Carnations in Lisbon is a sweeping novel of discovery, betrayal, and the enduring pull of the past.
When British consultant Helen, Portuguese architect Marco, and ageing libertine Joaquim each receive a letter summoning them to the reading of a will in Lisbon, they are drawn into a tangled legacy that spans generations. As they confront secrets buried in the aftermath of revolution, their lives begin to intertwine in unexpected ways.
In 1974, Portugal’s Carnation Revolution brought an end to one of Europe’s longest-standing dictatorships. In a striking act of defiance and hope, soldiers placed carnations in the barrels of their rifles instead of firing a shot – signalling the dawn of democracy.
Interweaving the passionate struggles of young dissidents in the 1970s with the lives of their descendants fifty years later, Carnations in Lisbon is a moving exploration of love, loss, redemption, and the quiet heroism of those who dared to resist.