The Lions of Fifth Avenue was one of the three books I chose for Momma Leighellen’s Book Club for November. I typically pick unique historical fiction books and I thought this one would fit the bill. I really wanted to adore this one. It’s got a family actually living INSIDE of a library!! What could be better than that?? And for the first half of the book, I was fully immersed.

What’s The Lions of Fifth Avenue About?

This is a dual narrative, dual timeline book. In one storyline set in 1913, a married woman with children is living inside the famed NYC library. Her husband is writing a novel and she is trying to get a degree to become a journalist. She struggles with balancing the duties of wife, mother, and student.

“Time was going by so quickly. She wanted to do more, be more. The daily chores, the sameness, weighed her down like stones in her pockets. Every day, there was yet another dinner to cook, yet another sock to mend.”

At one point, a book goes missing and her husband may be to blame. In the present day, the granddaughter of that same woman is now also working in the library and curating an exhibit about her now famous grandmother. Again, a book goes missing and she wonders if the two events are somehow connected.

My Thoughts

I think the strength of this book is the library itself. It almost becomes a character in the novel. From the long, dark wooded halls to the reading rooms and secret passages, the building can tell a story on its own! I enjoyed how the author wove nuggets of library history throughout the story.

“the library’s contents must be made available to the good people who seek them out and use them to adnavce knowledge and scholarship. As much as they need protection, we can’t hide them away.”

The original premise of a missing book was interesting and pulled me in. I also really enjoyed learning the depth of what a librarian actually does, especially at a research library. It was fascinating! However, while I usually fully enjoy dual narratives and dual timelines, by the second half of the book the story felt watered down. I wasn’t connected to hardly any of the characters any more, and some of the messages felt preachy and out of place. There is a reveal moment that is supposed to tug at our heartstrings but seems so out of place and random. I also always hate when a simple lack of communication leads to chaos.

Overall, it was a unique setting and a fun mystery to solve. It just lacked the depth that I prefer in my historical fiction books. I think the author wanted to make this a deeper book about women’s liberation but it felt slapped on top of the mystery. This felt more like modern women’s fiction instead of a classic historical fiction novel.

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