Writing this review is bittersweet as it means we’re at the end of what is probably one of the best series I’ve ever read in this genre. It has been a joy to share the reading of these books each month with the Seven Sisters Reading Group that we started back in the early spring of this year.
This novel acts as the culmination of a long-running saga about six adopted sisters, each with her own heritage and personal quest, plus the elusive ‘missing sister’. The story takes us back to reveal the origins of their enigmatic father, known to them as “Pa Salt,” and interweaves past and present. The narrative shifts between two main timelines: one that follows Pa Salt’s formative years (beginning around the interwar period) and one set circa 2008, where the sisters re-gather to finally understand their father’s story.
The most important element of the ending of a series – closure. And this book has it in spades. Although you probably will have wanted to take notes throughout the series because it all becomes quite confusing as everything starts to unravel. Things make less sense, then more sense, so stick with it. Given the weight of wrapping up an eight-book saga, it’s commendable that the authors (especially Harry Whittaker stepping in) attempted to bring everything full circle, and I genuinely couldn’t distinguish a different writing style at all.
For existing fans, this is a heartfelt, large-scale conclusion that honours the characters and gives them finality. The emotional payoff is real.
For new readers, I’d advise reading at least a few of the earlier installments because this book assumes a lot of prior knowledge and attachment.
But it is a satisfying end-chapter, emotionally rich, with sweeping landscapes and heartfelt themes of family, identity, loss and love.
About the Book
Joanna Quinn was born in London and grew up in Dorset, in the southwest of England, where her debut novel, The Whalebone Theatre, is set.
Joanna has worked in journalism and the charity sector. She is also a short-story writer, published by The White Review and Comma Press, among others. She teaches creative writing and lives in a village near the sea in Dorset.
About The Authors
Harry Whittaker grew up in the 1990s and spent the first few years of his life on the rural west coast of Ireland. The son of the author Lucinda Riley, Harry became a storyteller himself, as an award-winning radio presenter for the BBC and a member of one of the UK’s most renowned improv troupes. In 2019, Harry and Lucinda co-authored the Guardian Angels series for children – four reassuring, timeless stories addressing worries that a small child may have.
After Lucinda’s death in 2021, it was announced that Harry would complete the Seven Sisters series on behalf of his late mother. Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt publishes globally in May 2023.
Harry lives in Yorkshire, England.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
No responses yet