And here was I, as usual the odd one out. Since Pa had died, I'd managed to find nothing except a new and more reliable dealer. Even though I was by far the most financially successful sister… what was the point when I hadn't a clue what else I wanted to do?' Spanning continents and decades, this is a well-researched and compelling novel on an epic scale.’ Sunday Express S magazine

And I had. Since my role in life was to protect my more vulnerable sister—she was actually three months older than me but she’d found it difficult to speak, so I’d always spoken for her—I’d sealed up my heart, zipped up my jeans, then walked into the sitting room to tell her. The Pearl Sister, the fourth instalment in the The Seven Sisters series, is predominantly set in the dusty Australian heat during both the early 1900s and twenty-first century as it delves into the life, ancestors, and heritage of CeCe, the struggling, awkward artist who seems adrift and in desperate need of some inspiration, companionship, and contentment.

The excitement and anticipation of a new novel from Riley for me must be comparable to how the fans of J K Rowling felt each time a new Harry Potter book was released …this series is without the best thing Lucinda has written.’ The lonely wanderer who must find where she belongs – beginning in Scotland 100 years ago, CeCe’s story moves from the beaches of Thailand to the pearling towns and Red Centre of Australia. The historical sections feature Kitty McBride, a Scottish clergyman's daughter, who over one hundred years earlier finds herself self in Australia. I loved her and her tragic tale -- and finding out just how she was connected to CeCe. I knew that my ‘gift' of beauty had helped to bring about the most painful moment of my life, simply because I was too naive at the time to understand the power it wielded. So now, I hid it away, which meant hiding myself.' If I worship anything, it’s that,” I murmured to the Buddha. He too was made of earth—of hewn mineral turned to beauty over millennia—and I thought he’d probably understand.

I always love how each and every one of the books in this addictive series is able to combine a number of genres in the one unforgettable novel. If you select The Pearl Sister to read, expect a touch of romance, a contemporary storyline, a touch a mystery and a full bodied historical fiction novel. I was enthralled by CeCe’s individual journey and the events that unfolded brought plenty of twists, turns and surprises. When I reached the close of the book, I really did not want it to end, as I know now I have a big wait ahead of me for the next chapter in the series, The Moon Sister. Thankfully, Riley keeps fans of the series happy and morale high with the tantalising sneak peek into the next sister’s story, Tiggy’s quest to uncover her origins. I can’t wait! Thank you for another monumental novel in the Seven Sisters series Lucinda Riley.

The Seven Sisters books in order

The youngest of the D'Aplièse sisters, Electra, known for her fiery temper, has always been outspoken and a rebel. Now one of the world's most successful supermodels, she is living in New York, away from her sisters, and is struggling to cope with both the death of Pa Salt and the break up of a relationship. Turning further to drugs and alcohol, she then, she receives a mysterious letter from a woman claiming to be her biological grandmother and her life takes an unexpected turn…

I must have fallen asleep, because I had the spider nightmare and woke myself up screaming, automatically clapping a hand to my mouth to shut myself up in case someone along the corridor thought I was being murdered. I decided I just couldn’t stay in this soulless room any longer by myself, so I put on my boots, grabbed my camera, and took the lift down to reception. No, CeCe, I cautioned myself harshly as panic rose inside me, you can do this without her, you really can. Please, look at this nightmare sentence: "Pulling on her woollen vest and fastening the buttons of her dress across her long, white throat, she scraped her mane of auburn hair off her face and into a coil on the top of her head" (P.83). It reads like the fanfiction I wrote when I was 12. Sure, you need to be descriptive when writing, you need to paint a picture. Not that much though? The book is filled with sentences like this, but less than some of her older works. I also found her use of Australian slang and pidgin English cringeworthy. While I understand pidgin English is absolutely a real thing, the execution in the book was flawed. WHERE IS YOUR EDITOR. I WILL EDIT YOUR BOOKS. The London banker she meets in Thailand? What was the point of that? That she knows how to make a friend?Her acting career was interrupted by a long bout of mononucleosis. This caused her to turn to writing, and her first novel Lovers and Players was published in 1992. [3] A hundred years earlier, Kitty McBride, daughter of an Edinburgh clergyman, is given the opportunity to travel to Australia as the companion of the wealthy Mrs McCrombie. In Adelaide, her fate becomes entwined with Mrs McCrombie's family, including the identical, yet very different, twin brothers: impetuous Drummond, and ambitious Andrew, the heir to a pearling fortune.

Alongside CeCe’s incredible journey, you are also given the story of Kitty McBride, a Scottish ministers daughter, who leaves the dreary shores for Australia as a Ladies maid in 1906, her story is tied closely to CeCe’s but it’s not until further down the line that you actually link everything together fully, by that point you are literally immersed in the lives of these two very different women. The eldest of the adoptive sisters, Maia, with her shiny, brown hair, perfect skin and huge expressive eyes, known as the beauty of the family. Deeply affected by events in her early adulthood, she has withdrawn from the world to protect her damaged heart. But, with her extraordinary grasp of languages, Maia's attachment to home hinders her potential, until she discovers the clue left to her by the sisters' late adoptive father, Pa Salt. Maia's defences must come down if she is to discover her connection to Brazilian beauty Izabela Bonifacio, and finds love in the passionate city of Rio de Janeiro.

Summary

The Pearl Sister is the fourth book in the number one international bestselling Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. When CeCe herself finally 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. 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 never thought possible: a sense of belonging, and a home. I shuddered, remembering my teenage plane companion’s parting words . . . They couldn’t really be the size of dinner plates in Australia, could they? Ciara McDonnell (11 June 2021). "Lucinda Riley, author of the Seven Sisters series and ex West Cork resident, dies". Irish Examiner.