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The Phoenix Crown

By: Kate Quinn, Janie Chang
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Katharine Chin
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Editorial Review

Two historical-fiction queens join forces
Ever since her 2017 novel The Alice Network, Kate Quinn has been an automatic download for me (with The Rose Code being a particular favorite). Her stories are based on real people, are super well-researched, always have heroines that I’m rooting for within the first 10 minutes of listening, and are masterfully structured to maximize suspense. I was intrigued to see that for her latest she has a co-author for the first time, Janie Chang, a fellow bestselling historical fiction writer. This listen was my first by Chang, but after this one—about the colliding lives of several fascinating women amid the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—I’ll be digging more into her catalog for sure. This story didn’t miss a step of what I’ve come to expect from Quinn, and these two minds working together only made the work richer. — Audible Editor, Phoebe N.

What listeners say about The Phoenix Crown

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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art and music

Wonderful book full of history, art, music and mystery. Written by 2 authors seems to help the characters develop.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Narrators were wonderful, story excellent, if a bit too good too believe

Liked narrators, blending of cultures. Storyline. Disliked wrapping up a bit too good to be true.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding story and performance

I found the story, the history, and the deliverance exceptional. I will save this book to read again. I've found great books on Audible where the performance completely ruined the the story. Enough accolades cannot be given to these voice actors. They are simply the best! The deliverance can make or break the author's work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect weekend book

Kate Quinn never disappoints and this is no exception. Vibrant characters and storyline that grips from the first paragraph to last.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not my favorite

The book was good, but I like others by these authors better. I would have liked further detail on some of the sub plots.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The Strength of Women

The authors weaved very human female characters, with fears and challenges we all face, who through grit and perseverance survive triumphantly. The historical backdrop was well researched and touched on many of the sad details of American history we should never forget.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Martha Stewart reads the SF earthquake...

Interesting story line and characters had great potential. But, as written, I found the characters to be stiff and lifeless, especially in the Soo Ling/Reggie story. Endless passages about what SooLing was feeling, but I find actions to be so much more revealing. Gemma and Alice seemed real, but not the other 2.
The narration was also stiff, especially the SooLing/Reggie story. Sort of like having Martha Stewart read the book!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Captivating Character and Historical Context

As usual, Saskia M is one of the best narrators you can hire. This book is suspenseful and sweet, as well as unpredictable. I loved the SF setting before the big quake, and I just could t stop listening. The characters were also extremely compelling. I highly recommend this novel.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing offering from Quinn

I love Kate Quinn's books, but this one? Not so much. It's a mixed bag of interesting history with mediocre writing in some spots.

Pros: The part about the SF earthquake itself is interesting, as is the picture of SF and Chinatown of the time drawn by the authors. My favorite character was Alice Eastwood, a tremendously accomplished real person. I'm an opera fan, so I enjoyed all the bits about the opera singer and her work.

Cons: Leans a little too woke for me. I'm so over the tired and lazy trope of the rich white male villain (and the authors disingenuously note at the end that "they tried to cover up their deeds with philanthropy"). But the most astoundingly myopic contrast with the villain was the Chinese auntie who runs a brothel, profiting from the sexual exploitation of poor young Chinese girls--who's portrayed as an entirely sympathetic character! Also, there's a heavy LGB theme, in case that's not your cup of tea. The reveal of one of the characters' gender in a dramatic "SURPRIIIIIIISE!!!" moment felt like a cheap trick by the authors, who I'm sure felt terribly clever. The dialogue in some spots was trite and didn't sound real or believable. But the biggest con for me was the overall tone of "oh my gosh, look how AWFUL everything was for women and minorities back then!" Which I'm not disputing--but don't bash me over the head with it repeatedly. Just let the story speak for itself, without the moralistic overtones.

Saskia Maarleveld knocks it out of the park, as usual. The other narrator had such a similar pitch and timbre to her voice that it took me a while to realize there were two narrators.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad, story was dragged out. Expected more from Quinn

This audible book would have been much better if the book was edited better; and thus a shorter audiobook

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