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The Seven Sisters #7
The Missing Sister
Efter Georg Hoffmans afsløring af eksistensen af en hidtil forsvunden søster, går det op for Maia og Ally, at deres eneste ledetråd til at finde hende er en adresse på en vingård i New Zealand og en tegning af en helt usædvanlig, stjerneformet smaragdring.
Eftersom CeCe bor i Australien, befinder hun sig tættest på, og hun bliver derfor sendt af sted for at undersøge sagen. Det bliver et kapløb med tiden om at finde frem til og identificere den forsvundne søster, så CeCe endelig kan slutte sig til sine andre søstre på Titanen og kaste en krans på det sted i Middelhavet, hvor Ally sidst så Pa Salts båd.
Søstrenes søgen bringer dem kloden rundt. Mary McDougal, kvinden med den smaragdring, der med sikkerhed kan afgøre, om det er hendes datter Mary-Kate, der er den forsvundne søster, er taget af sted på en jordomrejse efter sin mands død. Én efter én forsøger søstrene at finde frem til Mary i både New Zealand, Canada, England, Frankrig og Irland, men hver eneste gang forsvinder hun som dug for solen. Det lader mest af alt til, hun ikke ønsker at blive fundet …
Eftersom CeCe bor i Australien, befinder hun sig tættest på, og hun bliver derfor sendt af sted for at undersøge sagen. Det bliver et kapløb med tiden om at finde frem til og identificere den forsvundne søster, så CeCe endelig kan slutte sig til sine andre søstre på Titanen og kaste en krans på det sted i Middelhavet, hvor Ally sidst så Pa Salts båd.
Søstrenes søgen bringer dem kloden rundt. Mary McDougal, kvinden med den smaragdring, der med sikkerhed kan afgøre, om det er hendes datter Mary-Kate, der er den forsvundne søster, er taget af sted på en jordomrejse efter sin mands død. Én efter én forsøger søstrene at finde frem til Mary i både New Zealand, Canada, England, Frankrig og Irland, men hver eneste gang forsvinder hun som dug for solen. Det lader mest af alt til, hun ikke ønsker at blive fundet …
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First published May 27, 2021
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About the author
Lucinda Riley
167 books12.1k followersAKA: Lucinda Edmonds
Lucinda Riley was born in Northern 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 thirty million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.
Lucinda’s The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. The series is a No.1 bestseller across the world with total sales of over fifteen million copies.
Lucinda and her family divided their time between the U.K. and a farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, where she wrote her books.
Lucinda Riley was born in Northern 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 thirty million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.
Lucinda’s The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. The series is a No.1 bestseller across the world with total sales of over fifteen million copies.
Lucinda and her family divided their time between the U.K. and a farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, where she wrote her books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,506 reviews
May 28, 2021
This was not.... it. Read review at your own risk, if you are sensitive it may contain spoilers.
The book ended were it should have started and made me dislike all the sisters even more after six books of trying to like them. The plot was all over the place and was just full of bad ideas that people in real life never would have done. The only ting I liked was the historical part set in Ireland and that is what made me give it 3 star, and I usually don't like the "flashback" parts.
How can the sisters not see how somebody they don't know gets scared when you follow them around the globe and hunts them down don't want anything to do with you, when they don't even have any useful information to give to her. Why do you think she wants anything to do with you?! What have you to offer? A connection to a family that you, if you are like the other sisters, don't have any connection to because you didn't grow up with them and are not related to what so ever? A boat trip to say goodbye to somebody you didn't even know?! You are the "missing sister" but that dosen't mean anything to you because you already have a loving family. gha! And you just hunts her around, scaring the shit out of her only thinking about yourself and your own feelings. And don't get me started on the cringey over explanatory dialogues.....
And then it just ends, with a connection all of the sudden and leaving us hanging yet again, and there is another book to read so you really can milk us and the story out!
It's good that I have a year to calm down after this one to the next book. Hopefully I forget a bit so I go in to it with more hope. Because if I got this far, plowing through seven books, I'll be damned if I give up on it now!
But the Irish storyline was lovely even if it left us with unfinished questions. But it could have been its own book just about Mary without any involvement from the sisters.
The book ended were it should have started and made me dislike all the sisters even more after six books of trying to like them. The plot was all over the place and was just full of bad ideas that people in real life never would have done. The only ting I liked was the historical part set in Ireland and that is what made me give it 3 star, and I usually don't like the "flashback" parts.
How can the sisters not see how somebody they don't know gets scared when you follow them around the globe and hunts them down don't want anything to do with you, when they don't even have any useful information to give to her. Why do you think she wants anything to do with you?! What have you to offer? A connection to a family that you, if you are like the other sisters, don't have any connection to because you didn't grow up with them and are not related to what so ever? A boat trip to say goodbye to somebody you didn't even know?! You are the "missing sister" but that dosen't mean anything to you because you already have a loving family. gha! And you just hunts her around, scaring the shit out of her only thinking about yourself and your own feelings. And don't get me started on the cringey over explanatory dialogues.....
And then it just ends, with a connection all of the sudden and leaving us hanging yet again, and there is another book to read so you really can milk us and the story out!
It's good that I have a year to calm down after this one to the next book. Hopefully I forget a bit so I go in to it with more hope. Because if I got this far, plowing through seven books, I'll be damned if I give up on it now!
But the Irish storyline was lovely even if it left us with unfinished questions. But it could have been its own book just about Mary without any involvement from the sisters.
June 13, 2021
Disappointing…
I have been looking forward this 7th book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series since the series began with a lot of build up surrounding the mystery behind the ‘missing’ sister. I had high hopes, unfortunately, I’ve ended up very disappointed.
This novel started out really, really shaky. The dialogue was awful and the circumstances these characters found themselves in was unrealistic. So, to say I trudged through the first part of this would be an understatement. All of the siblings spoke to each other as if they were office acquaintances instead of people with any kind of intimate connections. I, also, understand Riley’s desire to include bits of each sisters stories, however, it came off confusing and seemingly a desperate attempt to give each sister ‘facetime’ by concocting unrealistic scenarios.
The length of this was another issue, this is the longest in this series at 550+ pages, which was about 150-200 pages too long. The story could’ve been condensed down with the omission of the ‘sisters’ dialogue and ‘trips’ back to Atlantis at every turn. Again, I get why Riley wanted to include bits of past novels, however, each sisters story was intricate and involved multiple characters, this inclusion ended up adding to an already extensive list of characters to muddle through and keep straight. I wish Merry had been allowed to have her own novel instead of having to share the spotlight with 7 other characters.
I have adored this series mainly for its historical value and the history was exactly what got me through. Ireland has an interesting political history and these parts of the novel are what kept me reading and not tossing it across the room. I was disappointed/ irritated when I had to leave the past and re-enter the present. I loved both Ambrose and Father O’Brien. Their relationship was a joy to observe and it was the only one that I thought felt authentic.
I went into this hoping for answers and ended up frustrated with even more questions, which may have been its intent. I cross my fingers that the final novel centering around Pa Salt brings back more of Riley’s fabulous historical writing and not the present day ‘fluff’ filler writing that has been displayed in the last two novels. After 8 novels I think readers deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty with an ending that is fitting without the fluff. Unfortunately, I’m really not holding out much hope. 3 stars.
*Update 6/12/21:
I have just read about Riley’s death and am so sad that we’ve lost such a talented author. Even though her last two novels in this series have not been my favorites… very, very thankful that she was able to write her final novel about her beloved Ireland. I will happily recommend her novels to all HF lovers as she was one of the best in the genre.
