The Majesties: A Novel

Written by Tiffany Tsao

Narrated by Nancy Wu

In this “bold and dramatic portrayal of characters on the cusp of an impossible choice” (Publishers Weekly), two sisters from a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family grapple with secrets and betrayal after one of them poisons their entire family.

Gwendolyn and Estella have always been as close as sisters can be. Growing up in a wealthy, eminent, and sometimes deceitful family, they’ve relied on each other for support and confidence. But now Gwendolyn is lying in a coma, the sole survivor of Estella’s poisoning of their whole clan.

As Gwendolyn struggles to regain consciousness, she desperately retraces her memories, trying to uncover the moment that led to this shocking act. Was it their aunt’s mysterious death at sea? Estella’s unhappy marriage to a dangerously brutish man? Or were the shifting loyalties and unspoken resentments at the heart of their opulent world too much to bear? Can Gwendolyn, at last, confront the carefully buried mysteries in their family’s past and the truth about who she and her sister really are?

Traveling from the luxurious world of the rich and powerful in Indonesia to the most spectacular shows at Paris Fashion Week, from the sunny coasts of California to the melting pot of Melbourne’s university scene, The Majesties “is a thrilling, tender page-turner” (Krys Lee, author of Drifting House) as well as “a sobering look at the dark side of extreme wealth” (Kirkus Reviews).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781508299363

Tiffany Tsao

Tiffany Tsao was born in San Diego, California, and lived in Singapore and Indonesia during her childhood and young adulthood. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a PhD in English. In addition to writing, she translates Indonesian fiction and poetry.

Reviews for The Majesties

[Brittany James · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

✨Book Review ✨| I was gifted a copy of The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao, a while back by my friends at @atriabooks and have been starting and stopping ever since. I credit my ability to finish this one to the audiobook ? , which I’d recommend to anyone looking to read it.| I usually enjoy a good family drama and secrets in a book but The Majesties was just okay to me. It just felt like so much and really too much was going on. In this book we know Estella has poisoned her entire family at a dinner and the only person to survive is her sister Gwendolyn, who spends her time (unconsciously) going through all the years to determine the WHY...Gwendolyn figures it out and seems to be at peace with the events. There’s three major plot points that stick out to me that weave this story together. The same secrets and family dynamics/culture that built this family also destroyed it. Estella was seeking redemption and did what she felt was the only way to gain it. .

[memechel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Left way too much detail about the killing out. The backstory was not as relevant once you figure out the twist. A little bit of a let down.