With a new Lucinda Riley book arriving, Orlando, you may be feeling FOMO about her series and unsure about where to start. We're here to help.
Starting with...The Seven Sisters
The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley is beloved for good reason. The books look at a family of sisters who are all grappling with who they are and where they come from. The Pleides inspired series blends historical fiction with family drama, and an overarching mystery that goes across the series as we uncover more each book. Each story focuses on a sister in the family as they react to the death of their father. Each story includes a dual timeline and a historical storyline about an ancestor of the sister, as well as the sister themselves.
The order of the books:
- Book One: The Seven Sisters
- Book Two: The Storm Sisters
- Book Three: The Shadow Sister
- Book Four: The Pearl Sister
- Book Five: The Moon Sister
- Book Six: The Sun Sister
- Book Seven: The Missing Sister
- Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt (By Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker)
- Orlando (by Harry Whittaker)
If you love historical fiction already you may have already started this series, but if not it's well worth a read! It's transportive, and almost a little magical in the way the storytelling comes together and the beautifully intricate overarching story about the family as a whole. Each book has it's own vibe and themes that are related to the sister it's focused on, but they all look at themes of love and family, identity and heritage.
Lizzy's Review: The book that made me fall in love with historical fiction
I picked up this book wanting to find out what the fuss was about, even though I don't usually gravitate to historical fiction! I was intrigued from the start, and found myself absolutely enamoured with the idea of these sisters all brought together at Lake Geneva by the death of their father and the clues to track down their heritage. This first book remains one of my favourites because it took me to a time and place I've never read about before, Rio de Janeiro and the sculptors behind the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. The thing I loved about this book was finding myself bringing up maps and images of the places and times mentioned because I was so enchanted with the story taking place. I have loved the later books as well, but highly recommend getting started with the series!
Wait - So what is this newest book, Orlando?
Orlando is the newest book included in the same world as The Seven Sisters, but is written by Harry Whittaker (Lucinda Riley's son). It's another dual timeline story, like the other books in the series, and the events take place after Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, so I'd recommend reading them in order rather than jumping in now with the new one! This means starting with The Seven Sisters
From Harry Whittaker, the co-author of the instant No 1 international bestseller Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, comes an epic mystery set in the world of the Seven Sisters.
Reader favourite antiquarian bookseller Orlando Forbes - first introduced in The Shadow Sister - returns in this dual timeline saga. When Orlando uncovers a hidden cache of manuscripts in an old Harrow rectory, his investigation draws us deeper into the private longings and unresolved fractures of the character’s own life.
Across dual timelines, his search for the truth about a forgotten Victorian author becomes a mirror to his own story, revealing buried betrayals, guarded hearts, and the courage it takes, in any century, to claim your true name.
Expect exciting appearances from beloved Seven Sisters characters, and discover how their lives have been shaped following the events of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt.
This is Orlando's story . . .