“Through the pain and the joy of the journey, I have learnt the most important lesson life can offer, and I am glad of it. The moment is all we have.” Lucinda Riley (1966-2021]
I have been looking forward this 7th book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series since the series began with a lot of build up surrounding the mystery behind the ‘missing’ sister. I had high hopes, unfortunately, I’ve ended up very disappointed.
This novel started out really, really shaky. The dialogue was awful and the circumstances these characters found themselves in was unrealistic. So, to say I trudged through the first part of this would be an understatement. All of the siblings spoke to each other as if they were office acquaintances instead of people with any kind of intimate connections. I, also, understand Riley’s desire to include bits of each sisters stories, however, it came off confusing and seemingly a desperate attempt to give each sister ‘facetime’ by concocting unrealistic scenarios.
The length of this was another issue, this is the longest in this series at 550+ pages, which was about 150-200 pages too long. The story could’ve been condensed down with the omission of the ‘sisters’ dialogue and ‘trips’ back to Atlantis at every turn. Again, I get why Riley wanted to include bits of past novels, however, each sisters story was intricate and involved multiple characters, this inclusion ended up adding to an already extensive list of characters to muddle through and keep straight. I wish Merry had been allowed to have her own novel instead of having to share the spotlight with 7 other characters.
I have adored this series mainly for its historical value and the history was exactly what got me through. Ireland has an interesting political history and these parts of the novel are what kept me reading and not tossing it across the room. I was disappointed/ irritated when I had to leave the past and re-enter the present. I loved both Ambrose and Father O’Brien. Their relationship was a joy to observe and it was the only one that I thought felt authentic.
I went into this hoping for answers and ended up frustrated with even more questions, which may have been its intent. I cross my fingers that the final novel centering around Pa Salt brings back more of Riley’s fabulous historical writing and not the present day ‘fluff’ filler writing that has been displayed in the last two novels. After 8 novels I think readers deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty with an ending that is fitting without the fluff. Unfortunately, I’m really not holding out much hope. 3 stars.
*Update 6/12/21:
I have just read about Riley’s death and am so sad that we’ve lost such a talented author. Even though her last two novels in this series have not been my favorites… very, very thankful that she was able to write her final novel about her beloved Ireland. I will happily recommend her novels to all HF lovers as she was one of the best in the genre.
“Through the pain and the joy of the journey, I have learnt the most important lesson life can offer, and I am glad of it. The moment is all we have.” Lucinda Riley (1966-2021]
June 1, 2021
This is downright silly. Im in it til the finish though, even if shes milking this way too much. I enjoyed the historical parts in Ireland, but the sisters goose chase was just stupid.
May 27, 2021
What can I say? I was so excited for this book to come out and finally have the answers to all the mysteries throughout the series. I have been looking forward to it for months. And now I get to the end of the book and not ONE of my questions was answered and I read that there will be ANOTHER book. I'm always excited to have more reading material, but I feel this was dishonest and extremely poorly handled. If an 8th book is needed to finish the series and tie up all the loose ends, don't advertise the 7th book as the final book. The moment you realize that you can not do it justice with what you have, THAT is the moment to announce that there will be one more, NOT when the reader has already finished what you stated would be the last book. What a disappointment! That's an understatement, actually. It was a huge let down. Not only do we not know who the missing sister's parents are, but we also don't get any answers about other story lines throughout the series. Had I known ahead of time that there was going to be another book, it would have only made me MORE excited, and the end of this one would have just have made me excited about the conclusion. But now I feel duped and let down. There was no reason not to tell fans that there was going to have to be an 8th book. We didn't need to read the whole book to find out it wasn't the end.
Now, on to the review of the story that was there.
Basic Plot:
There's one more sister that Pa Salt never managed to find. The girls are left with a picture of a ring that the 7th sister would have as proof that it was her, and her name and an address in New Zealand. As CeCe is in Australia, she is sent to meet the suspected "missing sister" and see if she has the ring. When she arrives and meets Mary Kate, everything seems to add up, but her mother has the ring and is traveling and unable to confirm for CeCe that the ring is real.
As the sisters try to track down the ring, Mary Kate's mother is spooked by the idea of people hunting her because of some things in her past. As she runs farther and farther away, one sister after another tries to catch up with her, thinking it's a mistake that they keep missing her and they continue to chase her. But in evading them, she also uncovers truths from her past that change everything she believed about her family. There are secrets that have been kept for generations, family feuds, regret. Mary tries to puzzle everything out while avoiding contact with this possible new connection, fearing their motives.
As the one year anniversary of Pa Salt's sudden death approaches and they plan to lay a wreath on the water at the spot where Ally saw what they all believe was his burial place at sea, they are desperate to include the last sister. But they have to make sure they have really found her, first.
[spoiler] As the girls continue their pursuit of Mary, it becomes clear that she's intentionally avoiding them and that she's frightened. Once they have managed to make contact and assure her that they don't mean her harm, she still wants nothing to do with them. On her way, she discovers that she herself was adopted. When it's confirmed that SHE is the missing sister, not her daughter Mary Kate, she refuses to join the sisters on their cruise for the memorial. Her fear after feeling hunted is a result of a threat that was made, and is the reason that she left her homeland and moved to New Zealand. She manages to get closure when she discovers the man who threatened her has been institutionalized for decades and that insanity runs in his family. He is no longer a threat. (The moment is a bit anti-climactic, having been on the run from the sisters and terrified that she's being followed, to just hear casually from the man's sister that he was never part of a terrorist organization. He only believed he was.)
When Georg realizes that Mary, and therefore the ring, is not on board for their cruise, he is extremely agitated and goes to seek Mary out to persuade her to join them, and gives her the envelope Pa Salt left for her with the letter explaining where she can find answers. Only the letter does not give the answers. We are left without knowing the circumstances of her birth, who her parents were...or at least her mother, and it implies that Pa Salt is her biological father or at least knew her mother. We don't know why it's so important that the ring be present at the memorial cruise. We don't know why it was mentioned so often that she looked a bit like Star or why Star felt she looked familiar. We don't know why Ally thought she saw Pa Salt or whose voice was heard on the phone, or where the elevator leads, or if Pa Salt really is dead. [/spoiler]
There are more questions raised in this book than were answered. We don't learn anything outside of Mary's childhood and even that story is not completed, because we still don't know her true identity.
All in all, a bit of a disappointment if you have been following the series, and I imagine extremely confusing if you haven't. Beyond that, some of the writing could be better. Some dialogue is stilted, some things are obviously placed solely as information for people who haven't read the previous books, and some things are fairly repetitive.
There is a lot about the history of Ireland and their struggle for independence from the British, which was interesting. I love history, so I always find that fun to read, and I like learning about other cultures. That being said, that part of the story is not something you couldn't get from other sources, so I wouldn't say it would be worth the read to get that aspect if you are interested in that particular part of history. It DOES include real life events and people, but they are not really central to the story.
I'd recommend this book only to people who have read the first 6 books. I don't think it can really stand alone, and I think it would be too confusing to read out of order, despite the strategically-placed information plugs. And as it gives absolutely no closure, you need the next book, so then you might as well read all of them. If you're only going to read one book in the series, this should not be it.
Now, on to the review of the story that was there.
Basic Plot:
There's one more sister that Pa Salt never managed to find. The girls are left with a picture of a ring that the 7th sister would have as proof that it was her, and her name and an address in New Zealand. As CeCe is in Australia, she is sent to meet the suspected "missing sister" and see if she has the ring. When she arrives and meets Mary Kate, everything seems to add up, but her mother has the ring and is traveling and unable to confirm for CeCe that the ring is real.
