Bel is the protagonist of the 1927 timeline and Maia’s great-grandmother. Bel turns 18 at the start of the novel and dies of yellow fever when she is 21 years old. Bel is an artistic and passionate young woman whose desire for freedom and adventure set her in conflict with the proper, rule-driven society of the aristocratic class of Rio de Janeiro. Bel’s character arc is marked by her desire for autonomy and her passionate love affair with Laurent Brouilly, both of which facilitate the novel’s exploration of Self-Discovery Through Personal and Bodily Autonomy.

Bel is remarkably beautiful, a fact that she is reminded of often. She has “flawless skin” of “glowing bronze,” “rich waves of dark hair,” and “full-blooded lips” (111). These descriptions connote her passionate nature and echo similarly sensual descriptions of Laurent, suggesting their romantic compatibility. However, in the society in which she lives, Bel’s beauty is also a liability, as it is a tool that her father can leverage to gain social acceptance: Bel’s father is very wealthy, but he is an immigrant (from Italy) and thus struggles to be accepted into the highest echelons of Brazilian society. The contrasting but equally conflicted relationships that Bel and Maia have with their physical appearance highlight their differences as characters but also the differences that exist between their eras; Maia is far less burdened by restrictive gender norms than Bel is.

Floriano is Maia’s romantic interest. Floriano is a novelist; he knows Maia because she translated his novel from Portuguese to French. Floriano is characterized by his charm and energy; he has a good sense of humor and a way with words. He speaks frankly, often telling Maia hard truths, but he does so in a way that still leaves her feeling supported. Floriano is also characterized by his good looks, with “abundant black hair and sun-kissed skin [and] a body that [is] muscular and strong” (88).

Floriano also functions as Maia’s foil. Where she is reserved and apprehensive, he is optimistic and bold. Floriano is a single parent, just as Maia would be if she hadn’t put her son up for adoption. In Floriano’s lifestyle, Maia sees something very different from her own. As the two fall in love, she realizes that she wants a life more like Floriano’s.

Laurent is Bel’s romantic interest. Laurent is in his twenties when he and Bel meet in Paris. He works as an assistant sculptor in the studio of Paul Landowski. Laurent is an artistic, passionate man who embodies the thriving art scene of Paris’s Montparnasse district in the 1920s. He is characterized by his talent as a sculptor and his use of the art deco style—a relatively new style at the time and thus one that marks him as somewhat iconoclastic, at least in comparison to the people and culture Bel knows in Brazil. Laurent’s sculptures, especially the one he makes of Bel, use simple, clean lines that highlight the subject’s basic shapes. This reflects Laurent’s dedication to living freely, speaking honestly, and pursuing his passions.

Laurent is a foil for Gustavo; the men are opposites in almost every way. In contrast to Gustavo’s nervousness, diminutive figure, and tactlessness with Bel, Laurent is a smooth talker, extraordinarily handsome, and confident. The contrast between the two facilitates Bel’s character development but also heightens the pathos of Bel’s ultimate decision to remain with Gustavo, as she is clearly more suited to Laurent.

Gustavo is Bel’s husband, and he is 27 or 28 when he meets Bel. Gustavo is characterized in part by his looks. When he and Bel first meet, she notices that he is “so short that his eyes [are] barely level with hers, and as he […] ben[ds] his head to kiss her hand, she [is] afforded a view of the already thinning hair on the top of his head” (122). Gustavo’s slight physical presence—even his hair is “thin”—reflects his lack of internal resolve. Though Gustavo sincerely cares for Bel, he fails her and mistreats her because he is too nervous and fearful to face difficult situations. Gustavo is also prone to overconsumption of alcohol, particularly when avoiding confronting his dissatisfaction with his life.

Gustavo and Laurent are foils, as they are starkly different from each other. This extends to their sexual relationship with Bel, as Laurent is a passionate lover committed to Bel’s needs, whereas Gustavo is inattentive, demanding, and sometimes violent, though more out of ignorance than malice. Their differences in appearance and demeanor serve to highlight Bel’s needs and her character development as she seeks in Laurent what she does not get from Gustavo.

Maia has five younger sisters, all of whom were adopted by Pa Salt. Each of these sisters is the protagonist of one of the novels in the Seven Sisters series.

Alcyone (Ally) is the second eldest. Even as a child, Ally “with her tumbling red-gold curls and her big blue eyes […] had a natural charm that drew people to her” (8). Ally is a competitive sailor and has confidence that Maia admires. Ally narrates the final chapter in The Seven Sisters, providing a bridge to the next novel in the series.

Asterope (Star) is the third eldest. Star is shy, “pale,” and “whippet-thin” (9). Star and Celaeno (CeCe) are very close in age and behave almost as twins. CeCe, “always the boss” (9), often speaks for Star. The two live together. Taygete (Tiggy) is the sister to whom Maia feels the closest. Tiggy is “the most delicate” of the sisters, “suffering one childhood illness after another” (9). These childhood illnesses resulted in Maia spending a lot of time caring for Tiggy, thus providing a foundation for their close relationship. Tiggy is a spiritual and empathetic person. Electra is the youngest of the sisters; nicknamed “Tricky” by Ally, Maia, and Tiggy, Electra has a tempestuous personality, reflected in her lifestyle as a model who is in a relationship with a pop star.

The sisters do not feature prominently in The Seven Sisters, but their contrasting personalities bolster the novel’s exploration of The Power and Limitations of Family. Despite their differences, the sisters share a profound bond and support one another in crises—e.g., after the death of their father.

Pa Salt is Maia’s adoptive father. His death is the inciting incident for the novel. Pa Salt, thus nicknamed by Maia when she was a child because he loved to sail, is a mysterious figure. Although he was present throughout their childhoods, none of his daughters know where he was born or what he did for a living (it is revealed later in the series that the child whom Bel found in 1920s Paris was in fact Pa).

Maia recalls Pa Salt once referring to himself as “a magician of sorts” (13), and he embodies many of the archetypal features of a magician. His home is a lavish yet isolated mansion on the shores of a lake. Upon his death, he leaves mysterious clues for his daughters to follow should they want to discover the stories of their births; that these clues set them on a path toward more figurative self-discovery also makes him a sage-like figure. Also like an archetypal magician, Pa is characterized by both his secrecy and his power. Even after he dies, he dictates how he will be buried and what information his children will be given.

Loen and Yara are mother and daughter, both of whom work as servants in the Aires Cabral household. Loen works for Bel and is her friend and confidante in addition to being her maid, as Bel and Loen grew up together. Similarly, their daughters, Yara and Beatriz, grow up together and share a close bond.

Yara plays a vital role in moving the plot forward; she gives Maia the letters that Bel wrote to Loen from Paris. Later, she gives Maia the letters that Bel and Laurent exchanged. Yara is key in tying the past and present timelines together, facilitating Maia’s meeting with her grandmother, Beatriz.