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  • Today, "Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt" by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker published on May 11, 2023 by Charleston Editions.

Holly Goli, blogger and contributor to the 20 Minutes Books reading group, recommends "Atlas, the story of Pa Salt" by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker, published on May 11, 2023 by Charleston Publishing.

His favorite quote:

We tend to believe that the people we love will live forever, so we don't ask them questions until it's too late. (The missing sister)

Why this book?

  • Because this novel marks the end of the Seven Sisters series imagined and created by Lucinda Riley. Deceased in 2021, she left it to her son, Harry Whittaker, to write the final conclusion. Lucinda Riley is one of the English-speaking authors whose novels are eagerly awaited and this novel is no exception to the rule. It is released simultaneously in all countries of the globe and this story has been kept as secret as the last volume of Harry Potter.
  • Because this novel promises to answer all our questions. Each of the previous volumes, the seven, focused on a sister with a kind of epilogue hinting at a plot around Pa Salt, the father of the sisters. This novel answers that and more: who Pa Salt is, what is his purpose regarding the previous volumes, and why he did everything he did for his daughters.
  • Because Harry Whittaker was able to offer us a novel worthy of his mother whose pen I really had the feeling of reading. This is a remarkable job that has been done and that will please Lucinda Riley fans.

Was it difficult for you to write this novel with your mother's notes or was it primarily your duty to finish Lucinda Riley's latest novel?

No, it was not a duty: it was a privilege. Atlas promises to reveal the secrets that have kept readers on their toes for a decade. However, I have always seen this work of writing as a tribute. I finished this saga for my best friend, my heroine. As a result, I had no pressure, and it turned out to be a pleasure. In 2018, at Christmas, my mom and I had a very long conversation, in private, about what might happen if she left us. But we did not discuss it again afterwards because there was no need to say more. We both knew that the saga had to end even if the worst happened. Regarding her notes, my mother had been advised to have an ending for the saga in 2016, when a Hollywood production company approached her. This ending takes the form of a thirty-page cinema dialogue between two characters about which I cannot tell you in detail. But it provided me with a wonderful guideline to follow: I knew how the story was going to end. Add to that Pa Salt's cameos in each volume of the saga and a narrative structure was drawn by itself.

How did you do it?

Having a terrifying deadline is actually a huge help. To achieve this, I forced myself to write ten pages a day, which is equivalent to 3,000 words. It was a new and terrifying concept. I had only written children's novels before Atlas and it often took me a morning to rewrite a sentence. Some days it was a daunting task and I could end up with only 200 usable words for this manuscript. Other days, words flowed like wine and I could write another 1,000 words. As a result, the novel gained momentum and a first draft was realized after six months as if by miracle. I learned that it is possible to write anywhere when you need to. I found myself writing Atlas during the national tour of my theater show, which meant writing pages on trains, in dressing rooms, and in some of the least welcoming highway hotels imaginable. I made conscientious efforts to write like Lucinda Riley when I started the book (I'm sure I failed, no one can write like Mom). Then, after the first hundred pages, the story itself began to take root, and I didn't think about it again. However, I hope readers feel like they've read a Lucinda Riley novel. I would be incredibly proud if that's the case.

The saga of the 7 sisters has an incredible success in France. Who is your favorite sister?

Tiggy. She is the most spiritual woman. I see a lot of my mother in her. In addition, she has a very important role to play in Atlas... But I can't talk about it, except to say that The Story of Pa Salt is a somewhat transcendent book. Although Tiggy is my favorite sister, The Moon's Sister is not my favorite novel. For me, it's either The Seven Sisters as a whole, with the fascinating backdrop of building Christ the Redeemer, or The Sister with the Pearl Earring. I loved being aware of Indigenous culture.

Three words to describe "Atlas, the story of Pa Salt"?

Emotions, climax, hope.

The essentials in 2 minutes

The plot. As Pa Salt wished, all her daughters are gathered on the Titan, on the Aegean Sea, to pay him a last tribute. He left them a diary as a legacy that could perhaps allow them to understand it...

The characters. Pa Salt of course but also his daughters: Maia, Ally, Star, Cece, Tiggy, Electra and Merope. Not to mention the characters that we will discover throughout the story.

Places. Europe, the oceans... brief. Everywhere! This novel takes place all over the world and makes you travel as much as the previous volumes.

The time. The novel is set in our time.

The author. Lucinda Riley published her first novel at the age of 24 and each of her novels was translated into several languages and sold more than 50 million copies. Harry Whittaker has co-written children's novels with his mother and is an award-winning BBC radio presenter.

This book was read with. Happiness and nostalgia. I closed the book thinking that a page is turning. Harry Whittaker was able to offer us the most beautiful novel of his mother by concluding a series that has made us vibrate for a decade. It's a journey that touches all readers of Lucinda Riley. A real success!

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