As the sisters try to track down the ring, Mary Kate's mother is spooked by the idea of people hunting her because of some things in her past. As she runs farther and farther away, one sister after another tries to catch up with her, thinking it's a mistake that they keep missing her and they continue to chase her. But in evading them, she also uncovers truths from her past that change everything she believed about her family. There are secrets that have been kept for generations, family feuds, regret. Mary tries to puzzle everything out while avoiding contact with this possible new connection, fearing their motives.
As the one year anniversary of Pa Salt's sudden death approaches and they plan to lay a wreath on the water at the spot where Ally saw what they all believe was his burial place at sea, they are desperate to include the last sister. But they have to make sure they have really found her, first.
[spoiler] As the girls continue their pursuit of Mary, it becomes clear that she's intentionally avoiding them and that she's frightened. Once they have managed to make contact and assure her that they don't mean her harm, she still wants nothing to do with them. On her way, she discovers that she herself was adopted. When it's confirmed that SHE is the missing sister, not her daughter Mary Kate, she refuses to join the sisters on their cruise for the memorial. Her fear after feeling hunted is a result of a threat that was made, and is the reason that she left her homeland and moved to New Zealand. She manages to get closure when she discovers the man who threatened her has been institutionalized for decades and that insanity runs in his family. He is no longer a threat. (The moment is a bit anti-climactic, having been on the run from the sisters and terrified that she's being followed, to just hear casually from the man's sister that he was never part of a terrorist organization. He only believed he was.)
When Georg realizes that Mary, and therefore the ring, is not on board for their cruise, he is extremely agitated and goes to seek Mary out to persuade her to join them, and gives her the envelope Pa Salt left for her with the letter explaining where she can find answers. Only the letter does not give the answers. We are left without knowing the circumstances of her birth, who her parents were...or at least her mother, and it implies that Pa Salt is her biological father or at least knew her mother. We don't know why it's so important that the ring be present at the memorial cruise. We don't know why it was mentioned so often that she looked a bit like Star or why Star felt she looked familiar. We don't know why Ally thought she saw Pa Salt or whose voice was heard on the phone, or where the elevator leads, or if Pa Salt really is dead. [/spoiler]
There are more questions raised in this book than were answered. We don't learn anything outside of Mary's childhood and even that story is not completed, because we still don't know her true identity.
All in all, a bit of a disappointment if you have been following the series, and I imagine extremely confusing if you haven't. Beyond that, some of the writing could be better. Some dialogue is stilted, some things are obviously placed solely as information for people who haven't read the previous books, and some things are fairly repetitive.
There is a lot about the history of Ireland and their struggle for independence from the British, which was interesting. I love history, so I always find that fun to read, and I like learning about other cultures. That being said, that part of the story is not something you couldn't get from other sources, so I wouldn't say it would be worth the read to get that aspect if you are interested in that particular part of history. It DOES include real life events and people, but they are not really central to the story.
I'd recommend this book only to people who have read the first 6 books. I don't think it can really stand alone, and I think it would be too confusing to read out of order, despite the strategically-placed information plugs. And as it gives absolutely no closure, you need the next book, so then you might as well read all of them. If you're only going to read one book in the series, this should not be it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2021
I have really enjoyed this series for the most part and have been looking forward to what I thought was the final book, but unfortunately I was dissatisfied. This was my least favorite of the series so far.
I will start with my dislikes. The dialogue between the sisters felt forced and unnatural. How did these grown women not know their adopted father's real name or his occupation? I mean, come on. That just never made sense to me. The unnecessary length of the book. I am good with reading a long book, but this one contained a lot of unnecessary fluff and definitely could have been shortened. The present day story felt like a chore and I found myself wanting to get back to the past story. I went into this thinking this was the final book and that I would finally get closure about Pa Salt, who he was and why he adopted the sisters, but that did not happen.
Now for the positives. I have loved traveling the world with the sisters and learning about pieces of history as they learned about their past. While I did struggle with the sisters in this one, I enjoyed the historical part with Ireland's political past and their struggle for independence being the focus. Nuala and Philip's time together as well as Father O'Brien and Ambrose were the ones that kept me invested in the story.
Sadly the author, Lucinda Riley, lost her long battle with cancer and passed away last month. There was a note at the end that the final book about Pa Salt is to be published in the Fall of 2022, but I am not sure if she was able to finish it prior to her death. Thank you Lucinda Riley for giving me many hours of reading enjoyment. You will be missed. 3 stars.
I will start with my dislikes. The dialogue between the sisters felt forced and unnatural. How did these grown women not know their adopted father's real name or his occupation? I mean, come on. That just never made sense to me. The unnecessary length of the book. I am good with reading a long book, but this one contained a lot of unnecessary fluff and definitely could have been shortened. The present day story felt like a chore and I found myself wanting to get back to the past story. I went into this thinking this was the final book and that I would finally get closure about Pa Salt, who he was and why he adopted the sisters, but that did not happen.
Now for the positives. I have loved traveling the world with the sisters and learning about pieces of history as they learned about their past. While I did struggle with the sisters in this one, I enjoyed the historical part with Ireland's political past and their struggle for independence being the focus. Nuala and Philip's time together as well as Father O'Brien and Ambrose were the ones that kept me invested in the story.
Sadly the author, Lucinda Riley, lost her long battle with cancer and passed away last month. There was a note at the end that the final book about Pa Salt is to be published in the Fall of 2022, but I am not sure if she was able to finish it prior to her death. Thank you Lucinda Riley for giving me many hours of reading enjoyment. You will be missed. 3 stars.
June 4, 2021
review contains spoilers:
I was eagerly waiting for what I thought to be the last book in the series, eager to know how the story would end. This is the only reason why I read the book. However, as the others slowly but steadily did, also this book disappointed me. Not the story though, of course the story is beautiful, brilliant I would say. The idea of having a family of adopted daughters appealed to me from the start, including Ms Riley. I have read her other books so when The Seven Sisters (book one) in the series came along I did not hesitate, and I did love it. I loved the story, I loved the writing and the amoung of research that was clearly put into the book. Alas that started to fade away with the subsequent books. Even though the narration and the search of each sister's past continued to be interesting, especially we were taking on a journey across the globe, the writing worsened. The narration had so many repetitions, dialogues became trite so much to really bother me. This book, which is not the last, rightly so because we still need to know the story of Pa Salt, is written so badly that sometimes I felt like crying. So many repetitions, for example at some points Ambrose even said that he needs to go to the bathroom.. or how many times Ally has to say to Maia that she needs more sleep or how many times Maia has to say that she is happy to take care of Bear? I felt that this was just a way to prolongue to story to add pages to the book. As in others, the story could have been muhc shorter. It would not have lost spark, on the contrary, it would have kept the reader even more glued to the book, at least this one. It is hard to find Ms. Riley's voice anymore, I dont recognize the writer of the Orchid House, or The Light behind the window.. I dont know if this was a choice of the publishing company but adding more dialogue just to stretch the book further made the story weaker and weaker. Again, it is a pity because the story in itself is so beautiful, charming, the characters are lovable, but they all speak in that melliflous tone of voice, repeating the same concept over the over.. How many times did Mary-Kate and Jack had to call back the sisters at Atlantis? and report every word of a dialogue that seems clearly added to add lenght? A true pity.
