Title: The Pearl Sister
Author: Lucinda Riley
Series: The Seven Sisters, #4
Narrator: Stephanie Racine, Rehanna MacDonald
Published: November 2017, Whole Story Audiobooks / January 2018, Atria Books
Length: 19 hours 54 minutes / 528 pages
Source: Audio – Personal copy via Audible / Print – ARC E-copy via Netgalley via Publisher
Summary:
From the breathtaking beaches of Thailand to the barely tamed wilds of colonial Australia, The Pearl Sister is the next captivating story in New York Times bestselling author Lucinda Riley’s epic series about two women searching for a place to call home.CeCe
D’Aplièse has always felt like an outcast. But following the death of
her father—the reclusive billionaire affectionately called Pa Salt by
the six daughters he adopted from around the globe—she finds herself
more alone than ever. With nothing left to lose, CeCe delves into the
mystery of her familial origins. The only clues she holds are a black
and white photograph and the name of a female pioneer who once traversed
the globe from Scotland to Australia.
One hundred years
earlier, Kitty McBride, a clergyman’s daughter, abandoned her
conservative upbringing to serve as the companion to a wealthy woman
traveling from Edinburgh to Adelaide. Her ticket to a new land brings
the adventure she dreamed of…and a love that she had never imagined.
When CeCe reaches the searing heat and dusty plains of the Red Centre
of Australia, something deep within her responds to the energy of the
area and the ancient culture of the Aboriginal people, and her soul
reawakens. As she comes closer to finding the truth of her ancestry,
CeCe begins to believe that this untamed, vast continent could offer her
what she’s always yearned for: a sense of belonging.
My thoughts: Without a doubt, this series is going down as one of my favorites! This is the latest installment, book 4, in Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters series and with each subsequent book, I fall more in love not only with the D’Apliese family, but also with Lucinda’s writing. It is magical and just pulls you into the story so that you don’t want to put the book, or audio, down until you have reached the last page. I keep saying with each new book that it’s my favorite, but really – they all have been so good that I don’t know if I can just single out one over the overs.
I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about reading a whole book devoted to Cece – she hasn’t been the most likeable of the sisters in the previous books – and so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this one. Well, I needn’t have worried. Lucinda Riley does such a great job of writing Cece’s character here -we see her come into herself as an individual person, instead of always relying on Star. Yes, she is a bit out of sorts in the beginning, but we do see some incredible strength of character and personal growth in her throughout this book. Her story is one of hope, yet also filled with a bit of sadness, but it all works to create an engaging and addicting read.
I love the dual narration in these books. So far, I have found myself equally drawn to both time lines. That doesn’t always happen, as usually one is stronger or more engaging than the other. Not in the case of Lucinda’s writing – she makes both equally captivating. I love that as the girls are learning about their past, we get such a rich story out of it, and in this case in particular, quite a history lesson.
We are now just past the halfway point in this series and there are still so many unanswered questions. I like that there is this big mystery surrounding Pa Salt. Who was he and why did he adopt all these girls? And, who is the seventh sister? I keep hoping we will get answers in each book, yet I find that not only do we not, but the mystery itself seems to get bigger and bigger. I love this – it makes me want to read the series even more and possibly at some point in the future, reread it to see if there were clues along the way! But for now, I am just savoring each book – and loving the attention to detail and being able to explore and learn about different parts of the world.
Audio thoughts: I adore listening to this series on audio – I just get lost in the narration and have found so far, that each and every narrator has done a great job telling the story. In this case, both narrators – Stephanie Racine and Rehanna MacDonald – were new to me, so I didn’t know what to expect as far as their narration skills. But, I needn’t have worried – I thought they did a great job and I felt that having two different narrators, one for the present and one for the past, really did make sense.
Books in this series:
- The Seven Sisters
- The Storm Sister
- The Shadow Sister
- The Pearl Sister
- The Moon Sister – Due out in UK 11/18 (?), not sure when in US
About the Author:
Lucinda Riley is the #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including Hothouse Flower and The Seven Sisters. Her books have sold more than ten million copies in
over thirty languages.
Lucinda divides her time between West Cork, Ireland, and Norfolk, England with her husband and four children.
Authors Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube
The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley
Atria
January 23, 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 9781501180033
E-book ISBN: 9781501180057
Iv e read a few books from this author. Not this one though. Thanks for the review
I've got the first one coming up on my reading list and I'm so excited! It sounds really good and I'm glad that at halfway through it's still enjoyable.