The Phoenix Crown
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4.0 • 22 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
San Francisco is a dazzling and dangerous world in Kate Quinn and Janie Chang’s enticing historical mystery. It’s 1906, and Gemma Garland has just arrived in town with dreams of opera stardom when the charming and wealthy Henry Thornton offers to jump-start her career with a gig performing at a high-society party in his mansion. That’s where she befriends the talented embroiderer Suling Feng, and the two women begin noticing some mysterious happenings among the prized antiques at Thornton’s estate—and they question just how deep their patron’s secrets may go. Full of glamour and mystique, this compelling tale seamlessly turns the real-life story of the deadly San Francisco earthquake into a thrilling whodunit (complete with a shocking murder!). And best of all, we get to solve it with two fabulous, hardworking women who dare to challenge the status quo. The velvety-voiced Saskia Maarleveld and melodic Katharine Chin embody the two leads beautifully. If you’re looking for a historical thrill ride with feminist flair, look no further than The Phoenix Crown.
