The Lions of Fifth Avenue

The protagonist of The Lions of Fifth Avenue’s past timeline, Laura Lyons is a dutiful wife and mother who harbors ambitions society will not tolerate. She enrolls in the Columbia University School of Journalism hoping for a career as a reporter, but once she gets a taste of Greenwich Village’s activist scene, her writing takes a less objective turn, and her legacy becomes “essayist” rather than “journalist.” Laura rides the first wave of feminism to cultural fame and sexual independence. She is not unhappy as a wife and mother—as her husband Jack is relatively supportive, and her children are “a delight, a wonder” (111)—but she yearns for something more. She wants financial independence and a career that will satisfy her intellectual curiosity. Initially, Jack encourages Sadie, as long as her hobby, as he sees it, doesn’t interfere with childrearing. But when push comes to shove, he prioritizes his career over hers. Laura embodies every frustrated woman who seeks to have what men had at the time—interesting careers and a life beyond housework. Along the way, she discovers a deeper love than she ever had with Jack in former classmate Amelia Potter, a love built on mutual respect and equality.