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The Phoenix Pencil Company
- Author
- Allison King
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 3 June 2025
- Run Time
- 13 hours 50 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
‘Absorbing’ GUARDIAN
‘Magical’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘Suspenseful’ MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘Wildly inventive’ LIZ MOORE
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK
In this dazzling debut novel, a young reclusive coder unearths the story of a lost Shanghai pencil company and a legacy of magic, espionage and family secrets that will alter the path of her life forever.
Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-confessed recluse, she’s more comfortable navigating digital worlds than real-life friendships. The closest people in her life are her beloved grandparents who raised her.
Her grandmother Yun rarely speaks about her past. Now, in her nineties, her memory is fading and with it, the answers to Monica’s questions about their family’s history – about her grandmother’s long-lost cousin, Meng, and the years they spent working together at a mysterious pencil company back in Shanghai.
With the help of Louise, a young archivist, Monica decides to track down Meng and reconnect the cousins before it is too late. Her search unearths a legacy of magic, espionage and secrets that will alter the path of Monica’s life forever.
‘An intimate story of familial love and connection throughout the generations … you'll be gripped’ INDEPENDENT
‘A suspenseful family epic fueled by love and espionage’ MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘A reminder of how family ties shape us’ WOMAN & HOME
‘Allison King is a talent to watch’ LIZ MOORE, author of The God of the Woods
‘A beautiful ode to the warmth of family connection’ RAY NAYLER, author of The Mountain in the Sea
‘A stunning debut … had me smiling through my tears’ FONDA LEE, author of The Green Bone Saga
Critics Review
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Praise for The Phoenix Pencil Company:
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‘An absorbing family saga interwoven with reflections on the power of stories, and who has the right to decide what is preserved or permitted to remain secret’ Guardian
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‘The thread of magical realism throughout nods to Gabriel García Márquez, but the novel is also enlightening on 20th-century Chinese and Taiwanese history … an intimate story of familial love and connection throughout the generations’ Independent
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‘First-time novelist King delivers a suspenseful family epic fuelled by love and espionage’ Mail on Sunday
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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‘A magical, multi-generational novel to get lost in’ Good Housekeeping
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‘King’s debut explores feminine identity and how the memories of past generations can be inherited … A reminder of how family ties shape us’ Woman & Home
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‘I loved this wildly inventive novel and its exploration of how technology and humanity can intersect in deeply meaningful ways. Allison King is a talent to watch’ Liz Moore, author of The God of the Woods
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‘An absorbing dual-timeline novel of high-tech, low-tech, and sorcery. Destined to delight’ Anton Hur, author of Toward Eternity
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‘China, America, generations, and stories connect with literal magic in this suspenseful debut. Marvellous!’ Gish Jen, author of The Resisters
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‘A beautiful ode to the warmth of family connection, the power of memory, and the magic of the written word’ Ray Nayler, author of The Mountain in the Sea
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‘A masterful blending of history, fantasy, and romance that sank into my heart the way the magic of its pencils sinks into veins. King has written a stunning debut that pulses with love and loss, regret and forgiveness … This book had me smiling through my tears’ Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga
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‘A rare novel … ultimately asking the question of what really matters when it comes to the people we love’ Sequoia Nagamatsu, author of How High We Go in the Dark
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‘The shimmering debut … both spellbinding and heartbreakingly evocative’ Bookmark Magazine
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Allison King
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 13 hours 50 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 June 2025
- ISBN
- 9780008700874
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Family saga / generational saga fiction, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: displacement, exile, migration, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Historical fantasy, Magical realism
Synopsis
‘Absorbing’ GUARDIAN ‘Magical’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘Suspenseful’ MAIL ON SUNDAY ‘Wildly inventive’ LIZ MOORE A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK In this dazzling debut novel, a young reclusive coder unearths the story of a lost Shanghai pencil company and a legacy of magic, espionage and family secrets that will alter the path of her life forever. Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-confessed recluse, she’s more comfortable navigating digital worlds than real-life friendships. The closest people in her life are her beloved grandparents who raised her. Her grandmother Yun rarely speaks about her past. Now, in her nineties, her memory is fading and with it, the answers to Monica’s questions about their family’s history – about her grandmother’s long-lost cousin, Meng, and the years they spent working together at a mysterious pencil company back in Shanghai. With the help of Louise, a young archivist, Monica decides to track down Meng and reconnect the cousins before it is too late. Her search unearths a legacy of magic, espionage and secrets that will alter the path of Monica’s life forever. ‘An intimate story of familial love and connection throughout the generations … you'll be gripped’ INDEPENDENT ‘A suspenseful family epic fueled by love and espionage’ MAIL ON SUNDAY ‘A reminder of how family ties shape us’ WOMAN & HOME ‘Allison King is a talent to watch’ LIZ MOORE, author of The God of the Woods ‘A beautiful ode to the warmth of family connection’ RAY NAYLER, author of The Mountain in the Sea ‘A stunning debut … had me smiling through my tears’ FONDA LEE, author of The Green Bone Saga
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