Take two resilient women from different worlds, one earthquake and a wealthy but cruel benefactor and you have the makings of a fantastic historical thriller set in 1906 San Francisco. Gemma is an opera singer who hopes to get her big break singing with legend Caruso but falls under the guiding hand and chokehold of a wealthy patron. Suling pretends to be a boy delivering laundry in Chinatown but is a very skilled embroideress who longs to set up her own shop in Paris. Both women meet through Henry Thornton's patronage and his collection of Chinese antiques.
The earthquake and fire change all their lives but it isn't until years later that the mystery and circle is complete. Rapid pace, historical drama with captivating characters make this yet another example of why these two authors on at the forefront of their genre. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I was eager to read this novel as a fan of Kate Quinn, but I was mildly disappointed with the writing quality and lack of character development. I found the plot obvious and the two main characters to be very naive, even for the historical era of this novel. This may not be an issue for many readers, but I found it really difficult to be engaged with the story because of the plot/characters. Hopefully this novel will be more enjoyable for most readers.

As a result of busy season at work and school starting for me, finding time for leisure reading has been quite difficult the past few weeks. Even so, I was able to squeeze in several ARCs that I had lined up to read in September, which, given the timing, I’m glad I was able to finish.

One of those ARCs is The Phoenix Crown, a new collaborative novel by two popular authors known for writing brilliant historical fiction: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang. I’ve been excited to read this book since I first heard about it earlier in the year, not only because of the interesting premise, but also because both authors have separately written works that I’ve loved, so of course, I went into this one with high hopes. And in the end, it definitely did not disappoint.

Despite what the book summary might allude to, the narrative here isn’t actually a dual timeline, as majority of the story takes place in 1906 — it is only in the last quarter of the book or so that the story fast forwards 6 years to 1912. While the plot was not as riveting as I expected (a few scenes did feel a tad bit contrived), the historical details were superbly done — of course not a surprise given that both Quinn and Chang are established historical fiction authors. One of the things I enjoyed most though was following the character arcs of the four women at the center of the story, all of whom had distinct personalities as well as fascinating backstories — though the character I would’ve been most interested in reading more about was Feng Suling, the skilled embroideress who hailed from San Francisco’s Chinatown in the aftermath of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Author’s Note at the end of the book is definitely a must-read, as both Quinn and Chang provide quite a bit of historical context for both the characters (several of whom were real people or based on real people) and the various events covered in the story. It was also in the Author’s Note that I learned about a reference in the story to Chang’s previous novel The Porcelain Moon, which I had read earlier this year and really enjoyed (for me, its always fun to discover throwbacks and references to authors’ prior works).

I don’t want to say too much, as I don’t want to give anything away, so I will just put my name in the hat to recommend reading this (and hope for another future collaboration between these two fantastic authors). One thing to note is that the publication date on this book seems to have changed, as I originally had this as coming out this month (September 2023), but I recently noticed that there is now a finalized publication date in February 2024 (I mention this in case it matters for those interested in reading this one). While waiting for another collaboration, I’m glad that both authors have plenty of works in their own respective oeuvres that I can continue to explore!

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

The Phoenix Crown revolves around four women in 1906 San Francisco: a naive opera singer, Chinese-American embroiderer, curious botanist, and elusive painter. The majority of the plot counts down to the great earthquake, providing built-in suspense that drives the story forward.

I read everything by Kate Quinn (she is one of my favorite historical fiction authors), and I was intrigued to see this co-authored story about a time period that fascinates me. I appreciated the thorough research and strong sense of voice for the two POV characters; the division between Quinn and Chang worked well to delineate the parallel perspectives. I also really enjoyed the afterword on the immense amount of work it took them both to bring this story together.

Overall, I liked this one! Not as much as some other historical fiction, but it was a welcome addition to the genre. The centering of a queer character of color was excellent and felt fully realized. I found the primary antagonist a bit cartoonishly evil, but I suspect a number of robber barons/magnates/society men/philanthropists/whatever you call them from the era were really like this!

