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The Phoenix Crown

A Novel

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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.

20th Century Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Women's Fiction Fiction China Exciting Natural Disaster San Francisco
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Loved the time period and learned a lot but not one of my favourites. I have read and listened to a lot of Kate Quinn’s books but this story seemed forced and repetitive. I liked one narrator much more than the other.

Lobed the time period and theme

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Did not enjoy as much as The Alice Network
Not the best historical fiction this year..

Epilogue is the best part…

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This was a bit of a slog for me. I never really got invested in any of the characters so it was hard to care about what happened to them. Narrators were better than the story. Implausible ending. Meh.

A bit tedious

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Suspense, intrigue, historical fiction and women supporting women and so much more.
Narration was fantastic.
if you are looking for a great book this is it.

Great Novel

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I liked how each chapter counted down the time to the earth quake and how this book depicted historical details I was unfamiliar with. I also enjoyed the strong women characters. It was masterfully woven into a very engaging story.

How the story wove together each character

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