70 pages • 2 hours read
Lucinda RileyThe Seven Sisters
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: 1920s Brazil and Christ the Redeemer
A significant part of The Seven Sisters takes place in Brazil at the end of the Belle Époque. The Brazilian Belle Époque was a period of cultural and social transformation. During this “golden age,” cities, particularly Rio de Janeiro, underwent dramatic modernization, boasting improved infrastructure, transportation, and public services. This period also saw the rise of a new middle class, thanks largely to a booming coffee industry. This trend appears in the novel with Bel’s father, Antonio Bonifacio, son of an Italian immigrant who has become very wealthy because he owns successful coffee farms. The rise of a wealthy middle class changed the social structure and norms of Rio, which had previously been mostly divided between the old Portuguese aristocracy and the lower-class citizens of the city.
This economic prosperity contributed to the resources and support available for the ambitious project of constructing the Christ the Redeemer statue. Construction of the statue began in 1920 and was led by the engineer Heitor de Silva Costa, who is a character in the novel. The novel depicts Heitor’s travel to Europe to find a sculptor with whom to collaborate. He hires Paul Landowski, known for his work in the art deco 
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