The Phoenix Crown: A Novel by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang #AudiobookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Best Literature & Fiction

Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2024)

Book Blurb:

From bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles.

San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage. Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.

His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined . . . until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice.

My Review:

While I’m totally mystified by the genre this title falls under, I’m a solid Kate Quinn fan and waited my turn for the library audiobook. This time around, Quinn collaborates with Janie Chang and between the two have seamlessly taken a number of different period stories and created The Phoenix Crown. Actually, that artifact only came up a few times in the story and it was near the end of the book.

My grandfather was caught in this earthquake. I wish I had gotten more stories from him but I do know he sustained a broken hip in the massive earthquake that wrought so much damage that the fire it started burned for three days.* The storyline counts down to the event in April 1906. On the San Andreas fault, the earthquake was felt as far north as the Oregon border, to the east as far as the Nevada border, and to the south in Las Angeles. Chinatown was burned to the ground as was Nob Hill and most SF landmarks.

There are several POVs including Gemma, Suling, and Alice. Their stories are linked by antagonist Henry Thornton. Not the first book I’ve read of the plight of the Chinese immigrants of the time given their role in the construction of the railroads. Suling becomes my favorite character as she relates her circumstances, a strong woman who doggedly plugs along on her quest for freedom when she is orphaned and third uncle is prepared to marry her off. She works for the family’s laundry but is a talented embroideress and it is that talent that helps to catapult her into independence.

Gemma has a gorgeous voice but is relegated to the backup voices or choir as she confronts debilitating migraines if faced with solos. She meets Thornton who sweet-talks her into believing he’ll make her a star. Uh huh. Of the three, she is weakest.

Alice Eastwood is a botanist and based on a real person of the time who still has her work displayed in the de Young Museum (read the epilogue and author’s notes at the end for how this all came together and that’s a fascinating account in itself).

The tension builds in the countdown to the earthquake. The three women unite in an effort to survive Thornton and the quake but five years later as realization hits that the Phoenix Crown survived, they know they must find Thornton once and for all.

“It wasn’t enough for a woman to be talented, clever, or good. That wouldn’t save her.”

It’s a story of the strength of women, particularly when they work together, the hardships faced at the time, the lively and burgeoning city, and the arts. More than just the name of the Crown, there is a little play with the words Suling and Phoenix, both rising from the ashes.

I had a little problem keeping up with Suling, alternately called Susie and Gemma’s friend (who is the reason for her moving to San Francisco). I first thought a man, Reggie, but that name changed as the plot progressed into a sub-plot.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. Narrated in part by Saskia Maarleveld–also a big fan–she always does a super job. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: World War I Historical Fiction, Historical World War I Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0BSP718CY
Listening Length: 11 hrs 35 mins
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld, Katharine Chin
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: The Phoenix Crown – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

 

The Authors:

Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of southern California, she attended Boston University where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. She has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network”, “The Huntress,” “The Rose Code,” “The Diamond Eye,” and “The Briar Club.” She is also a co-author in several collaborative novels including “The Phoenix Crown” with Janie Chang and “Ribbons of Scarlet” with Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Heather Webb. All have been translated into multiple languages. Kate and her husband now live in Maryland with three rescue dogs.

Janie Chang‘s historical novels have been critically-acclaimed Canadian national bestsellers. Her novels THREE SOULS and DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD were long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS was a Book of the Month Club pick. Her fourth novel, THE PORCELAIN MOON, was named one of the 5 Top Historical Novels of 2023 by the Toronto Star. THE PHOENIX CROWN, a novel co-authored with Kate Quinn, released in February 2024.

Her stories often feature a family connection, drawing from a family history with 36 generations of recorded genealogy and stories about life in a small Chinese town in the years before the Second World War, including tales of ancestors who encountered dragons, ghosts, and immortals.

Born in Taiwan, Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada with her husband.

©2024 V Williams

*SF pic by Travel Channel