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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I have loved everything Fiona Davis has written and this is no different. She does a fantastic job of telling two interwoven stories (albeit 80 years apart) about stolen books from the NY public library. I love the characters and the story . A great read .
It's New York, 1913. Jack and Laura Lyons and their children are living in an apartment tucked away inside the New York City Library. Jack is superintendent of the Library by day and a writer by night. Laura becomes a journalism student at Columbia University where a whole new world is about to open up to her. Fast forward 80 years, Sadie Donovan, granddaughter of Laura, works in the same library. They both are searching for more in their lives. However, it will come at a cost. Laura is introduced to the Heterodoxy Club- a free-thinking club for the New Woman. She is so intrigued by the concepts of this club that she begins to question who she is and what roles she ought to have as a woman. Sadie is curator and protector of the Berg Collection at the Library. She is still mourning her divorce and isn't quite sure who she is and what she should be doing in her life. She doesn't want anyone to know that she is related to Laura because in 1913, rare books and manuscripts started to disappear and Sadie believes her Grandfather was the culprit. Her job takes a nightmarish turn when books and manuscripts also begin to disappear from the collection that she is supposed to be protecting. Are the two mysteries related? Can each woman find what they are ultimately looking for?
I was so intrigued by the concept of this book. As a book lover, the idea of living in a library, especially the NYC Public Library, was fascinating. I was pulled in from the first chapter. I am sometimes wary of dual timeline novels because they don't go back and forth smoothly; the storyline ends up getting lost in the scramble between eras. This was not the case however in this book. It flowed so smoothly between times and the detailed descriptions of both times left me wanting more! I even took a virtual tour of the NYC Library just so that I could see what Laura and Sadie were seeing! The characters throughout the book were complex. Laura lived in a time were everything for women was changing. A woman was expected to do and be certain things. Going against the status quo was not to be born. It was exciting for her and the women that she surrounded herself with to take charge of their lives and expect/do more than what society considered proper. There was a strong feminist theme throughout the book. The mystery aspect of the book was wonderful. It came with surprises and an ending I wasn't expecting. I felt a range of emotions while reading. I felt that Jack and Laura were oftentimes selfish and in their own little worlds- which was apparent in their marriage and in their frequent neglect of their children. At the same time, I felt empathy will Laura's need to be something more than what she was and Jack's desire to provide for his family. I wanted to give this book 5 stars but I wasn't comfortable with some of the illicit relationships and language. I was intrigued by this book and will probably read more by this author.
I thank NetGalley, the Author, and Publisher of this book for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy. All opinions in this review are my own.
I was so intrigued by the concept of this book. As a book lover, the idea of living in a library, especially the NYC Public Library, was fascinating. I was pulled in from the first chapter. I am sometimes wary of dual timeline novels because they don't go back and forth smoothly; the storyline ends up getting lost in the scramble between eras. This was not the case however in this book. It flowed so smoothly between times and the detailed descriptions of both times left me wanting more! I even took a virtual tour of the NYC Library just so that I could see what Laura and Sadie were seeing! The characters throughout the book were complex. Laura lived in a time were everything for women was changing. A woman was expected to do and be certain things. Going against the status quo was not to be born. It was exciting for her and the women that she surrounded herself with to take charge of their lives and expect/do more than what society considered proper. There was a strong feminist theme throughout the book. The mystery aspect of the book was wonderful. It came with surprises and an ending I wasn't expecting. I felt a range of emotions while reading. I felt that Jack and Laura were oftentimes selfish and in their own little worlds- which was apparent in their marriage and in their frequent neglect of their children. At the same time, I felt empathy will Laura's need to be something more than what she was and Jack's desire to provide for his family. I wanted to give this book 5 stars but I wasn't comfortable with some of the illicit relationships and language. I was intrigued by this book and will probably read more by this author.
I thank NetGalley, the Author, and Publisher of this book for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy. All opinions in this review are my own.
Books about bookstores and libraries are my jam. And this one that relates the stories of two strong women, generations apart, who have a special relationship with the New York Public Library. Laura, back in the early 1900s, lived in an apartment there with her husband, the superintendent. Sadie Donovan, in the 1990s is a curator of rare books. Laura went on to renown as an essayist and chronicler of the early feminist movement. And Sadie is in search of learning more about Laura Lyons, her maternal grandmother who she never met. The story revolves around thefts of rare books that rock the library. Interesting story with a good historical background to learn.
