A Movie in the Making

Carnations in Lisbon is a major work in Portuguese historical fiction. C A Wilson weaves the tortuous and tortured lives of one extended family into a suspenseful and unpredictable story during and after the fall of Portugal’s horrific dictatorship in the 1970s. The book exposes the sinister, ugly sides of the last years of despotism, against the desperate and determined efforts of the resistance movement who finally achieve the revolution that puts Portugal back on the road to democracy.

Woven throughout the story spanning 70 years is an eclectic mix of characters who find themselves related ways after the will of the patriarch is published. Written in the Hispanic Boom style of the 1960s it sits alongside the vibrant storytelling methods of Gabriel Garcia Marquez for its simple but compelling descriptions of the family members and the relationships to each other over several decades, and to the wealth they are due to inherit.

A wonderful book which will translate easily into the movies.

★★★★★

I really enjoyed this book.

The insight into recent Portuguese history was fascinating, the setting was beautiful, and the unfolding family saga – which scanned countries and generations – was captivating. Themes of love, loss, friendship, misunderstandings, revenge and forgiveness weave their way through it. If you loved Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters, I reckon you’d love this, too.

★★★★★

Historical Fiction At It’s Best

It takes a seriously creative and organised mind to weave history and fiction in a backwards and forwards direction whilst still keeping absolutely everything both entertaining, chronological (in each separate chapter) and to still flow as a very readable story. I loved to wonder/hope where it might go. The characters are so easy to visualise in the mind’s eye as they are so well described. Take it on your holidays!

★★★★★

A beautiful story!

Carnations in Lisbon takes the reader on a fascinating journey that is heart warming, heart breaking and full of passion, suspense and raw emotion. I couldn’t put this book down. This is a clever and insightful novel that captures the emotions of the characters and subtly weaves their stories into the confronting backdrop of Portugal’s turbulent times. This is a triumph and highly recommended!

★★★★★

Great insight into Portuguese history

Carnations in Lisbon is a great read! The characters are very well drawn and very convincing. The story is engaging, with many fascinating twists and turns. The storyline gives an interesting insight into the 1974 revolution in Portugal- definitely worth reading!

★★★★★

A wonderful read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s not my usual genre but I found the history aspect very interesting along with characters who were believable and I came to care about.

★★★★★

A beautifully written and absorbing story

This is a fascinating story of a woman suddenly discovering that her personal history wasn’t as she believed it to be. Her attempts to make sense of how the past relates to her mean that she finds out about characters connected to her who are intriguing, courageous, surprising and complex. Recent Portuguese history is woven into the story and vividly described through Carol’s entertaining writing style.

A highly recommended read!

★★★★★

 Immersive and Captivating Read

I picked this book up and did not want to put it down, I was swept away from the very first page. I adore Portugal and all its history, reading it I felt I was actually there . It is a rich, immersive book set in post-Salazar Portugal. The characters navigate love, betrayal and buried family secrets. Wilson does not leave you at the end of the story guessing or ghosting the characters fate instead the author hands you a gentle epilogue.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and character- driven sagas you will devour it.

I cannot wait to see the film or TV series of this book!

★★★★★

Historical novel, family secrets and relationships

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this intriguing story which brilliantly wove historical events with family secrets impacting on the present. It is well written and kept me engaged and interested from start to finish

★★★★★

Great holiday read

I was hooked from the first page. What a gorgeous holiday read with twists and turns at every corner. The writing made me instantly feel that I was in Portugal in the revolution. I loved the characters and pace. Highly recommend!

★★★★★

I highly recommend Carnations in Lisbon

What a surprise this book was, in a myriad of ways! Told in alternating timelines, the brutality of Portugal’s fascist regime in the ’70s unfolds as resistance builds in universities. Juxtaposed against those chapters, we follow the lives of those involved and how those campus days affected them throughout their days. I found myself completely invested in these characters, rooting for the students and revolted by those who worked for the regime. This book is about much more than the revolution. It’s also about the damage done by the financial crisis of the ’80s and COVID. Ultimately, it’s about family secrets, a reckoning, and maybe forgiveness, at least enough to move forward.

The overthrow of fascism in Portugal is inspiring, and there is no better time than the present to read about it. If you love historical fiction and are looking for something different to read, I highly recommend Carnations in Lisbon.

★★★★★

Most enjoyable!

I loved this combination of true history, intrigue and romance. The three time lines were easy to follow through short chapters making it good for bedtime reading…except I always wanted to read one more! My next weekend break will have to be to Lisbon although I feel I now know that city well already.

★★★★★

Unputdownable

This book is absorbing from the very first page – it is one of those books where the characters just seem to instantly come to life, their lives intertwined with a story so engrossing it is difficult to stop reading! The history of the Portuguese revolution in the 1970’s is fascinating, and the characters and their roles within this make it unputdownable. if you buy this book you will not be disappointed.

★★★★★

I wish I could give this novel 10 stars

Carnations in Lisbon is a delicacy that must not be ignored. If I see so much as one person walk by this novel, without stopping to even glance at it, I might have a stroke!

Carnations in Lisbon at first glance is a historical fic-lit revolving around two families spanning over fifty years in the present and past, with its focal point and fate determined by the real revolution that occurred in Portugal and affected the country in ways that we have seen over, and over, again, without fail.

I have very few complaints with this novel. I truly took my time to put my feet up and get a grip on this story, as we start out with one of our main characters, Helen, attending a will arranged by a family she believes she has no relation to. Only to stumble upon a related history fraught with war, family drama and secrets, and most importantly: love. As per my first short reading session, it took a while to get warmed up to Helen and her story. What seemed at first to be a surface level romance with thrilling twists turned out to be a complete total payoff of several red herrings, unexpected twists, and events that had me sobbing at the end.

This is a family journey that you agree to embark on when you pick up this book. I was not disappointed. This novel hooked me in for good. I love a historical novel about revolutions. I love characters who are not only self aware, but truly alive in their environment, society, etc.

Forever altered by their genetic, emotional past that they had no control over, we see a group of characters doing a western gun-off as they circle each other with guns blazing. This story doesn’t hold back on the past or the present. The consequences of history don’t go away. They follow anyone they can get ahold of. There is no choice.

Douglas Matthews blew my socks off and then some more. Can I geek out about him for a moment? An entitled, elite and white privileged British brute leaves his well established and glam life of white superiority to fall in love with, protect, and spend an honest life as a working class commoner for a runaway exile revolutionary… how dare you expect to me not fall for him myself! He’s a rare diamond in the real world, and his character journey surprised me the most. By the half way mark, Douglas Matthews quickly became one of my most beloved of characters in fiction. What a great man.

Elena. Don’t even get me started on Elena and Alvaro’s story. I’m tearing up just remembering it. Elena is such a powerful character. An incredible woman. I don’t even want to go on a rant, because I need other readers to pick up this novel and experience it for themselves. I hope the spirit of the real women and men who make history in the eyes of injustice continue to inspire revolution until full freedom becomes possible. Because no one is free until everyone is.

All in all, I loved this novel to bits. The story telling was grand, and because the pace moved so quickly and fluidly, filled with several point of views of characters weaving in and out of their destiny, the story never lost its grit, its passion, nor its effortless charm. The band of characters we are given are perfection. The emotional thread throughout the story is nearly invincible.

In conclusion: Go support this author, read this book, share it, donate it, add it to your public libraries, and like myself after this, never shut up about it. And do your research, so history never repeats.

I wish I could give this novel 10 stars.

★★★★★