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  • The Lions of Fifth Avenue

  • A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
  • Written by: Fiona Davis
  • Narrated by: Erin Bennett, Lisa Flanagan
  • Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)

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The Lions of Fifth Avenue cover art

The Lions of Fifth Avenue

Written by: Fiona Davis
Narrated by: Erin Bennett, Lisa Flanagan
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Publisher's Summary

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick and a New York Times best seller!

“A page-turner for booklovers everywhere!... A story of family ties, their lost dreams, and the redemption that comes from discovering truth.” (Adriana Trigiani, best-selling author of The Shoemaker's Wife)

In New York Times best-selling 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.

©2020 Fiona Davis (P)2020 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"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)    

“Davis gives readers a mystery and a historical novel all in one absorbing tale.” (Library Journal)

"The magnificent Fiona Davis has written a page-turner for book lovers everywhere! I was on the edge of my seat as Laura Lyons, the ambitious essayist, breaks down social barriers and finds herself adrift in her own life at the end of the Belle Epoque in 1913 New York City. Secrets are revealed 80 years later by her granddaughter, who found her way into the family business, working at the New York Public Library. This is a story of family ties, their lost dreams and the redemption that comes from discovering truth." (Adriana Trigiani, New York Times best-selling author of The Shoemaker's Wife)

What listeners say about The Lions of Fifth Avenue

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Amazing Read!

Kept you on your toes. just when you thought you knew what happened! Well done!!

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    4 out of 5 stars

A delightfully original story

The themes of this book - bourgeoning feminism, systemic misogyny, tragedy and redemption - come through organically and beautifully throughout both connected stories. The plot was just unpredictable enough to hold my interest.

Where the author disappointed me was in the dialogue. While it’s understandably formal in the early part of the 20th century, the 1993 characters spoke in an unrealistic way. Not conversational or natural at all. Easy to overlook in light of the story, though.

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Thoroughly Enjoyed

Wonderful story, told from the grandmother’s time and her more current granddaughter’s time. And to have it set in the New York Public Library was brilliant.

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Love it

This is the second book I have listened to by this author. The author is very talented at tying together two different time periods at the same location. I can’t wait to listen to more

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Really enjoyed this story

I loved the story and the way in which it was told. There are many truth bombs scattered throughout. All the emotions .

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The Lions of Fifth Avenue.

A very good read!the characters were clearly described,the narration was very good, the story was capturing and I read the book in two nights because I didn’t want to stop.





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  • Lou
  • 2020-10-15

An interesting plot, well written, as well as well narrated.

I found the book to be well written, interesting , with well defined characters. Covering 2 periods of history - 1913 and 1993 it was easy to identify the characters, who were quite believable.. There was also an element of suspense.. A Good. Read or Listen!!

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Loved!

Fiona Davis does it again! This book was so interesting. Keeps you guessing until the end. I thought I had figured it out a few times, but I was wrong! She really explains what it was like for women in the early 20th century. Laura is a strong woman, especially for her time. Enjoyed the history about the New York public library as well. Great book!

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