There were so many things happening in this book that frustrated me. Mostly the idea that this was supposed to be making a point about female empowerment, but then the mom dares reach outside her bounds and her family falls apart. And stays fallen apart.
I was annoyed that she seemed happy with her husband, and thensuddenly she was cheating on him and she seemed to suddenly decide her husband was a controlling bully. It's fine if you want to make a point about the subtlety of power dynamics, but it didn't work for me.
Ultimately I feel like the plot and characters were mismatched.
Also, WTF with arguing for Robin to go to prison while Harry was allowed the opportunity to redeem himself as he grew up? There was some line about Robin not being remorseful enough, basically, and she gets cast as an unredeemable bad guy.
Probably the only thing I liked were the setting and the dynamic between Sadie and Nick.
Even though this was entertaining enough to keep me reading, I was really only compelled to read out of a hope that this disjointed book would somehow redeem itself. I skimmed the last few pages when I realized that redemption wasn't coming.
I was annoyed that she seemed happy with her husband, and then
Ultimately I feel like the plot and characters were mismatched.
Probably the only thing I liked were the setting and the dynamic between Sadie and Nick.
Even though this was entertaining enough to keep me reading, I was really only compelled to read out of a hope that this disjointed book would somehow redeem itself. I skimmed the last few pages when I realized that redemption wasn't coming.
3.5 stars. I was sure that I would love a book about book lovers and the New York Public Library, and it was a fun read. But I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, as evidenced by how long it took me to finish. Parts of it felt forced to me.
A lot of build up. I didn't love the end. But I guess it made sense to wrap things up that way.
What an utterly entrancing story! From start to finish you’re lost in two entwining times that make for an unbelievable story that leaves you breathless at the end.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars for me. Really loved how this one all came together. I was equally excited to keep reading each narrator perspective and enjoyed the touch of mystery woven throughout.
I bought this book after I got home from a trip to NYC which included two trips to the NYPL. I purchased a signed copy from the NYPL online since the bookstore was closed on my second stop to the library. While there I brought a friend who hadn’t been to the library before. I was excited to show her the original Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore stuffed animals loved by the actual little boy and son of A. A. Milne, Christopher Robin. The last time I was at the library was January 2020, pre-COVID, and these loved animals were on display in the actual children’s book section of the library. How cool to be a little kid and this be a part of your “going to the library” experience.
Well, now Pooh was on display in an exhibit called Treasures of the New York Public Library, among MANY, MANY, more interesting writings, books, artifacts, and pieces of interest. Dickens’ cat paw letter opener struck me funny at the exhibit, and it’s mention in the book I found hilarious having just seen this.
The book gave me such high hopes for a good story. The basis being a family living in the NYPL. I mean what book lover hasn’t fantasized that for themselves?! So the story drew me in. Then the dual timelines made me want to finish reading one or the other, but not read them simultaneously. I felt like the plot from the 1913ish era was written with too modern of a voice, trying to incorporate feminist feelings of the era, but if felt forced. I felt like there were many things not delved into with enough detail. I felt like the modern plot was weak, and didn’t choose the book for a lame love story. Quit making librarians weak, boring, lonely, self-loathing “spinsters”.
It eventually became a predictable, “Can we just wrap this up?” kind of read. I didn’t hate it. I just felt like many topics were forced. The stories were all resolved, but maybe not in the depth I would have liked.
Well, now Pooh was on display in an exhibit called Treasures of the New York Public Library, among MANY, MANY, more interesting writings, books, artifacts, and pieces of interest. Dickens’ cat paw letter opener struck me funny at the exhibit, and it’s mention in the book I found hilarious having just seen this.
The book gave me such high hopes for a good story. The basis being a family living in the NYPL. I mean what book lover hasn’t fantasized that for themselves?! So the story drew me in. Then the dual timelines made me want to finish reading one or the other, but not read them simultaneously. I felt like the plot from the 1913ish era was written with too modern of a voice, trying to incorporate feminist feelings of the era, but if felt forced. I felt like there were many things not delved into with enough detail. I felt like the modern plot was weak, and didn’t choose the book for a lame love story. Quit making librarians weak, boring, lonely, self-loathing “spinsters”.
It eventually became a predictable, “Can we just wrap this up?” kind of read. I didn’t hate it. I just felt like many topics were forced. The stories were all resolved, but maybe not in the depth I would have liked.