I was eagerly waiting for what I thought to be the last book in the series, eager to know how the story would end. This is the only reason why I read the book. However, as the others slowly but steadily did, also this book disappointed me. Not the story though, of course the story is beautiful, brilliant I would say. The idea of having a family of adopted daughters appealed to me from the start, including Ms Riley. I have read her other books so when The Seven Sisters (book one) in the series came along I did not hesitate, and I did love it. I loved the story, I loved the writing and the amoung of research that was clearly put into the book. Alas that started to fade away with the subsequent books. Even though the narration and the search of each sister's past continued to be interesting, especially we were taking on a journey across the globe, the writing worsened. The narration had so many repetitions, dialogues became trite so much to really bother me. This book, which is not the last, rightly so because we still need to know the story of Pa Salt, is written so badly that sometimes I felt like crying. So many repetitions, for example at some points Ambrose even said that he needs to go to the bathroom.. or how many times Ally has to say to Maia that she needs more sleep or how many times Maia has to say that she is happy to take care of Bear? I felt that this was just a way to prolongue to story to add pages to the book. As in others, the story could have been muhc shorter. It would not have lost spark, on the contrary, it would have kept the reader even more glued to the book, at least this one. It is hard to find Ms. Riley's voice anymore, I dont recognize the writer of the Orchid House, or The Light behind the window.. I dont know if this was a choice of the publishing company but adding more dialogue just to stretch the book further made the story weaker and weaker. Again, it is a pity because the story in itself is so beautiful, charming, the characters are lovable, but they all speak in that melliflous tone of voice, repeating the same concept over the over.. How many times did Mary-Kate and Jack had to call back the sisters at Atlantis? and report every word of a dialogue that seems clearly added to add lenght? A true pity.
February 10, 2022
I bought the first book in this series on a whim a few years ago and ended up completely captivated by it, working my way through the rest of the series until I had caught up with what had been published. The last three years have seen the latest book as a Christmas present, a tradition I have come to enjoy. I was saddened to read about her death last year. Her son Harry Whittaker will be writing the last book in the series (I'll link the article at the end of my review). Her note at the end of this book mentioning her plans for the eighth book felt especially sad to read knowing she didn't have time to write it.
I found The Missing Sister enjoyable and lovely. There has always been a certain suspension of disbelief for me when I read these books -- the premise shouldn't work in a way, but I think Lucinda Riley pulled it off. The magical childhood of the girls, and then their bustling adulthoods, linking with the story of a compelling ancestor doesn't always feel realistic in one sense, yet I am able to buy into it each time. I liked all of the six sisters, some a little more than others (Star and Tiggy were my favourites from the start and remained so over the series- and to my surprise, CeCe won me over completely when I reached her book and is perhaps the sister I love most of all.
Here the early section has a weird kind of pursuit aspect when the sisters take turns following poor Merry across the globe. I liked this section because it was fun to reunite with each sister and see how their lives are going, though the practical side of me did want them to stop scaring the hell out this poor woman! My one real quibble with the book -- why was it so important to invite a woman they don't know to the memorial of a man she never met? I get that she might be the "Missing Sister" found at last, but the deadline felt odd. Couldn't they just meet up with her on her schedule? Why was her presence needed? Whatever her connection to Pa Salt, she never met him. However, I liked everything else so much that I was (mostly) able to let this go.
I loved that New Zealand was one of the locations in this book but I will say that Ireland was the real highlight for me. Both the past and present sections that took place there were excellent. I thought the ending was tantalising and well executed, but sad too -- I'm really looking forward to finally getting answers about the mysterious Pa Salt and wish Harry Whittaker well in writing it.
https://lucindariley.co.uk/seven-sist...
I found The Missing Sister enjoyable and lovely. There has always been a certain suspension of disbelief for me when I read these books -- the premise shouldn't work in a way, but I think Lucinda Riley pulled it off. The magical childhood of the girls, and then their bustling adulthoods, linking with the story of a compelling ancestor doesn't always feel realistic in one sense, yet I am able to buy into it each time. I liked all of the six sisters, some a little more than others (Star and Tiggy were my favourites from the start and remained so over the series- and to my surprise, CeCe won me over completely when I reached her book and is perhaps the sister I love most of all.
Here the early section has a weird kind of pursuit aspect when the sisters take turns following poor Merry across the globe. I liked this section because it was fun to reunite with each sister and see how their lives are going, though the practical side of me did want them to stop scaring the hell out this poor woman! My one real quibble with the book -- why was it so important to invite a woman they don't know to the memorial of a man she never met? I get that she might be the "Missing Sister" found at last, but the deadline felt odd. Couldn't they just meet up with her on her schedule? Why was her presence needed? Whatever her connection to Pa Salt, she never met him. However, I liked everything else so much that I was (mostly) able to let this go.
I loved that New Zealand was one of the locations in this book but I will say that Ireland was the real highlight for me. Both the past and present sections that took place there were excellent. I thought the ending was tantalising and well executed, but sad too -- I'm really looking forward to finally getting answers about the mysterious Pa Salt and wish Harry Whittaker well in writing it.
https://lucindariley.co.uk/seven-sist...
June 4, 2025
Da Di Da Di Da…
“The six D'Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?”
I’m truly sorry but… right now I’m not finding a way (maybe later I will) of reviewing this book without seeding spoilers over spoilers. So, instead of a review, I’ll quote part of the chorus of a song I know that will be of great help:
And so the story goes
Di da di di da di da di da di da di da di…
——————————-
Um Périplo de Gato e Rato
É o primeiro aniversário da morte do Pa Salt e Mérope, a sétima irmã, continua desaparecida. Assim, as restantes 6 irmãs empreendem uma busca no sentido de encontrarem Mérope pois é importante que, também ela, esteja presente na celebração do Memorial. Essa busca abrange vários pontos do Globo num périplo que redunda num jogo de gato e rato pois Mérope, por razões muito suas, parece determinada a não abdicar do epíteto Desaparecida
A propósito das origens de Mérope surgem referências históricas que eu desconhecia de todo — numa fascinante viagem à Irlanda de 1920, a autora refere uma Liga de Mulheres Irlandesas (Cumann na mBan) que colaboraram diretamente com os Voluntários Irlandeses (ulterior IRA) na luta pela independência — angariavam fundos, passavam mensagens, actuavam como espias, providenciavam alimentos e vestuário além de abrigos seguros…
Assim, além de ingressarmos numa viagem empolgante, sem preocupações de malas nem enfadonhos voos de avião, temos ainda um pouco de História. Como veem, nada nos falta para uma leitura feliz ;)
“The six D'Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?”
I’m truly sorry but… right now I’m not finding a way (maybe later I will) of reviewing this book without seeding spoilers over spoilers. So, instead of a review, I’ll quote part of the chorus of a song I know that will be of great help:
And so the story goes
Di da di di da di da di da di da di da di…
——————————-
Um Périplo de Gato e Rato
É o primeiro aniversário da morte do Pa Salt e Mérope, a sétima irmã, continua desaparecida. Assim, as restantes 6 irmãs empreendem uma busca no sentido de encontrarem Mérope pois é importante que, também ela, esteja presente na celebração do Memorial. Essa busca abrange vários pontos do Globo num périplo que redunda num jogo de gato e rato pois Mérope, por razões muito suas, parece determinada a não abdicar do epíteto Desaparecida
A propósito das origens de Mérope surgem referências históricas que eu desconhecia de todo — numa fascinante viagem à Irlanda de 1920, a autora refere uma Liga de Mulheres Irlandesas (Cumann na mBan) que colaboraram diretamente com os Voluntários Irlandeses (ulterior IRA) na luta pela independência — angariavam fundos, passavam mensagens, actuavam como espias, providenciavam alimentos e vestuário além de abrigos seguros…
Assim, além de ingressarmos numa viagem empolgante, sem preocupações de malas nem enfadonhos voos de avião, temos ainda um pouco de História. Como veem, nada nos falta para uma leitura feliz ;)
February 11, 2025
2 stars! ⭐️⭐️
Wow, I struggled to get through these 800 pages of boredom! I started this series long ago and fell in love with the originality and characters. I love how each book is set in a different country (or countries) and how the past and present chapters intertwined into something special. However, the last couple of books have become a chore to get through.
I didn’t like the present day chapters very much and the historical chapters were SO long and drawn out. For a book this long, I need way more attention grabbing moments. Just dull.
I had hoped that this book would be the end and all questions would be answered. Not the case. There is another that I’m considering not reading at all. With the unfortunate passing of Lucinda Riley, I just don’t know what to expect if I go on (her son writes the next one).
I’m glad I have the memories of the earlier books in this series. I wish this one could’ve been better!
Wow, I struggled to get through these 800 pages of boredom! I started this series long ago and fell in love with the originality and characters. I love how each book is set in a different country (or countries) and how the past and present chapters intertwined into something special. However, the last couple of books have become a chore to get through.
I didn’t like the present day chapters very much and the historical chapters were SO long and drawn out. For a book this long, I need way more attention grabbing moments. Just dull.
I had hoped that this book would be the end and all questions would be answered. Not the case. There is another that I’m considering not reading at all. With the unfortunate passing of Lucinda Riley, I just don’t know what to expect if I go on (her son writes the next one).
I’m glad I have the memories of the earlier books in this series. I wish this one could’ve been better!
May 7, 2021
Im lucky enough to live in the netherlands and get the dutch version early, and i’ve got to say that i think this book is the best of the series so far. I’ve read this 700 page monster in less than a day (11 hours total, if i count it up) I just could not put this away
March 4, 2023
23,5h Hörbuch (zum Glück auf 1,8 gestellt) / über 800 Seiten und man weidet die Cashcow aus bis zum Äußersten. NATÜRLICH wird im Grunde keines der Rätsel rund um den Grund der ganzen Adoptionen, welche wir 7 Bände lang aufrollen, erklärt. NATÜRLICH muss es noch einen Band rund um Pa Salt geben. Mal schauen, ob das der letzte bleibt oder der Anwalt, der offenbar mehr weiß auch noch einen eigenen Band bekommt.
Je mehr ich diese Reihe lese (bzw. höre), desto dämlicher finde ich diese ganze Grundstory und die Frauen, welche mit goldenem Löffel aufwuchsen, sich selbst aber so unfassbar bodenständig darstellen wollen. So bodenständig, dass sie die vermutete „verschwundene Schwester“ um den halben Erdball jagen. Mal eben schnell nach Neuseeland düsen oder in die Provence fahren… gar kein Problem. Geld regelt alles, ein Glück hat der superreiche Adoptivvater nicht nur Geheimnisse ohne Ende, sondern auch Cash bis zum Abwinken, zurückgelassen. Das gesamte Setting in der „Jetzt-Zeit“ nervt mich mit jedem Band mehr.
Und wie verrückt ist es einfach, dass die 6 Schwestern eine angeblich verschwundene (was auch immer das zu bedeuten hat erfahren wir natürlich nicht) verfolgen und sie samt Familie dazu bringen wollen an einer Gedenkfeier für den (angeblich toten - wir sind uns doch alle sicher, dass der gute Mann nicht tot ist, oder?) Pa Salt teilzunehmen. Den sie überhaupt nicht kannte!
Zwei Sterne auch hier wieder nur dafür, dass der Vergangenheitspart zwar extrem langatmig war, aber zumindest ein paar interessante Infos zur Irischen Geschichte bot. Eine Dokumentation dazu hätte mir aber auch gereicht!
Dass hier auch dauerhaft nur versucht wird Spannung mit „…das erzähle ich später“ aufzubauen fand ich beim dritten Mal nur noch nervtötend. Eigentlich hätte ich es abbrechen sollen, aber irgendwie habe ich dann teilweise auch wenig aufmerksam zu Ende gehört, während ich so spannende Dinge wie den haushalt erledigt habe.
Ich verkünde hiermit feierlich, dass ich den (hoffentlich?!) letzten Band rund um Pa Salt nicht lesen/hören werde. Ja, es interessiert mich, wie der Sohn der Autorin mit den Aufzeichnungen seiner Mutter das Ganze zu Ende bringt und was es nun eigentlich mit diesen ganzen Adoptionen auf sich hat, aber da lasse ich mich lieber irgendwo online spoilern und lese eine schnelle Zusammenfassung, als ein Audible Guthaben und viele kostbare Stunden Hörzeit damit zu verschwenden.
Je mehr ich diese Reihe lese (bzw. höre), desto dämlicher finde ich diese ganze Grundstory und die Frauen, welche mit goldenem Löffel aufwuchsen, sich selbst aber so unfassbar bodenständig darstellen wollen. So bodenständig, dass sie die vermutete „verschwundene Schwester“ um den halben Erdball jagen. Mal eben schnell nach Neuseeland düsen oder in die Provence fahren… gar kein Problem. Geld regelt alles, ein Glück hat der superreiche Adoptivvater nicht nur Geheimnisse ohne Ende, sondern auch Cash bis zum Abwinken, zurückgelassen. Das gesamte Setting in der „Jetzt-Zeit“ nervt mich mit jedem Band mehr.
Und wie verrückt ist es einfach, dass die 6 Schwestern eine angeblich verschwundene (was auch immer das zu bedeuten hat erfahren wir natürlich nicht) verfolgen und sie samt Familie dazu bringen wollen an einer Gedenkfeier für den (angeblich toten - wir sind uns doch alle sicher, dass der gute Mann nicht tot ist, oder?) Pa Salt teilzunehmen. Den sie überhaupt nicht kannte!
Zwei Sterne auch hier wieder nur dafür, dass der Vergangenheitspart zwar extrem langatmig war, aber zumindest ein paar interessante Infos zur Irischen Geschichte bot. Eine Dokumentation dazu hätte mir aber auch gereicht!
Dass hier auch dauerhaft nur versucht wird Spannung mit „…das erzähle ich später“ aufzubauen fand ich beim dritten Mal nur noch nervtötend. Eigentlich hätte ich es abbrechen sollen, aber irgendwie habe ich dann teilweise auch wenig aufmerksam zu Ende gehört, während ich so spannende Dinge wie den haushalt erledigt habe.
Ich verkünde hiermit feierlich, dass ich den (hoffentlich?!) letzten Band rund um Pa Salt nicht lesen/hören werde. Ja, es interessiert mich, wie der Sohn der Autorin mit den Aufzeichnungen seiner Mutter das Ganze zu Ende bringt und was es nun eigentlich mit diesen ganzen Adoptionen auf sich hat, aber da lasse ich mich lieber irgendwo online spoilern und lese eine schnelle Zusammenfassung, als ein Audible Guthaben und viele kostbare Stunden Hörzeit damit zu verschwenden.
June 7, 2021
3.5 stars.
All along we've known that Pa Salt chose to adopt 6 girls from all over the world. So far we've gone through Maia's backstory in Brazil, Ally's backstory in Norway, Star's backstory in England, CeCe's backstory in Australia, Tiggy's backstory in Spain, and Electra's backstory in Kenya. Pa Salt adopted the girls and named them after the 7 stars of the Pleiades, but there were always just 6 of them, so where is Merope, the 7th sister?
Their father's lawyer gives them a picture of a star shaped emerald ring and a name as their clue, and they are asked to go and find their missing sister before they all embark on a cruise to do a proper send off to their father.
Their search will take them all over the world, but mainly to Ireland, to the time where the Irish were fighting for their independence.
When I started this one I though that it was the final book in the series, but it's not. There will be one final book next year called: Atlas: the Story of Pa Salt. I was hoping for answers with this book, but it was not to be. We still don't know anything about Pa Salt's background.
This book was very long, the longest in the series so far, and it didn't really need to be. Mary (Merry) was very irritating, and most of her whining could have been cut down a bit. I can't say that I liked her at all. I did however, love the portions of the book set in Ireland, and I loved learning more about their hardships before independence. The historical parts are always my favourite parts of these books.
