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A review by brooke_review
The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang, Kate Quinn
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Phoenix Crown is not my typical fare, and I have never read a book by authors Kate Quinn and Janie Chang, although I have heard wonderful things about Quinn from those who enjoy her style of historical fiction. So why have I picked up this novel that is so out of my usual league? The 52 Book Club chose it for a read-along, and I was excited to explore this novel along with a group.
Unfortunately, it says a lot when I find the Authors’ Note at the end of the book to be more interesting than the novel itself. I learned so much more from those few pages - including that Alice Greenwood was an actual person (would have loved to have known this while I was reading) - than I did from the entirety of The Phoenix Crown. With The Phoenix Crown, I was expecting a historical “National Treasure-esque” novel set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but what I actually got was something quite different.
For being a historical fiction novel, this book could practically take place in modern times - the attitudes of the characters and their manner of speaking was not in line with what I would expect from society in the early 1900s, more than 100 years ago. The fact that this novel features a mixed race sapphic relationship that anyone barely blinks an eye at did not feel authentic to me. Furthermore, the novel is powered by the women of the story, who all move freely around the world primarily without the constraints of men. I feel like the diminished, singular role of women in society would have been felt more prominently throughout this book if the airs and attitudes of the time had been more pronounced.
The San Francisco earthquake and the titular phoenix crown itself both play minor roles in this novel, after being touted as major plot points, The book spends much of its pages discussing the careers and relationships of the main characters, without really establishing a meaningful historical setting. Furthermore, I did not care for any of the characters and found them to be wholly uninspired.
Nonetheless, I am giving this book 3 stars because although it was clearly not the book for me and failed to meet what I expected of it, there is a satisfying story here for those who can put aside what they thought this novel would be and accept it for what it is.
Unfortunately, it says a lot when I find the Authors’ Note at the end of the book to be more interesting than the novel itself. I learned so much more from those few pages - including that Alice Greenwood was an actual person (would have loved to have known this while I was reading) - than I did from the entirety of The Phoenix Crown. With The Phoenix Crown, I was expecting a historical “National Treasure-esque” novel set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but what I actually got was something quite different.
For being a historical fiction novel, this book could practically take place in modern times - the attitudes of the characters and their manner of speaking was not in line with what I would expect from society in the early 1900s, more than 100 years ago. The fact that this novel features a mixed race sapphic relationship that anyone barely blinks an eye at did not feel authentic to me. Furthermore, the novel is powered by the women of the story, who all move freely around the world primarily without the constraints of men. I feel like the diminished, singular role of women in society would have been felt more prominently throughout this book if the airs and attitudes of the time had been more pronounced.
The San Francisco earthquake and the titular phoenix crown itself both play minor roles in this novel, after being touted as major plot points, The book spends much of its pages discussing the careers and relationships of the main characters, without really establishing a meaningful historical setting. Furthermore, I did not care for any of the characters and found them to be wholly uninspired.
Nonetheless, I am giving this book 3 stars because although it was clearly not the book for me and failed to meet what I expected of it, there is a satisfying story here for those who can put aside what they thought this novel would be and accept it for what it is.