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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
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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

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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A Queen of the Night

There’s a lot to love about this jewel of a book, showing a more full picture of the San Francisco earthquake than I’ve read to date. I loved everything about it, from the pitch perfect narrations, to China Town and all its accoutrements and personalities, to the Opera, to the wickedness of mankind and loveliness of friends and strangers. The authors’ notes really surprised me, too—I didn’t expect so much to be based on truth! (And it helped me understand why the technical parts of the opera portrayal were so accurate, 👏).

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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It was Ok.

I didn't like the narration of Reggie's character highly accented to the point of distraction and I didnt like her characterat all. Saskia's narration was great, even though I didn't like the characters or their personal stories. They seemed a bit sappy wavering back and forth. Alice and George were the best. The story itself was ok. I didn't like that it had a part 2 for 5 years later. As much as I love Kate Quinn books I was a little disappointed.

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2 people found this helpful

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

I Wanted To Love This Book

I am big Kate Quinn fan. I have read all her books and love the great details, character development and twists and turns along the way. The time period and setting of a countdown to the SF earthquake is exciting and I so wanted to love this book. I didn't care about any of the characters as I normally do in her books. The storyline didn't have its usual twists and turns. I liked the book but didn't love it.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Interesting novel

I enjoyed the characters lives and the historical events depicted - San Fran earthquake - the story was a bit over the top but it was fun nevertheless!

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

Kate Quinn— the queen!

Another great one by Kate and my first exposure to Janie Chang. A beautiful story with complex characters woven together in phenomenal fashion.

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

Fantastic and engaging

Wonderful story and character development while teaching fascinating history, just as I’ve come to expect from Quinn and Chang!!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    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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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    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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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 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
    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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