I'm glad that we have all the sisters together now on their cruise, and I am more than ready for the final book in this instalment to wrap up Pa Salt's story. I need to know how and why he picked each girl, I need to know what's up with the Eszus, I need closure.
All along we've known that Pa Salt chose to adopt 6 girls from all over the world. So far we've gone through Maia's backstory in Brazil, Ally's backstory in Norway, Star's backstory in England, CeCe's backstory in Australia, Tiggy's backstory in Spain, and Electra's backstory in Kenya. Pa Salt adopted the girls and named them after the 7 stars of the Pleiades, but there were always just 6 of them, so where is Merope, the 7th sister?
Their father's lawyer gives them a picture of a star shaped emerald ring and a name as their clue, and they are asked to go and find their missing sister before they all embark on a cruise to do a proper send off to their father.
Their search will take them all over the world, but mainly to Ireland, to the time where the Irish were fighting for their independence.
When I started this one I though that it was the final book in the series, but it's not. There will be one final book next year called: Atlas: the Story of Pa Salt. I was hoping for answers with this book, but it was not to be. We still don't know anything about Pa Salt's background.
This book was very long, the longest in the series so far, and it didn't really need to be. Mary (Merry) was very irritating, and most of her whining could have been cut down a bit. I can't say that I liked her at all. I did however, love the portions of the book set in Ireland, and I loved learning more about their hardships before independence. The historical parts are always my favourite parts of these books.
I'm glad that we have all the sisters together now on their cruise, and I am more than ready for the final book in this instalment to wrap up Pa Salt's story. I need to know how and why he picked each girl, I need to know what's up with the Eszus, I need closure.
June 4, 2021
The author must sure like her liquor as wine, whiskey, beer and armagnac flow in abundance throughout this book, almost on every single of the 800+ pages.
The sad all time low arrives when she lets one -still breastfeeding- sister ask the other -recently pregnant- sister if she would join her in a glass of armagnac. That’s heavy stuff mind!
Furthermore the author has a rather ‘convenient’ way of simply making less sympathetic characters disappear from the plot, so that rather promising storylines come to dissapointing and unfullfilling ends. For example: of seven siblings she makes the one sibling the main character does not get along with emigrate to Canada. End of story. Some weird childhood friend is easily written of to the loony bin in one single paragraph. Loose ends are sloppily written off in my opinion.
Conversations mostly are rather surreal and unbelievable. In the space of like three scentences two complete strangers manage to convince a 22 year old girl she’s their long lost sister based on the fact that her mother owns a ring. Instantly the girl lets them stay for the night and they’re best friends for life.
It’s all just too lazily written and actually, the story only gets more and more ridicoulous with every next chapter.
This really is the worst book of the whole series.
2 stars instead of 1 because of the historical background of the Irish independance in the 1920’s.
The sad all time low arrives when she lets one -still breastfeeding- sister ask the other -recently pregnant- sister if she would join her in a glass of armagnac. That’s heavy stuff mind!
Furthermore the author has a rather ‘convenient’ way of simply making less sympathetic characters disappear from the plot, so that rather promising storylines come to dissapointing and unfullfilling ends. For example: of seven siblings she makes the one sibling the main character does not get along with emigrate to Canada. End of story. Some weird childhood friend is easily written of to the loony bin in one single paragraph. Loose ends are sloppily written off in my opinion.
Conversations mostly are rather surreal and unbelievable. In the space of like three scentences two complete strangers manage to convince a 22 year old girl she’s their long lost sister based on the fact that her mother owns a ring. Instantly the girl lets them stay for the night and they’re best friends for life.
It’s all just too lazily written and actually, the story only gets more and more ridicoulous with every next chapter.
This really is the worst book of the whole series.
2 stars instead of 1 because of the historical background of the Irish independance in the 1920’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2021
I mean, it's a great read like the previous 6 books of course. I just felt there were too many plot points that were entirely too unbelievable and some plot points that went on for way too long.
June 17, 2021
I know that there is some controversy around this book, with die hard fans not overly keen…. I have to say, I absolutely loved it. Yes it’s written to a formula, yes it is far fetched but I enjoyed the story, particularly the parts about Ireland. Can’t wait for the final book now!
June 5, 2021
I dont know where to start. Now i'm just simply thinking how come I have read the whole 7 books at this point. I would actually like to go back to the first book and look how it was written because I have a feeling that the more the story progress, the writting becomes worst and also the plot.
First, I CANT just get past the names of the new characters. Mary who is known as Merry and to me there is even no difference on how you say it like, seriously? Her daughter Mary-Kate was ok but then her husband JOCK and son JACK??? WHO THINKS OF THESE NAMES?
The writting is just a bit off for me. Everything is just made with dialogues without even detailed descriptions of the places nor the feelings of every character. They have been to this island I never heard of near NZ and had no clue how beautiful it is because the writer didnt even focus on writing about it. Every places they hunted Mary down, it felt like they all just passed by just so the plot can say, "they searched the whole world for her".
The undercover of Orlando and Star was such a weird part of the plot and even electra and her assistant's cover seemed so ridiculous. But the most difficult for me to understand is why she run away from Bobby only because he has a gun pointed at her?? Then only to find out he got arrested. She ran away for 37 years because of this???????? And the family tree of her adopted family. The way she was adopted... like a maid just recently had a baby and she was working the next day???? I dont know. The backstory of Naula seemed unimportant, they just threw it there. And then the part where she met Peter.... which doesnt add up to the plot. And Georg Hoffman who was playing them all along. Oh my god. I dont know anymore.
I'm sorry but this series has been going down for me since Ally's series of unfortunate events.
First, I CANT just get past the names of the new characters. Mary who is known as Merry and to me there is even no difference on how you say it like, seriously? Her daughter Mary-Kate was ok but then her husband JOCK and son JACK??? WHO THINKS OF THESE NAMES?
The writting is just a bit off for me. Everything is just made with dialogues without even detailed descriptions of the places nor the feelings of every character. They have been to this island I never heard of near NZ and had no clue how beautiful it is because the writer didnt even focus on writing about it. Every places they hunted Mary down, it felt like they all just passed by just so the plot can say, "they searched the whole world for her".
The undercover of Orlando and Star was such a weird part of the plot and even electra and her assistant's cover seemed so ridiculous. But the most difficult for me to understand is why she run away from Bobby only because he has a gun pointed at her?? Then only to find out he got arrested. She ran away for 37 years because of this???????? And the family tree of her adopted family. The way she was adopted... like a maid just recently had a baby and she was working the next day???? I dont know. The backstory of Naula seemed unimportant, they just threw it there. And then the part where she met Peter.... which doesnt add up to the plot. And Georg Hoffman who was playing them all along. Oh my god. I dont know anymore.
I'm sorry but this series has been going down for me since Ally's series of unfortunate events.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2021
Arrebatador y fascinante este séptimo libro de la saga, colmado de sorpresas que no esperaba, esta relatado con cuantiosos toques de inocencia, dulzura y magia, para mí siempre es como leer muchas historias dentro de una.
Lo mejor de todo es que para el 2022 continuará esta saga con un libro dedicado como no podía ser de otra manera a Pa Salt.
Gracias Lucinda por estas maravillosas novelas, de estas novelas que te hacen creer que a pesar de todo los seres humanos somos buenos, gracias por escribir de esa forma que lo haces, textos llenos de valores, mezclando ficción con realidad, palabras que hacen soñar, textos que te hacen creer que todo es posible.
Posdata: Pero nunca olvidéis que la historia que cuenta un libro no siempre es igual.
