Die beiden Stories um England im Verlauf der Zeit sind liebevoll und aufwendig ausgearbeitet und perfekt abgestimmt. Dazu haben mir die skurrilen Nebenfiguren total gut gefallen, vor allem Orlando. I have previously reviewed The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister so please take a look in my archives, you can search on my blog. Following on from the bestselling The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series, loosely based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters star cluster. Come and help me choose some sofas,” she called from the sitting room as I filled our yellowing tub with lukewarm water.

And I wanted to celebrate the achievements of women, especially in the past, where so often, their contribution to making our world the place it is today has been overshadowed by the more frequently documented achievements of men. Shortly before the publication of The Missing Sister , Lucinda announced an eighth and final book in The Seven Sisters series, promising to answer the question at the heart of the story: Who is Pa Salt? Before her death, Lucinda was able to write several important passages and detailed notes on the story. She expressed a clear wish that her eldest son, Harry, should complete the series if the worst were to happen. I lay in the water and lowered my head so that my ears and hair were submerged. I listened to the gloopy sounds—Womb sounds, I thought—and decided that I had to get away before I went completely mad. None of this was CeCe’s fault and I certainly didn’t want to take it out on her. I loved her. She had been there for me every day of my life, but . . . As for Flora, I loved her story, character and how Alice Keppel and her daughters were portrayed in this novel, now that's an interesting family! I think the Keppel family line is the line that produces the kings and princes of England mistresses, what a weird family, the woman in this line are experts in catching the eyes (and the hearts) of royalty! A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.The kitchen is still to be fitted, but as soon as I’ve signed, you can have free rein to choose which cooker you’d like, which fridge, and so on. Now that you’re going to be a professional,” she said with a wink. I’m sure that like me, there will be one sister in particular you will most identify with, and a sister you like the least. However, the beauty of writing about the girls is that each of them have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Just as we all do. I can't wait for Star's story in November, the silent sister! But I must confess I'm mostly waiting for Tiggy's story, she reminds me of myself. I hope her story is next after Star's. I'm excited that Beatrix Potter is mentioned. Star D’Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father—the elusive billionaire, affectionately called Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted from across the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to her true heritage, and Star nervously decides to follow hers, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world.

Stars Geschichte ist interessant und fesselnd, genau wie die von Flora. Beide versuchen ihren Platz in der Welt zu finden. As far as I was aware, it was the only secret that CeCe had ever kept from me in our entire relationship, and I still had no idea where all this money had come from. Georg Hoffman had explained to us that Pa’s will made it clear that we would continue to receive only our very basic allowances. But also that we were free to go to him for extra money if necessary. So perhaps we simply needed to ask, just as CeCe presumably had. I watched CeCe as our food arrived and she ate hungrily, thinking that, even though we were both his daughters, his death felt like my sorrow alone, rather than ours. Just because . . . I . . . would. That is, I want to sit in the garden I helped Pa Salt make and open my letter.”

The silent one who must find her voice – set in London and Edwardian England, featuring Royal scandals and Beatrix Potter in the beautiful Lake District. As Star learns more about Flora’s incredible journey, she too goes on a voyage of discovery, finally stepping out of her sister’s shadow and opening herself to the possibility of love. In Greek mythology, Asterope is the sister we know the least about. She is outshone by the other stars in the Pleiades cluster, and, as Star discovers when she looks through Pa Salt’s telescope, Asterope is in fact made up of two weakly shining stars that sit closely together. This forms the basis of her character: a young woman always in the shadows, closed off from others, but with another side to her that is yet to be discovered.

Star D'Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father - the elusive billionaire, named Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted by him from the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to their true heritage, but Star - the most enigmatic of the sisters - is hesitant to step out of the safety of the close relationship she shares with her sister CeCe. In desperation, she decides to follow the first clue she has been left, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world . . . Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Italian Bancarella Prize, the Lovely Books Award in Germany, and the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. In 2020 she received the Dutch Platinum Award for sales over 300,000 copies for a single novel in one year – a prize last won by J. K. Rowling for Harry Potter.

Do you think Alice Keppel was admired or despised by London society at the time? What impression of Edwardian society did you get from the descriptions? But the point was that I would have actually preferred a tiny, basic hut—which would at least have had its foundations planted firmly in the ground—with a front door that led directly to a patch of earth outside. As often happens in dual time line stories one story captures the attention more than the other, In this case I found the more modern story far more interesting than the more historical story. Perhaps this was largely to do with liking the modern day characters more, especially Star but also Orlando, Mouse and Rory who is a sweetie. I wasn’t as enamoured learning about Flora, Mrs Keppel, Edward - the king of the time, Beatrix Potter and others. However, they are all a necessary part of the narrative. The ending is rather abrupt but that is no doubt because it leads into the next book about Cee Cee. Since I found her the most annoying character I will probably not read the next one. A hundred years earlier Flora McNichol leads a happy life in the Lake District looking after her animals and being outdoors and living near her idol Beatrix Potter. When circumstances change she is thrown into London Society and the home of one of London’s most notorious players, Alice Keppel, Flora finds herself a pawn in a game that she has no control over. As the truth comes out, Flora finds answers to questions she has been asking her whole life.

A hundred years earlier, headstrong and independent Flora MacNichol vows she will never marry. She is happy and secure in her home in the Lake District, living close to her idol, Beatrix Potter, when machinations outside her control lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society's most notorious players, Alice Keppel. Flora is pulled between passionate love and duty to her family, but finds herself a pawn in a game - the rules of which are only known to others, until a meeting with a mysterious gentleman unveils the answers that Flora has been searching for her whole life . . . Summary: Everything from Flora's chapters was incredibly interesting to me. The modern part didn't make me quite as happy. Let's hope that book 4 will finally gift me with a story where I connect to both time periods equally. Still not ready to give up on this series. That must mean something, right?From the very moment Star finds her way to the bookstore, I could smell and feel the books as well as her excitement as making a step closer to the truth. The brothers – Orlando and ‘Mouse’ were such funny and vivid characters and I was as wrapped up in their story as I was in the fate of the shop. I do love a good brooding hero and these two were very distinct but equally fascinating. The past histories of two old country houses reveal a path of hidden secrets and brotherly spats. The ways families hang together, expectation and duty get in the way of free spirit and how a house can destroy as well as bring a family together – and what it means to love and be loved. There is such detail and warmth in this story, and it reads like a song. Do you think Alice Keppel was naive to believe that she could have any influence over the King during his final days? If it was found out that one of two children in a family had a different father, one being the lover of the mother before marriage, how do you think this would affect the relationships throughout the family? At home, in an attempt to communicate with me, Ma had taught me the basics of French sign language. Another of your ‘real life’ characters in The Shadow Sister is the children’s author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter. Why do you think her work’s popularity has been so enduring – and did you read the tales to your children?