6
DECEMBER 1�8, 2021
FROM THE SHELF
CHECKING OUT THE
WORLD OF BOOKS
Books, mystery and more in
‘The Lions of Fifth Avenue’
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
I
’m not the best book club
member.
It’s not the books that are the
issue — it’s more to do with my
ability to commit to an actual
meeting. I blame COVID (what
else?) for aff ecting my atten-
dance because we switched to
Zoom meetings over the past
year. While it was nice to have
this option, it’s just not the same
as being in the same space with
people and discussing a book
in real-time — without worrying
about why my computer is slug-
gish or how to adjust lighting so
others can actually see my face.
I’m still reading the books,
though. And I have the Decem-
ber meeting on my calendar
— in person, at Betty’s Books! I
even fi nished the selection early
so I don’t have to worry about
spoilers during the discussion.
This month’s pick was “The
Lions of Fifth Avenue” by Fiona
Davis.
I really enjoyed this book.
It’s about books and librar-
ies — both topics that I love
— but also about a woman who
pursues a journalism degree in
1913.
The story goes back and
forth between 1913 and 1993.
The earlier storyline follows
Laura Lyons, a mother and wife
who scrapes together enough
money to attend the new Co-
lumbia Journalism School while
her husband writes a novel and
works as superintendent of the
New York Public Library.
The story in 1993 is about
Sadie Donovan, who is a librar-
ian at the same library and cura-
tor of an exhibit that will display
items and writings by Laura Ly-
ons (who happens to be Sadie’s
grandmother she never met).
While I enjoyed both story-
lines, I connected the most with
Laura because she is trying to
balance her family with a career
— the same career that I have
chosen. I found it fascinating to
read about her struggles in jour-
nalism school when the profes-
sor sent the men to cover trials
and government meetings while
assigning the women to cover
“softer” stories about fashion or
why a local hotel stopped serv-
ing butter.
(Fun fact: The author of the
book attended Columbia Jour-
nalism School.)
I’m fortunate to live in a time
when stories are not deemed
inappropriate for a woman to
cover. I could feel Laura’s frus-
tration when she really wanted
to tell a story but the cultural
constraints made it unladylike to
pursue.
Without spoiling too much ...
she does go on to become an
essayist and write her opinions
about the societal roles
assigned to men and women.
The book also has a bit of
mystery — rare books start
disappearing in 1913 and some
are never recovered. As Sadie
works on her exhibit 80 years
later, irreplaceable books are
again stolen. It is the connection
between past and present that
will help solve the thefts.
Bottom line: I would recom-
t
sco oo u k n s on a ly)
i
d
0% d b ing
Lisa Britton/Go! Magazine
mend this book. The story
moves quickly, and each chapter
ends with a bit of a cliff hanger.
Now I’m off to fi nd other
books by Fiona Davis — I do love
discovering an author who has
other works already fi nished. I’m
not good at waiting.
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ub
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o
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a
e
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