Extractos del libro:
Había comprendido que al abrir, vacilante, los recuerdos que llevaban tanto tiempo sellados, había desatado un torrente de otros recuerdos.
Sus facciones expresaron una gama de emociones que no conseguí descifrar.
Según él, la vida no es un problema que resolver, sino una realidad que experimentar.
Tal vez todos mentimos para proteger a aquellos a los que amamos. O al menos no les contamos cosas que pensamos que pueden hacerles daño o asustarlos.
Uno a menudo encuentra su destino en el camino que tomó para evitarlo.
Qué niño más bueno —dijo Ambrose—. Y con ese pelo moreno como su papá. —Yo esperaba que fuese rubio como yo, para no ser la única de la familia —comentó ella—. Katie dice que es porque soy la hermana más pequeña. A Dios se le acabó el color, y por eso tengo el pelo tan claro.
¿Acaso se limita toda vida a una serie de caminos que giran y serpentean, con un cruce cada tanto, cuando el destino permite a la humanidad decidir su propio destino…?
May 16, 2021
Although I generally enjoy this series,I thought this last book was unnecessary dragging on in places,and I could not believe
the author stated at the end,she could not fit in the entire story,so another book is to follow.
It starts to feel like milking it!
the author stated at the end,she could not fit in the entire story,so another book is to follow.
It starts to feel like milking it!
May 24, 2021
I love this series, and this was the perfect ending. It was so lovely to hear about all the sisters again, following their stories when I already feel I know them so well. The last sister’s past was also an interesting read, especially since i knew so little about Irish history. I’m so glad there is one last book left, and am sure that it will tie the last threads together.
June 11, 2021
Just finished this book today and minutes later was sad to find out that Lucinda Riley passed away this morning. RIP Ms. Riley, thank you for the stories.
June 2, 2021
I actually thought this would be the final installment but unfortunately it wasn’t. Now another 18 months’ wait until all the mystery is explained. This book is not very balanced, the history of Ireland’s struggles for independence is very interesting but the story of the missing sister is weak and farfetched. Badly written dialogue and endless clumsy explanations of everything that happened before made this book quite a struggle to read. Hopefully we will know more in October 2022 ....
January 17, 2023
There is just so much wrong with this book, I don't even know where to start.
I seriously wonder how this book could be a bestseller, and how the publisher got people to quote positively on the cover, I could never have told that lie.
In this book (I wanted to say final book, but sadly, it is not the final book) the adopted sisters try to find the "missing" sister because apparently it seems a good idea to invite a complete stranger to the wake of your dead father. Not only do these extremely privileged girls find it an okay idea to travel around the entire globe (helloo, global warming is a thing), they also seem to think that harassment is okay, wouldn't it be nice to grow up getting everything you wanted? So in essence it might seem like a fun story to read right, a little scavenger hunt, it could have been fun, if it weren't for the horrific storytelling and miserable characters. I mean, who does not know their own fathers actual name? And why does the reader have to be informed that "Pa Salt" can be an anagram for "Atlas" if you scrap one letter, come on Lucinda Riley, have a little faith in your readers. Another quite off-character thing that happens is that all these girls seem to never have been taught topography, and need to help each other to clarify that Ireland is indeed close to Scotland, or France to Switzerland. Not only do I find this unconvincing, but it is blatantly stupid.
But what stroke me most, and this is something that I can not wrap my head around even if I try very hard, that the chance of writing an empowering series about independent females with different backstories was so utterly destroyed in this series. Why, WHY, do all the "grown up" female characters feel the need to couple the "insecure and searching for a life" female characters to a strong men? Can we not be happy on our own? One conversation was specifically awful, Ginette from the France vineyard, mind your own fucking business and stop giving advice to a stranger you met 24 hours ago. The soul purpose of a woman is not to belong to a male spouse.
I am mad at this book.
I seriously wonder how this book could be a bestseller, and how the publisher got people to quote positively on the cover, I could never have told that lie.
In this book (I wanted to say final book, but sadly, it is not the final book) the adopted sisters try to find the "missing" sister because apparently it seems a good idea to invite a complete stranger to the wake of your dead father. Not only do these extremely privileged girls find it an okay idea to travel around the entire globe (helloo, global warming is a thing), they also seem to think that harassment is okay, wouldn't it be nice to grow up getting everything you wanted? So in essence it might seem like a fun story to read right, a little scavenger hunt, it could have been fun, if it weren't for the horrific storytelling and miserable characters. I mean, who does not know their own fathers actual name? And why does the reader have to be informed that "Pa Salt" can be an anagram for "Atlas" if you scrap one letter, come on Lucinda Riley, have a little faith in your readers. Another quite off-character thing that happens is that all these girls seem to never have been taught topography, and need to help each other to clarify that Ireland is indeed close to Scotland, or France to Switzerland. Not only do I find this unconvincing, but it is blatantly stupid.
But what stroke me most, and this is something that I can not wrap my head around even if I try very hard, that the chance of writing an empowering series about independent females with different backstories was so utterly destroyed in this series. Why, WHY, do all the "grown up" female characters feel the need to couple the "insecure and searching for a life" female characters to a strong men? Can we not be happy on our own? One conversation was specifically awful, Ginette from the France vineyard, mind your own fucking business and stop giving advice to a stranger you met 24 hours ago. The soul purpose of a woman is not to belong to a male spouse.
I am mad at this book.
May 15, 2021
Wauw, maar echt wauw. Het liefst zou ik deze review volstoppen met spoilers maar dat zou zonde zijn. Fans van de Zeven Zussen reeks zullen ongetwijfeld niet kunnen wachten om dit boek te lezen en Riley maakt de hoge verwachtingen meer dan waar. Hoewel dit boek net iets anders is opgezet dan de vorige zes boeken, zo wissel je tussen meerdere tijdzones, werd ik vanaf het begin direct meegesleept in het bijzondere en mooie verhaal. Hoewel je denkt te weten hoe een boek kan aflopen nadat je al zes gelijksoortige boeken hebt gelezen, viel mijn mond bijna open aan het eind en heeft Riley het verhaal tot letterlijk het laatste woord verrassend weten te houden.
Wat een topper en wat ben ik vooral blij dat er nog een deel 8 komt. Ik zit met nog ZO veel vragen waar ik dacht antwoord op te krijgen in dit boek! Huilen dat dit nog God mag weten hoelang gaat duren.
Wat een topper en wat ben ik vooral blij dat er nog een deel 8 komt. Ik zit met nog ZO veel vragen waar ik dacht antwoord op te krijgen in dit boek! Huilen dat dit nog God mag weten hoelang gaat duren.
May 30, 2021
Am asteptat aceasta carte extrem, extrem de mult. Am inceput seria mai tarziu, cand erau deja publicate 5 volume. Am asteptat volumul 6 destul de putin si apoi a urmat o lunga asteptare pentru volumul ce il consideram ultimul, aveam sa vedem, in cele din urma, cine este a saptea sora. A fost cel mai aventuros volum, plin de actiune, calatorii, o incursiune in istoria Irlandei, foarte frumos scris, insa cu un final care m-a dezamagit teribil. De vreo luna am aflat ca va exista si un volum 8, dar ma asteptam ca aceasta poveste sa aiba finalitate, asa cum au avut precedentele, insa s-a terminat fara sa ofere suficiente raspunsuri, ci doar o serie intreaga de intrebari, la care vom primi raspuns peste un an jumate :(
June 29, 2021
I was disappointed in this book. It was very slow and lacked the charm of the previous books.
I found myself skipping pages because the story was very drawn out. There was no ending to the book and I will have to wait for the next book to find out the story of the missing sister.
