The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

Title: The Phoenix Crown
Authors: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
Narrators: Saskia Maarleveld and Katherine Chin
Publication: HarperCollins, Audiobook, 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: San Francisco, 1906; Paris, 1911

Description: Four unusual women meet in San Francisco, just days before the infamous earthquake of 1906 and resulting fire that lasted three days, destroying nearly thirty thousand buildings and killing at least 600. Gemma Garland, a soprano, has traveled to San Francisco not only for the opportunity to sing in the chorus of the traveling company of the Metropolitan Opera but also because she is broke and depressed. Her best friend Nellie is working as an artist there and urged her to come but has left without a trace by the time Gemma arrives, helped with her luggage by Suling, a Chinese young woman dressed as a boy for safety. Alice Eastwood is a noted botanist living at the boarding house at Nellie’s last known address on Taylor Street where Gemma, with no other options, rents her friend’s empty room.

When Gemma tries out the acoustics as the Grand Opera House, a millionaire art-lover, Henry Thornton, hears her sing and decides he can help make her a star and simultaneously impress the rich elite of San Francisco. Gemma wanted to make it on her own but she is intrigued by Thornton and becomes his mistress, as well as his protégée. Thornton has filled his beautiful Octagon House on Nob Hill with Chinese treasures, including the Phoenix Crown, a magnificent headdress made of jade, sapphires, pearls and feathers, an exquisitely embroidered Dragon Robe, and adds beautiful blonde Gemma to his collection. Suling is chosen to mend the Dragon Robe, which throws her and Gemma together hours before the earthquake strikes . . .

My Impression: I have enjoyed several of Kate Quinn’s books, especially The Rose Code, set at Bletchley Park during WWII. I was very intrigued by this collaboration which was Quinn’s idea after they met on a book tour; she was interested in writing about the famous earthquake and “[t]he more she thought about the story, however, the more she realized that it was going to need an authentic Chinatown heroine, too, a character she hoped Chang would want to write.” Quinn, a trained singer, had a particular affinity for writing about a soprano, and Chang, born in Taiwan and now living in Canada, was fascinated by Suling and Chinatown. 

Writing a book together must be challenging but I couldn’t really distinguish between their writing, although the chapters set in Chinatown or about the Chinese characters reveal the casual racism experienced by the Chinese in San Francisco at this time. As well, the story reveals how vulnerable single women are – Gemma’s savings were embezzled by her manager, Nellie is betrayed by her lover, and Suling’s uncle tries to force her into an arranged marriage. Alice Eastwood, a real and admirable character, is much older than the others and has fought hard to reach her position as Curator of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences, but might be dismissed by some as a dowdy old maid.  All four women are devoted to their careers which is very unusual for this era.

What I liked best about the book was its portrayal of early 20th century San Francisco: the lavish life of Henry Thornton, Gemma’s dreams of being a star, and Suling’s desire to travel and use her sewing skills as a fashion designer. Additional drama is created by a countdown for the headings of the first 17 chapters with the amount of time left before the earthquake, which modern readers know will plunge the city into chaos. Betsy-Tacy fans will especially enjoy Gemma’s interaction with Enrico Caruso, who was actually in San Francisco and performed in Carmen the night before the earthquake:

But Caruso paused in that sudden onstage crush of chorus members trailing off to their dressing rooms and stagehands rushing to secure the props and gave Gemma a pinch on the chin.

“Very nice, carissima,” he said kindly. “Next time not so nervous, si?”

“You carried me out there,” Gemma told him with complete honesty. The tantrum-throwing boy-child of the day’s rehearsal had completely vanished by the time the curtain went up; during their duet he’d been quick to cover up her blocking mistakes and effortlessly melded that glorious tenor with hers even though they’d only had a single run-through that morning.

Despite her glorious voice, Gemma’s career has suffered due to her debilitating migraines, which make her an unreliable performer. I was (temporarily) annoyed with the authors when she left San Francisco without learning about and possibly trying acupuncture but it is suggested at the very end. Not that I have ever tried it for mine but it seemed an obvious recommendation.

Source: Library. This is my seventh book for Marg's 2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.