3.5/5: Great for anyone interested in the history of San Francisco, particularly the earthquake & its aftermath or turn-of-the-century Chinatown.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. Kate Quinn is one of those authors that triggers an immediate "yep I'm reading that" within me. I don't even read what the book is about, I just choose Kate. I've never been disappointed, and this book is no exception. Quinn and Chang write very well together-I'm always nervous that I'll be able to distinguish between authors if there are more than one, and I couldn't tell who did what in this book. The blurb really hooked me in before reading it, and I was instantly absorbed in the work. The novel weaves a spell around these women, their history, their searching, and their time period. This was a marvelous read.

The Phoenix Crown, written by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang is a historical fiction set in San Francisco during the days leading up to the earthquake in 1906. The book is the story of 4 women brought together in San Francisco. Gemma is an opera singer, who is down on her luck and comes to visit her friend Nellie in San Francisco. When she arrives, Nellie is not there and she meets Alice, a botanist and Suling, a Chinese-American embroiderer. Told from Suling’s and Gemma’s perspectives the story gives an insight in the difficulties the women encounter in a time where women did not have many rights or opportunities.
I loved the book! The prologue had me hooked. Set 5 years after the 1906 earthquake, one of the main characters, Alice reads in a newspaper in Paris that the Phoenix Crown is back and she sends out 3 telegrams. The story turns back in time and starts during the days leading up to the earthquake in San Francisco. The first chapters are slow paced, giving you time to get to know the main characters and historical setting. The further I read the book, the more I cared about the main characters and wanted them to succeed in life. I loved the way the characters were written and developed during the story; Suling and Gemma have distinct voices and are strong women who set out to improve their live. The book has less action than other Kate Quinn books, but it did not matter, since I loved the way the story was told.

Kate Quinn is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint! I am also interested to read any of the Janie Chang books, since she is not an author I am familiar with.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy!

What an interesting book. You have four women, all of them from different walks of life. Who all get tied together through one man, and an epic night that changes their lives forever. This book is just so well written. The characters are vibrant, easy to dive into their stories and get lost. Everything about this book is beautifully crafted and will enchant readers. I loved having Suling character be able to blend in such a way that she could be anything that was needed. Just such an interesting way to look at perspective and how people viewed others during this time period. This is the perfect book for a book club, be it at the library or a private one. I am looking forward to recommending it real soon.
Thank you so much to William Morrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. This will appear on Goodreads.
Kate Quinn is one of those authors that I consider a go-to when recommending historical fiction to both my patrons and our book clubs. In fact, as soon as this book was announced, I ordered copies and put it on my book club calendar. Her books are consistently good, with well developed plot and characters, and evident historical research.
In early days and without a description, I thought this book must have been set in Asia, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
This novel is set mostly in San Francisco with a countdown to the great earthquake of 1906. Told in dueling narration, we meet and opera singer and a Chinese American young girl struggling to make her way. Supporting characters include a painter, a botanist, and a wealthy businessman. The Phoenix crown is a looted headdress from China that is in the railroad magnates collection. There is also an intricately embroidered robe and a queen of the night flower that are tied into the story.
The great things about this novel are the characters, the pacing of the book during the earthquake, and the descriptions of the subplots. The books narration seamlessly goes between characters and you truly wouldn’t know which author is writing which part. That is unusual.
The book does start off slow and it took me a little while to sink my claws in, as there is a lot going on. I thought that a couple characters were superfluous to the story with their only job to be linking the main characters just a bit more.
No matter. Kate Quinn fans will love this book and it is a solid collaborative novel. For me, the best part was how seamless this book was. I’ve read many collaborative historical fiction and this feels like the authors really paid attention to detail and worked well together. Kudos to Quinn and Janie Chang.
4*

An absolutely fantastic, gripping novel that I could not put down! Intricately plotted with fascinating characters, spanning the globe from New York to San Fransisco, Paris to Buenos Aires. "The Phoenix Crown" is told from the point of view of two main characters : Gemma, an opera singer betting on success with a chance to sing with the Met's traveling company, and Suling, a San Fransisco native with a gift for amazing embroidery, but an outsider outside of Chinatown. Both women fall into the path of millionaire Henry Thornton, and the wreckage and rebirth of their lives begin with the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake.
Peopled with fascinating supporting characters and intricate detail, "The Phoenix Crown" is transportative historical fiction at its best.

The Phoenix Crown is an authentic feeling title from Kate Quinn with coauthor Janie Chang. As the 1906 earthquake approaches, four women’s lives intersect via newly wealthy Henry Thornton who has diverse interests - from botany to Chinese antiquities (with questionable cultural property issues). The insights into Chinese immigrants in San Francisco and the descriptions of Chinatown are vivid and enthralling. The differences and prejudices in the population as a whole are handled with sensitivity and depth. The plot which involves a murder is highly engaging with enough twists and turns to keep me avidly reading. I’m awarding four stars because the beginning felt slow. This should be another popular historical fiction novel that will especially please those readers with WWII fatigue.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review

I wasn't sure how a co-authored book by Kate Quinn would be, and I've never read Janie Chang, but this was definitely a solid historical novel. There are two primary female protagonists in this store - Suling, a first generation Chinese American woman who has lost most of her family and is plotting her escape from San Francisco's Chinatown, and Gemma, a 30-something opera singer who travels from New York to San Francisco to play a part in a performance and to see her old friend. Their stories intersect in some interesting ways, and also find themselves connected to Alice, a botanist. These intersections mostly occur in an octagonal house in San Francisco, owned by Henry Thornton, a successful businessman who wants to be a patron of the arts and also seems to have an obsession with stolen Chinese artifacts, like the titular Phoenix Crown. The story builds slowly to an extremely dramatic climax in the form of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the devastating fire that followed. This was clearly very well researched, and I was impressed that it didn't feel choppy (which can sometimes happen with multiple authors). The characters were well-developed, the period details felt authentic, and it kept my interest the whole time.

The Phoenix Crown is another winner from historical fiction author Kate Quinn, this time joined by co-author Janie Chang. Loved the characters and the 1906 San Francisco setting, will definitely recommend this title.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from NetGalley.

While the Phoenix Crown was a little slow to get going... once it did, this story took off in true Kate Quinn fashion! Kate Quinn's partnership with Janie Chang is a win for this historical fiction! I do have to say that historical fiction and Kate Quinn are one of my favorite all time pairs in the literary world!

Four strong female characters whose stories intertwine and come together during the days leading up to the San Francisco 1906 earthquake and fire. This book has it all... love, murder, revenge, diverse relationships, drugs, and suspense. It was really interesting to read about a time period that I am not as familiar with as a reader.

The Phoenix Crown will definitely be an addition to my high school library collection for both my students and staff! Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow Publishing the opportunity to read The Phoenix Crown as an ARC.

Loved getting to know these women. This is a time period I knew nothing about and I found myself doing research on the side, to find out more about this time in history, especially the earthquake in San Francisco. And I felt so dense, that I did not even kind of see the twist where Suling's lover and Gemma's best friend are the same person!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for an advanced copy of this book of historical fiction that takes place in San Francisco dealing with a missing people, family, second chances and a mysterious wealthy patron and his antiques, while a catastrophe looms closer and closer.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres as well obviously it combines two things I enjoy history and fiction, but it allows writers to share more about the life of people and the events they observe, sometimes in ways that are better than straight history. In well-researched books one learns about the time through food, drink, occupations, class and more. Some books have a habit of making their characters stick out too much, oh look how liberated and ahead that person is which can take a person out of the story. Also there is a fascination with changing history to fit narrative which I am not a fan of. Which is why I enjoy the books of Kate Quinn. This is a different book for Quinn, taking place at the turn of the 20th century, not World War II as she is known. And writing with a co-author, which allows her to look at the life of a great city through another person's eye, which is always great. The one thing that hasn't changed, Quinn can write and hold readers and The Phoenix Crown is another perfect book from Kate Quinn, and Janie Chang.

The book starts with Gemma, needing a change of scenery and quickly. A talented singer, Gemma has lost her position in the Opera company she was with because of a scandal, and has found a job working a chorus line in San Francisco. Gemma writers to her friend Nelllie, who runs with an interesting crowd, telling Nellie that Gemma is coming, but when she arrives San Francisco Nellie is no where to be found. Suling is a young Chinese woman caught in a desperate situation. She has been promised as third wife to a doctor, a deal Suling has no interest at all in keeping. Suling has been hiding as a male, when Suling meets Gemma ad decides to help her look for Nellie. At the same time a wealthy patron is wooing Gemma with stories of becoming her patron and bringing her up in the world. Thornton has an incredible antiques collection, might know something about Nelllie, and just seems off. And as these characters interact, a countdown is set for a catastrophe that will change many things in the city.

