Author: Kate Quinn & Janie Chang
Publication Information: William Morrow Paperbacks. 2024. 400 pages.
ISBN: 0063304732 / 978-0063304734
Rating: ★★★
Book Source: I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.
Opening Sentence: "'A rose by any other name,' someone quote, and Alice Eastwood was hard-pressed not to roll her eyes."
Favorite Quote: "Well, maybe she was tired of being good. Maybe she wanted to play the game for once, and play it for all she could get."
On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Northern California including the San Francisco bay area was hit by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. In the aftermath of the earthquake, massive fires broke out all over the city and lasted for days. Over eighty percent of the city was destroyed, and over 3,000 people died.
This story begins about 2 weeks before the earthquake.
Four women:
- Suling - a young woman in the city's Chinatown trying to avoid a forced marriage.
- Gemma - an opera singer looking for her friend and a new start.
- Nelli - Gemma's friend who seems to have disappeared.
- Alice Eastwood - a botanist. This character is based on an actual historical figure. The real Alice Eastwood was a botanist and is credited with saving part of the plant collection of the California Academy of Sciences during the 1906 earthquake and the ensuing fires. Nothing much survived beyond what she saved.
One man - Henry Thornton.
One legendary artifact - The Phoenix Crown, an antique from Beijing's summer palace. The phoenix crown actually are called fengguan, and they historically are "hats" or crowns worn by Chinese brides and noblewomen.
These lives meet and intersect. Plans are made. Alliances are forged. Betrayals happen. There is an incidental love story. It seems there for the sake of being there, not central to the main story of the book.
Then, the earthquake happens, and Henry Thornton disappears along with the crowns.
Five years later, in 1911, the crown reappears. The mystery and the dresire for revenge, retribution, and more brings these characters to a finale crash.
The story introduces each characters and their backstory. It takes a while for the connections to form and for the reader to see the threads come together. The historical setting - the city before, during, and after the earthquake - really comes to life. I can "see" it and feel as though I am walking those streets.
This book is part historical fiction and part thriller and mystery. The history give the book its vivid color. The female characters draw attention to the challenges faced by women at that time and in that place. The mystery and the chase give the book its pace. The pace definitely picks up more later in the book as the story fast forwards five years.
Overall, a fun read. This is my first book by these authors. I will likely look for more.
Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment