At a Glance
Title: The Lions of Fifth Avenue
Author: Fiona Davis
Published: August 4, 2020 by Dutton Books
Page: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Goodreads Rating: 4.17 out of 5
My Rating: ★★★
Synopsis
My Thoughts
I love Fiona Davis so when I heard she had a brand new book coming out this month, I hurried to pre-order it. I always enjoy the way we get two stories in one, that are connected are various levels. I’ve really enjoyed learning about the history of the places Davis writes about but also the imaginative stories she incorporates into them.
The Lions of Fifth Avenue takes place at The New York Public Library both in 1913, when the library was first opened, and in 1993 when the library had already established it’s dominance and prestige in the book community. I never knew there was an apartment inside the library and I’m so sad I will never get to live there, because as I’m sure all bookworms can attest to, I would love to live surrounding by books!
This review thus pains me to write because unlike Davis’ previous two books, I was simply not as captivated by this story. Out of our two leading ladies, Laura Lyons’ story was much more fleshed out and her character completely outshine the character of her granddaughter, Sadie Donovan. I could have done completely without Sadie’s character. I continuously forgot that she was a 40 year old women and not a young twenty year old. Her decisions and actions were extremely immature and I just don’t think her personality made sense.
The plot itself is fabulous. Imagine a thief getting into one of the most prestige libraries in the world and being about steal history works. While that works for 1913, I find it hard to believe that it could happen the way it deal in 1993. The biggest whole in the plot , and maybe I was too young in 1993, but wouldn’t there be security cameras in the early 90s. Was that a thing then? I’m not sure, someone research and let me know because if it wasn’t then this all makes much more sense.
Still these is my least favorite of Davis’ works. Were my expectations extremely high? Yes, but only because of past books have left me completely enamored and book hung over. This one just did not do that for me. It’s still a fabulous story, it just did not fully deliver for me. I’m still a huge Fiona Davis fan though, and this one won’t stop me from getting her future works. This book is out now, You can get it here!
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on The Lions of Fifth Avenue. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.
About the Author
Fiona Davis is the nationally bestselling author of historical novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including THE CHELSEA GIRLS and THE ADDRESS. She began her career in New York City as an actress, working on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theater. After getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, she fell in love with writing, leapfrogging from editor to freelance journalist before finally settling down to write fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and she’s based in New York City.
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