Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
“The Phoenix Crown” is the story Gemma, a up and coming opera star and Suling, a Chinatown Embroideress , both trying to change their fortunes right before and after the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. They come together under the patronage of Henry Thornton, who promises to catapult them to their future, but he be may not be exactly what he seems.
This book has all the elements of a great historical fiction novel, chaos of the San Francisco earthquake, strong women, different cultures, a mysterious man, and even a feathered friend. Unfortunately, the book was okay, but did not live up to my high expectations. I had difficulty getting fully invested in the lives of these interesting women. The culture and history of San Francisco at that time created a fascinating backdrop but felt somewhat superficial. It felt like the book might have been trying to do too much, trying to force story line into a time period, and in that, didn’t do enough? This is my second book set during the San Francisco Earthquake that I went into with high hopes but was disappointed at the historical nature of the setting. Given the unexpected and devastating nature nature of Earthquakes, maybe forcing a story around it is the challenge? Overall this is a good book, but will not be in my top Kate Quinn books.
This book has all the elements of a great historical fiction novel, chaos of the San Francisco earthquake, strong women, different cultures, a mysterious man, and even a feathered friend. Unfortunately, the book was okay, but did not live up to my high expectations. I had difficulty getting fully invested in the lives of these interesting women. The culture and history of San Francisco at that time created a fascinating backdrop but felt somewhat superficial. It felt like the book might have been trying to do too much, trying to force story line into a time period, and in that, didn’t do enough? This is my second book set during the San Francisco Earthquake that I went into with high hopes but was disappointed at the historical nature of the setting. Given the unexpected and devastating nature nature of Earthquakes, maybe forcing a story around it is the challenge? Overall this is a good book, but will not be in my top Kate Quinn books.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes