The Singer Sisters
A Novel
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Two generations of a folk-rock dynasty collide over art, love, longing, and family secrets in this captivating and poignant debut
It's 1996, and alt-rocker Emma Cantor is on tour, with her sights trained on a record deal. Emma’s got no lack of inspiration for her music — chiefly her mother Judie, a 1960s folk legend whose confessional songs made her an icon before her mysterious withdrawal from the public eye. Emma is baffled by Judie's coldness, and is deeply shaken when she learns a long-kept secret about their family. When Emma uncovers more about her mother's past, she is vaulted to new heights as a performer. But the knowledge she gains also propels her toward a musical betrayal that further fractures her relationship with Judie. Increasingly famous, but fragile and isolated, Emma grapples with her mother’s legacy and what it means for her own future.
With the richness of a beloved folk song, The Singer Sisters moves between ’60s folk clubs and ’90s music festivals, chronicling the ups and downs of stardom while asking what women artists must sacrifice for success.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Seltzer's lively if soapy debut follows a Jewish mother and daughter joined by their careers in popular music. The parallel narrative begins in the mid-1960s, when Judie Zingerman and her sister, Sylvia, are a popular folk-rock duo known as the Singer Sisters. The second story line concerns Judie's daughter, Emma Cantor, an up-and-coming alt-rocker in the mid-1990s who's trying to land her first record deal. Headstrong Emma has a conflicted relationship with Judie, which only becomes more complicated when a secret from Judie's past comes to light and threatens to scuttle Emma's career. The details are revealed later; mainly, the plot functions as a means for Seltzer to explore the importance of songwriting to her characters, as Emma's discovery of Judie's never performed songs helps her understand the choices Judie made as a younger woman. Judie has an alluring theory of songwriting: "I prefer when won't let you in at first, and you have to knock on the door. But once you go inside, the house is endless." Throughout, readers are treated to numerous examples of Judie's and Emma's perceptive insights on the business ("Becoming a bona fide rock star required.... The look, the presence and yes, the songs"), which almost make up for the schematic plot. Music lovers ought to take note.
