The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

Title: The Phoenix Crown

Author: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

Publisher: William Morrow 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Decades - 1900s-1910s

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.

One of our choices for book club discussion at the retreat. Kate Quinn is always a crowd-pleaser and I was hoping this new one would fit the group. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Right away we meet three women attempting to navigate life in early 1900s San Francisco. I loved Alice and was intrigued by Suling. Gemma was my least favorite of the women. Despite being “worldly,” I felt that she was the most naive of the women. I wanted to spend more time with Alice and her studies. And I wanted to see the city through Suling’s eyes even more than we get. The big earthquake is coming (they of course do not know) and there is a sense of dread in every chapter. More so than Quinn’s other books, this one has a suspense feel to it. I wasn’t opposed, but it was a different tone. Chang’s voice comes mainly through Suling and her discussions of Chinese Americans and Chinatown. I would have love more information about the Phoenix Crown itself and more discussions about the theft of artifacts. Alas, those sections fall a little short. I throughly enjoyed my reading time, but this one doesn’t quite reach the heights of The Alice Network.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

Title: The Library of Legends

Author: Janie Chang

Publisher: William Morrow 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project

China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends.

Her family’s past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students’ common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother.

On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow’s true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country’s fate forever.

This was such a good book club selection. I was hesitant to read another WWII book, but the setting in China dealing with a slighter different conflict was a nice change. I am fairly ignorant about the Second Sino-Japanese War and this book gave me some insight into the conflict. I loved how the book moved back and forth across China as the characters made the journey to safety and then to family. Lian and Shao are interesting characters and interesting motivations. I loved the mostly fictional Library of Legends. I love the inclusion of the legends themselves and the glimpses that we saw of the mythical creatures and gods. Chang skillfully weaves the fantastical elements into a very down-to-Earth story of families. My only issue was the book was the very rushed last 30 pages. Everything wrapped up too quickly for my tastes. I would have liked a bit different pacing for the second half.

Next up on the TBR pile: