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De zeven zussen

(The Seven Sisters #1)

Lucinda Riley (Goodreads Author)

4.18 · Rating details · 45,251 ratings · 3,917 reviews

Na de plotselinge dood van hun vader komen Maia en haar zussen bij elkaar in hun ouderlijk huis, een prachtig landhuis aan het Meer van Genève. De zussen werden als baby door Pa Salt geadopteerd en krijgen na zijn dood allemaal een brief met een mysterieuze verwijzing naar hun afkomst. Maia's verleden brengt haar naar Rio de Janeiro. Daar aangekomen probeert ze met de wein ...more

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ebook, 460 pages

Published September 24th 2017 by Xander Uitgevers B.V. (first published November 1st 2014)

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· 45,251 ratings · 3,917 reviews

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Apr 21, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: published-2015, chunkster, cultural-brazil, historical-fiction, read-2015, series

When I began reading The Seven Sisters I had no idea it was to be part of a series.....which is good....and bad.

This first book is not the story of seven sisters, but just one of six adopted female babies who grow up as privileged children (named for constellations) at an amazing island home in Switzerland called Atlantis......and when Pa Salt dies, each of the six grown women are given a private letter with a secret clue to their past.

Maia, an astoundingly beautiful interpreter, who translates

...more

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May 15, 2015 Sandy Lenahan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, books-i-just-couldn-t-finish, reads-of-2015

I guess I'm in the minority on this one because I hated it. I'd pick it up to read then put it down again over and over till finally I tossed it on the bedside table with a disgusted "fugeddaboudit" that would've made my mother-in-law proud (she's from New Yawk). The characters are about as believable as the tooth fairy. The mysterious father who adopted the 6 shallow and very annoying girls right down to the trusted live-in housekeeper with a heart of gold were right out of a bad soap opera. I ...more

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Mar 27, 2019 Rochelle Vorster rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait to read about the other 5 sisters. ...more

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Apr 15, 2015 Lori rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Absolutely, loved this novel. Riley did a wonderful job of integrating past and present stories, making every character authentic and believable. I am really excited this is the first in a series and that this story is just beginning. LR is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. 5 stars.

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Feb 03, 2017 Sharon rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-life-is-too-short, fiction-and-literature

This book was recommended by a friend, but I couldn't push through reading more than 100 pages. It started out well, but I had to stop after reading one implausible scene after another. I shouldn't have read past the part of the book where "Pa Salt" adopts a baby girl and brings her to his island called (what else) Atlantis, leaving her in the care of her guardian before flying off to parts unknown, repeating that five more times for a total of six adopted baby girls. Really? Pa Salt dies sudden ...more

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Jan 24, 2016 Deborah Pickstone rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, geocaching

Poor, trite writing. The characters spoke to one another as if they barely knew one another (despite being a family); I know this is not impossible but who wants to read it? The plot was improbable and set out several false trails that were never developed or explained. Our heroine was wet and self-pitying. I don't mind chick-lit if the writing is punchy but I won't be reading this writer again. Frankly, my dears, I was bored! But I completed it so as to be sure of my opinion for future referenc ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 G.S.Lima G.S.Lima rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

MEISTERWERK LEUTE!!!!

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Apr 15, 2020 Jess☺️ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley is book 1 in the seven sisters series.
It's a different kind of read for me but I really enjoyed it (no I loved it ♥️)
It's a simple story of seven adopted sister's finding out who and where they come from as their rich adoptive father has passed and left them each an envelope with a letter and some coordinates.
Each book is for a different sister, this one is about Maia D'Aplièse the oldest.
It's takes her/you from Switzerland to Rio to Paris and back and of cours ...more

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Sep 27, 2018 Pauline rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley was an excellent historical novel, the first in a series of books about six young women who had all been adopted as babies and brought up as sisters.
The girls are devastated when their father dies and they all come home for the funeral. They are all given letters written by their father with clues to their natural parents.
This first book is about Maia the eldest daughter and the story of her search to find her family.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait ...more

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Dec 01, 2014 Aditi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: family, my-reviews, italy, contemporary-romance, pan-mc, historical-fiction, macmillan, brazil

“Remember, even if we can’t see them, those we love are always with us”
----Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley, an Irish international best-selling author, have spun a terrific and absolutely stunning saga of six sisters in an all new series of The Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters is the first book and the story of first/eldest sister, Maia. This is her journey to search for her roots after her adoptive father's death.

Synopsis:
Maia D'Apliése and her five sisters gather together at their childhood hom ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 DeB MaRtEnS rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: love-finds-a-way, sagas, women-s-fiction-of-no-substance

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley is the first book in a new series. The rich "Pa Salt" who has six adopted adult daughters, mysteriously added to his single parent family under circumstances unique and never explained to each one, has died. Just as mysteriously, his body has been whisked away and dropped into the ocean in a lead-lined coffin, leaving the grief stricken women who gather at their opulent Swiss lakeside home with no real closure. They are left, however, with trust funds, the loca The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley is the first book in a new series. The rich "Pa Salt" who has six adopted adult daughters, mysteriously added to his single parent family under circumstances unique and never explained to each one, has died. Just as mysteriously, his body has been whisked away and dropped into the ocean in a lead-lined coffin, leaving the grief stricken women who gather at their opulent Swiss lakeside home with no real closure. They are left, however, with trust funds, the locations of their births, a letter to each from their father and a clue to their identity if they wish to follow up (which of course they will, because that's the centre most theme of this series.).

The sisters are named for the stars of the Pleides Constellation, used by sailors to find their way. Maia, the eldest begins her search by travelling to Rio di Janero, Brazil.

This novel, and I will assume those to come, will fit into the genre of "women's romantic fiction", and will be enjoyed by these aficionados. Riley does a terrific job of switching eras between the related subplots, and fictionalizing the history of the creation of "Cristos", the huge statue outside Rio, to make it part of the texture of her worldly and very romantic tale. Present day Maia, as with many of this type of genre's protagonists, and her sisters are irritatingly reticent in their decision making (starting with looking for their ancestry). Maia is unbecomingly hesitant, and less than resourceful until a handsome historian does the work for her in actively researching leads. Her 1920’s counterpart Bel actually has more spunk than she does.

Ah, well. Pieces of the mystery remain unsolved as the novel moves to Ally, the next sister. Riley has great technique and a formula that works for her and obviously, with its 4.16 rating, her faithful following. I think that I'm becoming a bit underwhelmed with this genre, a fault of sheer familiarity through exposure to earlier authors' equally good efforts and which I in my younger years I read in great quantity. My young self would enthusiastically rate this 4.00 at least but my more jaded less impressed self says, I liked it, but I'm not going to follow the series... It was okay. Which means a rating of 3.00 stars. ...more

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Jun 25, 2015 Holly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, 2015

Well...well...well....what an enjoyable ride this was. Lucinda Riley managed to keep me fully engrossed in this tale of the oldest sister, Maia. I loved how the clues were managed and, most importantly, that this series will only rely on telling each sister's story separately. Therefore, you really get to know where each one came from, their past and present story. This one focused on Maia and great-grandmother, Bel. How I loved Bel and her destiny. Her story was a pleasure and, also, painful to ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Emma rated it it was ok · review of another edition

For me, this book has a very clear division between enjoyable parts and less enjoyable parts. I loved the historic story of Izabela, but really disliked Maia’s part of the book, especially in the beginning. All the sisters seemed so spoiled and unlikeable. However, I am happy that I managed to get through the first part to get to the historic part, because it was definitely better.

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Sep 20, 2017 Little Miss Bookworm rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Overally,this was a good read and definately a page turner,only i felt the book could be 200 pages shorter.There were pages that nothing happened as the story dwelled on the same things over and over again.I think that Belle's story could have covered less pages,all this uneccessary chatter did not add something essential to the main story.However,i enjoyed it despite all the cliches like the pretty rich girl who suffocates in her wealthy environment,the ugly husband and the gorgeous french love ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Claire Robinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: shit-hot-series

4.5 - Now was the time to discover who I was. Where I came from. And where I belonged. Stars!

The Seven Sisters is a book that you will struggle to put down once you start reading. The co-ordinates on an Armillary Sphere set off a chain of events, which send Maia D’aplise on an adventure of a life time.

Set in the present (2007) the story is begins on Lake Geneva, in Switzerland where Maia and her sisters; Ally, Star, Cece, Tiggy and Electra all meet up at the family home for the reading off their ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 Carmen Blankenship rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgally-reading-list, adored

I hate only being able to give this book a 5 star rating. It would rate it 10 moons if I could. Lucinda Riley's writing is beautiful. I simply don't know what other adjective to use. Pick one. Seamless, whimsical, witty, smart, lyrical, enthralling, enchanting.... see? I simply cannot pick one.

The Seven Sisters is the first installment in an exciting new series based 6 Sisters all adopted by their beloved Pa Salt. They grew up in Switzerland on their very own island. Their mysterious father has ...more

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Jul 27, 2016 Readgina rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

Lame, lame, lame.
I listened to the audiobook and this may have made it even worse than actually reading it.
I'd like to do a word count and see how many times the words thanks and thank you come up.
And the dialog - wonderful lines like "I'll immortalize you forever" and "I WAS your sister".
And there are going to be 6 more of these?

It only gets two starts because the historical aspect was interesting. I didn't know that about the Christ the Redeemer statue.

On the whole it is pretty predictab ...more

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May 07, 2015 Sasha rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-enjoy

I'm sorry... I read 100 pages of this book and am still waiting for the STORY to begin. Can't continue to force myself through the over-dramatic, slow-paced book. ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Melissa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: nook-books, reviewed-books

I tried so hard to find something to like about this book as it came highly recommended by a friend (I'm sorry Laura, I really tried!), but in the end I found it way too problematic:

Too much suspension of disbelief - I cannot imagine a situation in which a single man could adopt six babies (all girls, no less) and bring them to live at his very private and secluded home without raising a field of red flags with any and all agencies involved. And then all of these six girls grow to adulthood wit I tried so hard to find something to like about this book as it came highly recommended by a friend (I'm sorry Laura, I really tried!), but in the end I found it way too problematic:

Too much suspension of disbelief - I cannot imagine a situation in which a single man could adopt six babies (all girls, no less) and bring them to live at his very private and secluded home without raising a field of red flags with any and all agencies involved. And then all of these six girls grow to adulthood without ever once questioning what their father does to make all his money? How do they all know nothing about him? Its a ridiculous premise from the start.

Awful dialogue - Pleases and thank yous are used like punctuation. Names are overused to an absurd degree as if the author thinks her readers will forget who is talking from one sentence to the next. Everything is stiff and unnatural and, depending on the content, sometimes painfully awkward. I dare anyone to read this book aloud...it's like the author has never held a conversation with another human being.

Horribly condescending love interests - And not just the ones populating the historical segment of this story where it makes at least some sense. I found Floriano (a character set in 2007) extremely problematic. He constantly tells Maia how she should or should not feel and criticizes her life choices and emotional responses despite barely knowing her. At one point the author finds it necessary to have Floriano remind Maia that she has just lost her father and that this will have an effect on her emotions. Tell me Lucinda Riley...if your father just died, would you need someone to remind you?

Superficiality - In this book, beauty or lack of it is enough to damn or redeem any character. Izabela's fiance, Gustavo, is nothing but kind to her, but because he "looks like a ferret" he clearly is the worst possible thing in the universe. Instead, Izabela gravitates toward Laurent, who is very very very handsome, but beyond that has no further depth as a character. (view spoiler)

I could keep going, but I won't. Suffice it to say that I disliked this book strongly and do not recommend to anyone. ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Esther rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books

I was a bit hesitant when a friend of mine told me that I had to read this book. It's a big book, in a genre that I don't read that often. I decided I would take it to Kenya and start reading it there in my spare time. I was hooked and I especially like the beginning and ending parts of the book.

A longer review can be found at Bite Into Books

I want to thank Sanne for introducing me to this series! If you ever want to borrow another book, let me know! If you like romance, a bit of mystery, travel ...more

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Apr 26, 2015 RoseMary Achey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Clear your calendar before you pick up this book, you won't want to interrupt your reading! Prepare for an engrossing story, interesting characters, engaging dialogue and a superbly timed narrative. The story is fresh and the potential for this new series is ASTRONOMICAL. If The Seven Sisters was a stock, I would say buy it NOW as the rest of the world will soon discovery and want this book.

Sure there are negatives to every book....Could this novel be called deep literary fiction filled with too ...more

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Nov 18, 2014 Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The seven sisters of the title are the D'Apliese sisters; there are actually only six of them, so that's the first mystery of this story. These women were all adopted as babies and brought up by the incredibly wealthy Pa Salt, on a beautiful estate in Geneva, Switzerland. Pa Salt has always been something of a mystery, a wealthy single man bringing up six beautiful adopted daughters, with no partner, just his trusted housekeeping staff to assist him. None of the girls really know how Pa Salt mad The seven sisters of the title are the D'Apliese sisters; there are actually only six of them, so that's the first mystery of this story. These women were all adopted as babies and brought up by the incredibly wealthy Pa Salt, on a beautiful estate in Geneva, Switzerland. Pa Salt has always been something of a mystery, a wealthy single man bringing up six beautiful adopted daughters, with no partner, just his trusted housekeeping staff to assist him. None of the girls really know how Pa Salt made his fortune, but each of them have had a happy and full life, they are loved and they love each other.

The sisters are summoned home when Pa Salt suddenly and unexpectedly dies. Just like his life, Pa's death and the arrangements after it have been precisely organised and each sister is left a letter and a clue to their true heritage. This first story is Maia, the eldest sister's story.

Maia discovers that her roots are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and she travels there to the crumbling mansion that appears to be connected to her. It is in Rio that Maia's story really begins to come together and Lucinda Riley has cleverly weaved Maia's modern day story together with that of her great-grandmother Izabela Bonafacio. Also woven through this incredible novel is the story of how the statue of Christ the Redeemer was constructed, first in pieces in Paris, and then transported by boat to Rio where it was built piece by piece on top of the Corcovado mountain.

The two cities; Paris and Rio are exquisitely drawn, the contrast between these two places is amazing, yet both of them are tantalising, and reading about them made me want to visit both of them. Izabel's time spent in the Montmarte area of Paris, populated by the bohemian artist community comes alive on the pages, with famous and familiar names taking centre stage. The contrast of Rio - the old, the new, the wealth, the poverty is exceptionally well done too.

Maia and Izabela's stories are strikingly similar, with a theme of love and loss running through them both, and as Maia discovers more about her birth family history, she also realises more about herself, finally admitting to herself that some secrets can never be kept forever, and that she does not have to pay for one mistake for the rest of her life.

The Seven Sisters is moving and absorbing, and I was absolutely transfixed by it. Please, don't be put off by the length of the book, it's over 600 pages, but I can assure you that these pages fly by and before you know it you will be at the end of the story and wishing so much that you had the next instalment ready to read next. Lucinda Riley is incredibly talented, her storytelling is precise and thrilling, she artfully combines the modern day story with events from history and has created something incredibly special. I'm desperate to read the next in the series. ...more

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Jun 02, 2015 Laurie • The Baking Bookworm rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

My Review: This is a book about the power of family. I had read and adored one of Lucinda Riley's previous books, The Midnight Rose, last year so I was eager to read more from this acclaimed historical fiction author. I have to admit that it wasn't until I had finished reading The Seven Sisters that I realized that it is the first book in a seven book series - with each book focusing on a different sister's past. Cool premise but a big commitment from readers.

This first book focuses on Maia's se My Review: This is a book about the power of family. I had read and adored one of Lucinda Riley's previous books, The Midnight Rose, last year so I was eager to read more from this acclaimed historical fiction author. I have to admit that it wasn't until I had finished reading The Seven Sisters that I realized that it is the first book in a seven book series - with each book focusing on a different sister's past. Cool premise but a big commitment from readers.

This first book focuses on Maia's search for her birth family and what she discovers is a gaggle of familial secrets on a different continent spanning generations. The secrets themselves weren't all that scandalous and were even predictable but this book held my interest for the most part.

Honestly, I wanted to learn more about Maia and her adoptive family than her birth family. There were so many unanswered questions - I wanted to know more about Maia's adoptive father, Pa Salt, and his mysterious life as well as how and why he adopted six baby girls from all over the world. And yes I said six, not seven, because the seventh sister was never introduced. Mystery ... dun dun duuuuun. I suspect that Pa Salt has a lot more to his story than the reader (or the sisters) are privy to. His death was quite sudden and the way he died and even how he was buried was quite suspect. I sense that he had (and will have) a much larger role in each of his daughter's lives than they initially believed.

The characters were interesting enough and quite diverse. I have to give credit to Riley for giving each of the sisters a very unique voice in the beginning of the book. Sadly we really don't get to see much more of the six sisters for the remainder of the book which was unfortunate because they were quite an interesting and diverse group of women. After Maia takes off to find her birth family the plot began to falter for me. As the story progressed it became less about Maia and more about Maia's great great grandmother, Izabella. While Izabella's story was fairly interesting it was Maia who I wanted to read about. And with the inclusion of Maia's grandmother and mother into the story, at times, it became hard to remember which generation we were talking about.

The setting and history aspects are what enthralled me. Rio isn't a place that I've read about (let alone visited) before and while I know what the Christ the Redeemer (aka Christo) statue looks like it was interesting to learn more about its design and construction as well as a brief history of Brazil. The streets, people and culture of Rio was vividly described and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this unique city as it's woven within a fictional tale.

In the end, I can't say that I loved this book. It was good, not great. The pace dragged and it felt like it could have been condensed quite a bit and still kept the story in tact. The lackluster ending leaves readers with too many unanswered questions which may be used to entice readers to read the future books in the series but it left me feeling a little jilted if I'm being honest. Overall, this was a decent book but not up to par with some of Lucinda Riley's early works.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

**This book review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca) where I share hundreds of book reviews and my favourite recipes. ** ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 shi ❦ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reads, romance, historical, reviewed

This was, overall, a lovely read.

The Seven Sisters is a series that follows the lives and histories of - surprise, surprise -, seven sisters. The sisters have been adopted from all across the world by a man whom they call 'Pa Salt'. After his sudden death, the sisters gather in their childhood home: a castle in Geneva. There, they find out their adoptive father has given each of them clues to their roots. In the first instalment of the series, we follow Maia, the eldest sister, in her journey t This was, overall, a lovely read.

The Seven Sisters is a series that follows the lives and histories of - surprise, surprise -, seven sisters. The sisters have been adopted from all across the world by a man whom they call 'Pa Salt'. After his sudden death, the sisters gather in their childhood home: a castle in Geneva. There, they find out their adoptive father has given each of them clues to their roots. In the first instalment of the series, we follow Maia, the eldest sister, in her journey to her birth country: Brazil. -

The author utilises a frame narrative, where the main narrative sets the stage for a historical narrative, set in the late 1920s of Rio de Janeiro. There, we follow a young Italian-Brazilian woman, Izabela, whose father aims to ensure she marries into a wealthy family. But Izabela longs for independence and, engaged but yet unmarried, her father grants her permission to embark for the Old World together with the family of Heitor da Silva Costa, the architect who aims to construct what will eventually be known as the statue called Christ the Redeemer. During this journey, Izabela meets Laurent Brouilly, a young sculptor who introduces her to a life different from the strict, almost aristocratic lifestyle she has known in Brazil.

Obviously, there are quite some cliches in this book, but it was quite well done. I liked the romance, and what I liked, even more, was the historical accuracy of the book and the manner in which it incorporates real historical figures. Riley did a lot of research, both into the history of Christ the Redeemer as well as the Seven Sisters themselves. The nickname for the sisters' father, 'Pa Salt' (who had a great love for the sea), strikes as odd, and I found out that it is an anagram for the God Atlas and the mother of the sisters, Pleione (Riley only used the 'P').

The series is based on The Seven Sisters of the Pleiades (the sisters are named after these mythological sisters), and what immediately confused me was the fact that there are actually only really six sisters. Apparently, Riley has ideas for the seventh (missing) one, so that is definitely interesting.

I only had a few points in the book I didn't like, namely the elusiveness and overall mystery that was Pa Salt. I know more answers will most likely materialise throughout the rest of the series (and I will definitely want to continue for now), but the idea of one man adopting six girls from all around the world and subsequently leaving them most of the time to be raised by a sort of nursemaid is just weird. Him dying and apparently knowing all about their origins and everything coming to the surface after his death seems like a great plot device, but too surreal to be true. ...more

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May 26, 2015 The Lit Bitch rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This novel took us to an exotic and beautiful location for a breathtaking story! One of the things that I loved the most was Riley took us to so many different beautiful locations and made us fall in love with each one: Geneva, Paris, London and Brazil….can I globe trot now please?!

The story itself was complex and beautifully constructed layers. Though it was long, I never felt like the story was ‘lengthy’ or ‘unnecessary’.

While it was long, the pages seemed to fly by! Riley has a wonderful way ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Haleema rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mysterious, romantic and tragic. I loved this story and I really enjoyed learning about life in Brazil and facts about the Christ the redeemer statue. Can't wait to read the next two! ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Tania rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2018

Never let your fear decide your destiny.

A lot of people recommended this series to me, and I'm glad I finally got to it. I love the idea of seven adopted sisters from different places trying to track down their heritage using a quote and gps co-ordinates provided by their deceased adoptive father. This reminded me a little bit of the books I used to read when I was younger - easy historical fiction, with an element of romance. Although I don't normally read romance, I still enjoyed this book, w ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 ~Sofia~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Lucinda Riley has been a firm favourite author of mine for a few years. I have read one book of hers so far, that being The Light Behind the Window, and it impressed me so much that I put her in my top authors list. However like those rare and amazing moments I wanted to savour her books and so have not read one since. Until now.

I recommended The Light Behind The Window to my nan who I knew would adore it like I did. She asked my opinion on The Seven Sisters series and I admitted I had not read Lucinda Riley has been a firm favourite author of mine for a few years. I have read one book of hers so far, that being The Light Behind the Window, and it impressed me so much that I put her in my top authors list. However like those rare and amazing moments I wanted to savour her books and so have not read one since. Until now.

I recommended The Light Behind The Window to my nan who I knew would adore it like I did. She asked my opinion on The Seven Sisters series and I admitted I had not read it as I was ‘saving’ them. It doesn’t sound logical to me either but alas, once they are read I have to sit and await more to come so I would rather wait and savour them. Well that being said my nan does not have the same ideas as me and plowed ahead. She read the whole series (bar the ones left to be released, two to date) within a month and absolutely wholeheartedly fell in love with them. Which resulted in all 6 books winging there way to me for Christmas. My nan took my fate into her own hands and decided I needed to read these books immediately. And so on Christmas day I dipped my feet into Maia and her 5 sisters stories, and presently dived head first into this delightful story.

The idea of creating a series about seven sisters had me hooked. Each book explores each of the sisters origins as they were adopted at birth. All books start on a sombre note with there adoptive father passing away. However as with all good books the end is sometimes just the beginning.

Maia’s story takes us back to her great grandmother and her story is intimately linked to the history of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Historical fiction is my favourite genre and I loved the historical element in this which goes back to the character of Izabela. It is a wondrous story that dips in and out of history and modern day. It includes a wide and generous amount from varied genres with romance being at the heart of it. Riley writes in a magnificent way transporting you to a myriad of locations. Each chapter draws you in and leaves you wanting more illicit drama. It really is fabulous and I literally cannot wait to dive straight back into the next book.

The books in themselves are standalone stories however there are enough clues and little segments of wonder that lead through the whole series linking all books and creating its own novel through each of the sisters stories.

I highly recommend this book to all and I am delighted and thankful to my nan for setting off year 2020 with a 5 star read!
...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Cameran rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-reads

After the sudden death of her adoptive father, Maia is provided clues should she decide to look into her past to discover where she came from. Thus, the story takes us to Brazil during the late 1920s at the time of the building of Christ the Redeemer and the life of the young woman who lives in the shadow of the mountain. Izabela is a beauty, and her father, to secure her a good match in order to raise the status of their immigrant family, uses her outer appearance to his advantage. A trip to Pa After the sudden death of her adoptive father, Maia is provided clues should she decide to look into her past to discover where she came from. Thus, the story takes us to Brazil during the late 1920s at the time of the building of Christ the Redeemer and the life of the young woman who lives in the shadow of the mountain. Izabela is a beauty, and her father, to secure her a good match in order to raise the status of their immigrant family, uses her outer appearance to his advantage. A trip to Paris before her wedding changes Izabela, however, as she meets a young sculptor and the two fall in love. As their story unfolds Maia comes to learn more about who she is and how she must change in the future in order to live her own life.

Romance plays a large role in this story, but I unfortunately found the romances of the past and the present to be weak. Izabela and Laurent told me they were in love, rather than allow me to feel much of anything; Maia and Floriano had the most stilted conversations that I never saw what made him appeal to her at all. The love story of the past was also something that I had read numerous times before.

The Seven Sisters serves as the first of what is to be a series about Maia and her five other sisters (yes, there is mysteriously only six of them), who were all adopted by a rich man they come to realize they knew nothing about. He has named each one of them after The Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, and the mystery surrounding him and why he adopted all of these girls is intriguing enough for me to lament how it was barely touched upon in Maia’s tale. If the next book in the series was to allow the next sister, who I presume will be Ally, to discover her past in a much more compact storyline (because this book did tend to drag) and focus more upon the mystery of Pa Salt then I will give it a shot. Otherwise, I can only recommend The Seven Sisters to those who truly love the author, want to visit Brazil in a story, or who are okay with romances that felt cookie-cutter. ...more

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Sep 15, 2018 Ashley Daviau rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, the whole concept is unique and I’ve never read anything quite like it. The idea of the Seven Sisters and the mythology surrounding it is incredibly interesting! I only wish that we had learned more about the mythology, I’m really hoping other books in the series explore it in greater depth. I really enjoyed Maia as a character and I felt incredibly invested in her story and her journey to find her true heritage. It was an incredibly moving stor ...more

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About Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley

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AKA: Lucinda Edmonds
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and sold twenty-five million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Lucinda is currently writing The Seven Sisters series, which tells the ...more