Again, a different kind of book for Quinn, but one that shows Quinn's range, abilities, and savviness in picking a co-writer. The story is entertaining, interesting, sad and very good. I really enjoyed the use of a countdown, or doomsday clock to when the Earthquake would hit. I though that was quite a good way of dealing with the big object that would shake the room. The story is told in alternating narratives, which are clear and make sense. Readers won't get lost following along. The writing is very good, as is the dialogue of the characters which seems to fit them well. The authors show how hard it is to be a woman, and the many travails that women have to deal with, and yet the characters loose none of their well gumption. A very good story.

I appreciate when authors change things up, not become complacent and try something new. A very enjoyable story, one that tells a very big story, and tells it well. I'm excited to see what Kate Quinn might try next.

A disgraced opera singer flees NYC to meet up with her friend who is a paonter in SanFrancisco. Upon arriving, she meets a Chinese "boy" who turns out to be a seamstress who is trying to evade an arranged marriage. She also meets a wealthy man who offers to be her patron. She has not yet discovered his deception and his dark side. When the earthquake occurs, all their lives are thrown into turmoil, and these women travel to the ends of the globe to seek justice. An engrossing, fast-paced work of historical fiction!

Two excellent authors, Kate Quinn and Janie Chang collaborate on this elegant and intriguing historical novel set again the background of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Art music and exquisite rare antiques feature heavily as does experiences in China and Chinese experience in San Francisco at the time. A very compelling book.

4⭐

I love Kate Quinn novels and fell in love with her writing with The Rose Code and The Diamond Eye.

The Phoenix Crown is different in many ways, and is co-written with Janie Chang. It takes place in San Francisco during the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire in the early 1900's.

I actually liked this book more after I read the author notes at the back of the book about the characters and which parts of the book were real and which were imagined, so don't skip that part!

Gemma is a disgraced Opera singer, still singing in the chorus line, and desperate for a fresh start. When she lands a role in a chorus line in San Francisco, she immediately writes to her friend Nellie, an artist currently living in San Francisco, to let her know she could really use her friend.

Nellie has just written back to let her know she will be there but when Gemma arrives, she is nowhere to be found. This isn't entirely unusual for her free spirited friend, but seems a little out of character to have written her and said she'd be there and then she isn't.

Suling, a Chinese American, is soon expected to marry a much older doctor, and join his household as his third wife. When her parents drowned, her whole world fell apart, and her Uncle took over her life. He gambles away their earnings and has squandered her parent's laundry business. She plans to leave San Francisco behind and try to start new somewhere else on her own, rather than marry.

When Gemma arrives, she meets a handsome wealthy man, Henry, who has a proposition for her. He wants to make her a star. Everything seems too good to be true, and when she starts to suspect Nellie didn't leave on her own, things get complicated.

Strong female main characters made this a fun read, but it was a little slower than the other books I have read by Kate Quinn. It picked up more towards the middle!

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

This book didn't hold my attention quite as well as Kate Quinn's previous novels, but it was still an exciting read. I really liked the POV characters; they were all very different women, and I really appreciated how they all complemented one another. I also hadn't read many books about the time period, so it was interesting to explore a city and time I wasn't very familiar with.

Kate Quinn has recently made a name for herself with her historical novel set in WWII. This is a new subject for her. I love books set at the turn of the century involving immigrants and robber barons in NYC. However, this takes place on San Francisco. The authors did a great job of creating the time and place, and the feel of the city at the time. It is clear there was a great deal of research prior to the writing of the book. While it is a commentary on the social sensibilities of the day, and women's place in society at any given time, it is also a well-crafted mystery surrounding a priceless Chinese artifact. It can be a little slow in parts, but the most part it is a highly readable and enjoyable historical novel.. Thanks Net Galley for this ARC opportunity!.