I found myself skipping pages because the story was very drawn out. There was no ending to the book and I will have to wait for the next book to find out the story of the missing sister.
April 13, 2023
*This is a Re-read*
*Incredible Story*.
I have followed this series and have read all of books in the series so far, Lucinda Riley has a knack of transporting me to whichever area or country she bases each story. All the adopted sisters have been left a clue and a set of
coordinates to where they originally came from. All of the Sisters clues apart from one have been acted on and they have found out their individual stories mapped out in each book dedicated to each sister. One detail is missing the clues for ‘The Missing Sister’ the one Pa Salt never found, hence the title of the book. Her name is Merope.
Now they are all due to meet up to celebrate the life of Pa Salt as the first year anniversary of his passing is fast approaching so they all endeavour to find her.
There are comical moments during their search to find the ‘Missing Sister’ as she moves from country to country whilst they are on the hunt, the ‘Missing Sister’ has secrets of her own and thinks the real reason that she left her family home is about to catch up with her. I won’t say anymore but the ‘Missing Sister’ is not who I imagined and as she goes to her homeland after many years to face her fears some shocks and surprises await her.
I look forward to the final book ‘Atlas’ due out in May 2023.
On a sad note Lucinda Riley passed away on the 11th of June 2021, what a imagination she had. R.I.P and Thank you for sharing your gift.
*Incredible Story*.
I have followed this series and have read all of books in the series so far, Lucinda Riley has a knack of transporting me to whichever area or country she bases each story. All the adopted sisters have been left a clue and a set of
coordinates to where they originally came from. All of the Sisters clues apart from one have been acted on and they have found out their individual stories mapped out in each book dedicated to each sister. One detail is missing the clues for ‘The Missing Sister’ the one Pa Salt never found, hence the title of the book. Her name is Merope.
Now they are all due to meet up to celebrate the life of Pa Salt as the first year anniversary of his passing is fast approaching so they all endeavour to find her.
There are comical moments during their search to find the ‘Missing Sister’ as she moves from country to country whilst they are on the hunt, the ‘Missing Sister’ has secrets of her own and thinks the real reason that she left her family home is about to catch up with her. I won’t say anymore but the ‘Missing Sister’ is not who I imagined and as she goes to her homeland after many years to face her fears some shocks and surprises await her.
I look forward to the final book ‘Atlas’ due out in May 2023.
On a sad note Lucinda Riley passed away on the 11th of June 2021, what a imagination she had. R.I.P and Thank you for sharing your gift.
July 27, 2021
3.5
Lange musste ich auf den siebten Band warten, um endlich herauszufinden wer die unbekannte siebte Schwester ist. Nachdem nun neue Hinweise auf die verschwundene Schwester Merope aufgetaucht sind, machen sich die Schwestern gemeinsam auf die Suche und lässt den Leser einmal rund um die Welt reisen.
Mir hat das Buch ganz gut gefallen, jedoch waren es mir machmal ein wenig zu viele Stationen und Perspektiven. Insbesondere auf die Vergangenheit von Merope haben mich die Familienzusammengehörigkeiten manchmal ein wenig irritiert und ich hatte Schwierigkeiten denen zu folgen. Interessant fand ich aber die Zusammenhänge mit der irischen Geschichte rund um die Unabhängigkeit und ich habe hier einiges gelernt.
Die Spannung wurde gut aufrecht gehalten und auch wenn inzwischen bekannt ist, dass es noch ein achtes Buch über den Vater Pa Salt geben wird, war ich teilweise ein bisschen enttäuscht, da es kaum Antworten gegeben hat. Ich bin jedoch trotzdem sehr gespannt auf die Geschichte von Pa Salt und was seine Beweggründe waren.
Lange musste ich auf den siebten Band warten, um endlich herauszufinden wer die unbekannte siebte Schwester ist. Nachdem nun neue Hinweise auf die verschwundene Schwester Merope aufgetaucht sind, machen sich die Schwestern gemeinsam auf die Suche und lässt den Leser einmal rund um die Welt reisen.
Mir hat das Buch ganz gut gefallen, jedoch waren es mir machmal ein wenig zu viele Stationen und Perspektiven. Insbesondere auf die Vergangenheit von Merope haben mich die Familienzusammengehörigkeiten manchmal ein wenig irritiert und ich hatte Schwierigkeiten denen zu folgen. Interessant fand ich aber die Zusammenhänge mit der irischen Geschichte rund um die Unabhängigkeit und ich habe hier einiges gelernt.
Die Spannung wurde gut aufrecht gehalten und auch wenn inzwischen bekannt ist, dass es noch ein achtes Buch über den Vater Pa Salt geben wird, war ich teilweise ein bisschen enttäuscht, da es kaum Antworten gegeben hat. Ich bin jedoch trotzdem sehr gespannt auf die Geschichte von Pa Salt und was seine Beweggründe waren.
April 4, 2023
Penso che questo, tra tutti i libri della serie sia il più intricato e stratificato.
Abbiamo ben due trame storiche e due contemporanee, non deve essere stato facile muovere tutti questi personaggi e capisco bene come il risultato sia piuttosto voluminoso; eppure non ho sentito nemmeno per una pagina il peso della narrazione, ho trovato ogni storyline interessante e a ogni sospensione restava la voglia di saperne di più.
La vicenda storica è eccezionale, copre un periodo che generalmente non si studia sui banchi di scuola ma è incredibilmente affascinante.
Il finale mi ha lasciata un po' triste (mi sono auto-convinta per sette libri di una cosa che forse non è vera) ma anche estremamente curiosa di leggere di Atlas!
Abbiamo ben due trame storiche e due contemporanee, non deve essere stato facile muovere tutti questi personaggi e capisco bene come il risultato sia piuttosto voluminoso; eppure non ho sentito nemmeno per una pagina il peso della narrazione, ho trovato ogni storyline interessante e a ogni sospensione restava la voglia di saperne di più.
La vicenda storica è eccezionale, copre un periodo che generalmente non si studia sui banchi di scuola ma è incredibilmente affascinante.
Il finale mi ha lasciata un po' triste (mi sono auto-convinta per sette libri di una cosa che forse non è vera) ma anche estremamente curiosa di leggere di Atlas!
May 7, 2021
Pre-ordered it months ago, finally got it on may 6th, Im from the Netherlands, it was published there on that day.
I’ve read the book front to back within 24 hours and I have to say that I’m both very excited and depressed. Very excited that some light has been shed and that there will be another book, depressed that I have to wait God knows how long to get the answers we’re all so desperate to get.
Enjoy y’all!
I’ve read the book front to back within 24 hours and I have to say that I’m both very excited and depressed. Very excited that some light has been shed and that there will be another book, depressed that I have to wait God knows how long to get the answers we’re all so desperate to get.
Enjoy y’all!
October 19, 2022
4.5 ⭐
La verdad es que el principio me costó... tanto perseguir a Merry de un país a otro y ella obcecada sin escuchar. Me tenia más interesada la historia dd Nuala. Pero desde que Merry llega a Irlanda la cosa cambió y ya fue un no parar de leer.
Me ha gustado mucho la elección de la Hermana Perdida... y ese final de infarto. ¡ Que ganas de que se publique el siguiente! Aunque le tengo miedo porque ya no será Lucinda la escritora
La verdad es que el principio me costó... tanto perseguir a Merry de un país a otro y ella obcecada sin escuchar. Me tenia más interesada la historia dd Nuala. Pero desde que Merry llega a Irlanda la cosa cambió y ya fue un no parar de leer.
Me ha gustado mucho la elección de la Hermana Perdida... y ese final de infarto. ¡ Que ganas de que se publique el siguiente! Aunque le tengo miedo porque ya no será Lucinda la escritora
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