Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Lions of Fifth Avenue

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Lions of Fifth Avenue
Fiona Davis
Expected publication date: July 21, 2020
In nationally 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 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. - from Goodreads
Fiona Davis has become one of my favorite authors, and I love how she always focuses on a unique NYC landmark in her books - this time, it's the New York Public Library!

26 comments:

  1. Davis certainly has a knack for weaving the best stories around these landmarks. Both Sadie and Laura sound like fascinating women, but I want to know more about Laura's growth in her timeline. Great pick!

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  2. I love the NYPL, and the story sounds really intriguing.

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  3. I am definitely looking forward to this one too. Great pick!

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  4. Oh heck yes. I am adding this to my wishlist. Nice find!!

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  5. Love that the mystery is set around the NYPL! This one sounds exciting!

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  6. It's cool that it centers around the New York Public Library. Hope you enjoy it!

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  7. My daughter is practically counting the days until this is released. She's a fan of both Fiona Davis and the NYPL.

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  8. I am really looking forward to reading this one too. Such an interesting time period to read about! I hope you enjoy it when you read it!

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  9. Ooh I like the sound of the split timeline aspect of this. split timeline books have really been appealing to me lately, I like it when they're done well! This sounds great with the library aspects!

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    1. Dual timelines are always a favorite of mine!

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  10. Yes! I've got this one coming up on my TBR in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to read it. I love both the time period the book is set in and that she chose the library as her iconic NYC setting this time.

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    1. Yay, I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

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  11. I’m really looking forward to this too! I love her books!

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  12. This sounds gooood. You got me right from that first part alone. Also the involvement of the library made this an instant wishlist for me.Thanks for sharing!

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  13. I've never read a Fiona Davis book but one set around a library with book thefts is something I think every reader would be intrigued by including me 😊.

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!