In their first joint novel, The Phoenix Crown, Kate Quinn (The Huntress) and Janie Chang (The Porcelain Moon) weave a lush and captivating story centered on a priceless Chinese artifact, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and a group of brave, brilliant women who emerge from the ashes of their former lives.
Opera singer Gemma Garland lands in San Francisco 13 days before the earthquake, with high hopes for her West Coast career. While searching for her oldest friend, artist Nellie Doyle, Gemma meets Alice Eastwood, an esteemed botanist, and Feng Suling, a skilled Chinese seamstress trying to escape an arranged marriage. All four women form connections to businessman Henry Thornton, who collects rare Chinese antiques--including the titular crown--but whose ledgers hide damaging secrets, including the key to Nellie's whereabouts. After the quake, Thornton and the crown disappear, leaving Gemma and her friends shaken by their city's destruction and furious at the depth of Thornton's duplicity. Years later, when the crown resurfaces, the women reunite, determined to expose Thornton's secrets and lay the past to rest.
Quinn and Chang's novel is studded with historical detail--Gemma's dazzling gowns, Alice's rare plant specimens, the sights and smells of pre-earthquake Chinatown. The authors expertly explore the social dynamics of the time and examine each woman's layered motives for building the life she wants. The narrative speeds along at a thrilling pace, racing to a conclusion both unexpected and satisfying.
Action-packed and beautifully told, The Phoenix Crown is a jewel for fans of historical fiction and bold, unconventional women. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams