The Phoenix Crown, written by best-selling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, is an exciting and fascinating story about two women whose lives are linked, from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the splendor of Versailles.
This book has a good user rating of ⭐3.97, following 3.11k+ ratings and 565+ reviews on goodreads. It also has a ⭐4.3 rating on Amazon with 505+ user reviews. This book was published by Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks on February 13, 2024.
Review: The Phoenix Crown by Kat Quinn & Janie Chang
Summary & Review:
Gemma is an opera singer with big dreams. Her dreams are so big that they bring her to San Francisco, a city that is getting rich and expanding quickly. Her friend Nellie has already made friends with the hippie crowd that entertains the rich. Alice is a botanist who is interested in California‘s plants and animals but doesn’t care about social rules.
Chinatown is where Suling lives. She just lost her parents and wants to make a life for herself by herself, away from her sneaky uncle who wants to set up her marriage. Henry Thornton is the link between all of these strong but different people. Henry is rich because of railroads. He knows what he wants and gets it when he sees it.
Related: The Diabolical by David Putnam
Even though these women are strong, Henry’s charm, contacts, and support make it easier for them to reach their goals. “It wasn’t enough for a woman to be talented, smart, or good,” Henry said. That wasn’t going to save her. With each chapter read, the time until the big 1906 earthquake gets shorter. It becomes clear that Henry isn’t who he seems to be, and everyone is playing their own game of charades.
Short Summary:
1906, San Francisco. In a city full of new millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women want to change their lives: Gemma, a soprano with golden hair and a silvery voice who needs to get her career back on track, and Suling, a small but determined Chinatown embroiderer who wants to get out of an arranged marriage. They meet when they are drawn to Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose amazing collection of Chinese antiques includes the famous Phoenix Crown, a piece of Beijing’s destroyed Summer Palace.
Important Info about this Book/Novel
| Series | None |
| Print Length (Format) | 391 Pages – Kindle |
| ISBN | 0063304732 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | William Morrow Paperbacks |
| Author | Kat Quinn & Janie Chang |
| Publication Date | February 13, 2024 |
| File Size | 3239 KB |
| Listening Length | 11h 35m |
| Narrator | Saskia Maarleveld, Katharine Chin |
| Audible Release Date | February 13, 2024 |
