ago, but she does not know the specifics, and prefers to keep anyone else from looking too closely. Both women value their independence and ability to make their own choices, but both things are much easier for Sadie to hold onto than Laura. She loves being a wife and mother, but she rankles at the idea that she is not to be anything more. While the apartment inside of the New York Public Library did exist at one point, Laura's family and their story is fiction. But rare book theft is of course a reality.

My Verdict: When I started the book, I was absolutely delighted that it focused on and also took place mostly inside of the New York Public Library. I had the pleasure of visiting it myself in 2013 and I know what I imagine to be life inside of it does not come close to reality. I was skeptical that I would be interested in both Laura and Sadie's stories, but both mysteries were intriguing and engaging, and both heroines were interesting and fully realized. It was maybe about two-thirds of the way into the book that the story began to unravel for me, somewhat. While I enjoyed Sadie's story throughout, something about Laura's story did not fit together quite so neatly. Also, it felt as if Laura was searching for freedom to be who she wanted, which was mostly a woman of her own means, but instead of being allowed to choose what path to take, she was still only given a few options as to what direction to go in. I am not sure if I am making any sense there, but it felt she was only given the illusion of a choice. As for the two separate and interesting mysteries, they certainly kept me guessing, and helped to smooth over some of the rougher spots in the novel.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* When Sadie successfully plays a part in recovering two of the stolen books from a book shop.  

Favorite Character: Mr. Babenko, who works in the library's bindery, has sacrificed the health of his hands for his work. Ultimately, this is a point of pride for him, but I love his good nature and his commitment to books.

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. More books, more history, and another plot split between two points in time.