The Pearl Sister: The Seven Sisters, Book 4

Let me start by saying how much I love the Seven Sisters series, and the way Lucinda Riley tells more than one story in each book. I am always eagerly awaiting the next installment. As with the other books, it was wonderful to follow one of the sisters and to find out what her background was. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the story of the Pearl Sister as much as the three previous books. The whole Thailand and Ace part didn't fit into the story, especially given the way the story ended, and was more confusing than helpful in my opinion. The part about the pearl business in Australia could have been interesting but had holes in the story, and Kitty was a character I couldn't find very likable. I liked CeCe as a person, but there were too many coincidences in her journey to make it believable. I didn't want to give the book only 3 stars, 5 stars wouldn't be justified in my opinion, and 3.5 stars are not possible, hence the 4-star review.

I was very eager to read this book so ordered it from England as it has not yet released in the U.S.. As in all of the novels in the series, this one is about a sister who was adopted as a baby. CeeCee, learns about herself and her birth family along with the reader. Parts of the novel take place in the present while the story of CeeCee's birth family takes place in the past. The parts of the novel join together well. The characters are vivid and their stories well developed. Australia is the setting for much of the novel and the historical background was fascinating; I learned about pearl divers, the fate of children who were sent to orphanages because of being aborigine and Caucasian and about aboriginal art and beliefs. Some suspension of disbelief is required but I was more than willing. If you enjoy historical/present tense novels with a good story in a long book, this one is for you!

The Pearl Sister: Seven Sisters Book 4 is by Lucinda Riley. Lucinda Riley has outdone herself on this book. Her descriptions of Australia bring the heat and humidity right into the room with the reader. The story she uncovers about the pearl merchants and their attitude towards the aborigines is horrific. That there were people like Kitty Mercer who looked at them as people is encouraging. Lucinda’s description of CeCe’s life as a dyslexic is troubling. How many people are going through life like she is, unable to read information brochures, maps, and newspapers, not through lack of education; but by a physical disability. Her book makes you think about things you really haven’t thought of in some time if ever. CeCe’s journey to find herself and her art is fascinating.After Star left for her life with Mouse and Rory, CeCe found herself adrift and somewhat angry. She had protected Star all their lives because Star wouldn’t talk or couldn’t get the right words out. What CeCe hadn’t realized, was how much she had been helped and protected by Star from her dyslexia. She knew she had relied on Star for her school papers and things like that; but to now be completely on her own without Star to interpret, she began to see that she might have been overprotective of Star for her own benefit not Star’s. However, they were both off finding their own lives. CeCe’s was leading her to Thailand and possibly Australia.In Thailand, she had not taken into account the holiday and found herself without a room. She ended up sleeping in a cave on a private beach when she was caught by security guards. They were dragging her out when Ace, a man she had met earlier on the beach, stepped in. He offered her a room in the house he was staying in. She ended up staying with him for a week, sleeping in his spare room and sharing his dinners. They were getting to know each other or as much as he would expose of himself. He kept his story to himself except for his boyhood in Thailand. He was very secretive and careful that no one knew where he was staying. However, a nosy reporter located him and managed to get hold of a picture of Ace and CeCe. Since CeCe had left early that morning after giving Ace a copy of the photos which the security guard had had developed for her, he assumes she had betrayed him. CeCe knew nothing of this until she finally arrived in Australia to find she had been associating with a wanted man.Since there is nothing she can do for Ace, CeCe continues her search for her biological family. Ace had started her journey by reading her a book about Kitty Mercer and she manages to continue the story via a CD of her life. Although her life was interesting, the connection between Kitty and CeCe still alludes her. Can she find out?

I love the concept of finding out each sister's story and then still leaving us wondering how it will all tie together (which I hope it will in a much later book?) In this fourth sister's, Cece's, story, the book travels to Australia for her answers. As in the previous books, I find the background story much more interesting and well written than the present day. It's strange how differently they read and how much better the dialogue and characters are in the past stories. Very puzzling. This is definitely a series to be read from book 1. I will definitely be awaiting book 5!

All of the books in the series I have read so far are in the "I don't-want-to-put-it-down" category (just finished book No. 4, the Pearl Sister). The author's description of locales woven into each of the books is especially interesting. I particularly liked this one because I know I will never get to Australia, but through Lucinda Riley's words, I feel as though I've been there.The only downside to this book was an egregious editing error, which was a surprise as one of the many things I like about this series is the lack of same. Kitty's maiden name is McBride; however, when her half-brother turns up, she wonders who this person could be with a name "the same as hers." His last name is not McBride, but Mackenzie. That error aside, I highly recommend this read. I am looking forward to the others and the solving of the PaSalt mystery!

I am so loving the Seven Sister’s series. Just finished The Pearl Sister. I have gone through all of the first four so quickly. I can’t wait for the next one. Hurry! You get great writing, love, mystery, history....I love it! I did not know about Australia and the Pearl industry. That was fascinating to read about. The first book including the building of the Rio statue was also extremely interesting. The story of Edvard Grieg and his music was amazing. I have visited his home in Norway. I could just picture it all while reading Ms. Riley’s story. I have also been to the area in England where Beatrice Potter lived. I am hoping Tiggy’s tales take place in Scotland because we were there two years ago. Like I said can’t wait for book five.

I LOVE these books so much, and was up until just recently excited about working my way through a series. Haven’t done that since Harry Potter books came out many moons ago. But The Pearl Sister has been open on my Kindle for about 3 months, I am struggling to get through it. I like it, but I don’t love it, and thats the shame because my expectations have been set with the other books and so I’m dissapointed because I just can’t seem to flow with it like I did the others. It feels a bit unrealistic at times, and I try to roll with it but have to stop and do something else, whereas with the others I was engrossed and couldn’t put the book down. I want to say it feels contrived, but I guess thats a good description of the whole series, not in a negative way, but the whole storyline has an element of that. This book just tries a bit too hard, and there are parts to it that I think ‘really’. Anyway, I’m considering skimming through the last few pages, or just pushing on. I don’t feel good about not completing it, as I really cant wait for The Moon Sister in November. I guess lets be realistic, you cant always get on with all of the books, I’m sure there was one Harry Potter book that dragged a bit. So in a positive frame of mind, bring on the next one.

The seven sisters are like a golden nugent. It is unique and exciting. Each sister interweaves her story around the others, Each sister is totally different yet simaler. I thought personally that the the Pearl Sister was the best . I really enjoyed the Aboriginal history. It was a culture I knew nothing about so I can now build on the information within this book . I thought Ce Ce was a lovely person that caught my interest from page one. I like the fact that there is some interplay with the other sister so you catch up with their life. Although each book is a long read, I just zoom through the pages. If you read just one book in 2018 make sure it' s the Peal Sister. Looking forward to the Moon Sister which will be published next year.

Another fantastic book in the series.I didn’t expect to like CeCe but I was wrong.She has her frailties and lack of self belief which all becomes very apparent in the story.Personally I didn’t like the relationship development between Kitty and her husband’s brother. For me that’s forbidden territory but I guess it added significantly to the story.What I like about the book and development of CeCe’s character is that, like the previous books in the series, it’s left open for our imagination to think what we would like to think, lots remains unanswered.The story again is very well crafted with a wonderfully expert link to the past and the story around those forbearers.There are still unanswered questions as to why these girls were adopted and how come the adopting dad was on the spot at the time. Also who is he and how did he make his money? Is he really dead?Why was there no seventh sister? I doubt we will get answers.The fifth sister, Tiggy, is next and I really don’t know what to expect as not much of her personality has been unveiled so far.

If you have read the other books in this series, then I think its hard not to become somewhat addicted!! The first and second are still my firm favourites. I was interested and eager to read CeCe's story, but found myself far more absorbed in the back story of Kitty McBride. I enjoyed reading about Thailand and the Red Centre in Australia. If there was one thing that did perplex me, it was a character who appeared in the Thai section. At the end of the book, I did ask myself what was the point of him. Also there were too many convenient co-incidences and for me a rather rushed ending. However very enjoyable overall and how can you miss out on the story of one of the Seven Sisters.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fourth book of the series as well as where it was based. Given the choice of words used by natives of the early twentieth century aborigines' era, I rapidly cottoned on to the story from the moment it picked up from the last epic novel, to the moment it took off in this one.I believed in the struggles of the times, that were apparent in both Europe and in the far West at the times where war was abound, but of course this was relayed in short by the context of the novel. This one encompassed a lot of lonely twists and turns in both present and past and melancholy trips with hidden catastrophes and dramas were eloquently put, whilst in the same sense captivating the reader to envisage the harsh landscape through a narrow lens as it were, through rougher times for women of all classes. As we are commemorating 100 years of the rights of women, the tale seems both rife and apt for times that were only processed through courage compassion, and humanity. All this and more is found in the book.