E-Audio, 10:37:01
Narrated by: Erin Bennett & Lisa Flanagan
Release Date: August 4, 2020
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: September 26-30, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Library (Overdrive)
TW: Suicide
For fans of: Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Libraries, Anything Bookish, Love Triangle, LGBTQ, AdultIn 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I know this blog is mostly for my YA readings, but every so often I run into an adult book that has caught my attention and I like it so much I have to blog about it here. And man, this was one of those books.
In 1913 Laura Lyons and family move into the apartment in the New York Public Library. She’s happy, but she wants more. She begins classes at Columbia where a whole new world is opened to her. But then things begin to happen that shows her she should look differently at some of her priorities. Then in 1993, when Sadie struggles with the legacy of her grandparents, the famous essayist and the famous thief of a rare book. Things get weird when the same thing begins happening now too. Can Sadie and find out why this keeps happening and save her family’s current name in the process?
My favorite thing about this was the mystery. I don’t like historical fiction, but when it’s mixed with something that I do like, like a mystery, it ends up being a much easier read for me. And this one was no different. And since this one was a mystery that was about books, it was definitely right up my alley. And to make it better, there was a mystery present in both timelines. And they ended up being very similar. I thought this was so cool. It always amazes me how authors can keep timelines like this together when it might be for two different times. (Reason 385847362906068271 why I don’t like historical fiction, too many facts lolol)
I also wanted to read this since it was bookish. And these were rare books so that made it better. And of course, since it was bookish, I was interested to see if this was based on a specific case, or if the only facts in this case were the fact the library was old, they have rare, original books, and the reading room where the books are not supposed to leave from. So I went looking. I didn’t really find much, but I did find this and this. Never heard of this happening before reading this, but now I need to know all the things about it. (To clarify, Idk if this is wha this book is based on, but there are some similarities, and I do want to investigate them!) These are the only types of historical fiction that I like. When I can actively learn something about the topic. And with this one, it was bookish and I learned something, so I was super happy with it.
I went into this not expecting to love this like I did. I thought it would be my normal reaction to historical fiction, but it definitely surprised me that there was so much in this book that I loved. I really hope to get to more Fiona Davis if there’s more like this. Special thanks to GMA for being the one who brought this book to my attention.
Overall, I give this
Have you read this? Were you interested at all? Did you know anything about Harry Gold and Book Row? Let me know in the comments!