As in the best of fairy tales, each of the Griffin sisters was given a gift. Zoe, the elder by a few months, was thin and beautiful, and was socially savvy-her dream was to be a pop diva and be adored by a legion of fans. Cassie, the younger, was a musical savant who could play any tune by ear and had the most glorious contralto singing voice. Unfortunately, she was shy to the point of reclusiveness, awkward and ungainly, and was the butt of everyone's cruel jokes, including Zoe's. Her dream was to excel at classical piano, and was a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in their hometown of Philadelphia. They had been singing together at home since childhood. Zoe also sang in school bands since junior high school, polishing her dance moves, and playing a mediocre guitar-neither had really sung in front of the public. But one night, after they'd graduated high school, Zoe convinced Cassie to sing and play with her at a local Battle of the Bands. Not only did they win, but a relative of a record talent scout was blown away by Cassie's voice and notified his uncle that there was new unsigned talent in Philly. The girls were snapped up.
The label knew they needed a song and sent over their best. Russel was a singer-songwriter who played a mean guitar and had an encyclopedic knowledge of all types of music. When he came to their house to create a song with the sisters, he heard Cassie sing and was enchanted by her voice and her knack for setting her emotions to music. This meeting sets up the triangle at the core of the novel pitting sister against sister and exploring the true meaning of success and forgiveness.
Mining sister groups like Heart and Wilson Phillips, Weiner reveals the drudgery and monotony of the tour, the fickleness of the music business, and especially the competition that can arise from good looks versus true talent. Both sisters are very well developed characters and the story satisfies in every way. ROCK ON Ms. Weiner!
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