Staff Review: THE SINGER SISTERS

THE SINGER SISTERS by Sarah Seltzer
9781250907646
8/6/24
Flatiron Books
Fiction/ Coming Of Age / Music

Sarah Seltzer’s THE SINGER SISTERS invites readers into the complicated world of a multi-generational family of folk-rock musicians, exploring the bonds that unite family, as well as the tensions that threaten to tear them apart. 

In 1967, Judie Zingerman emerges as a rising star alongside her sister Sylvia, captivating audiences nationwide as the beloved folk duo, the Singer Sisters. Judie’s deeply personal lyrics resonate and enchant the growing crowds, propelling the duo towards unparalleled success. 

In 1996, Judie’s daughter, Emma Cantor, is pursuing her own musical ambitions as an alt-rocker on the festival circuit. As Emma pours herself into her music in hopes of getting a record deal, she also seeks to unravel the long-kept secrets of her family’s legacy and uncover the truth behind her mother’s enigmatic past. Why did folk legend Judie Zingerman give up music at the height of her career? As Emma navigates the complexities of her own fame and personal identity, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

My favorite weekend of the entire year is at the end of July when I can head back to Rhode Island for the Newport Folk Festival. There’s an indescribable magic that draws me back time and again. As the music fills the air, you can’t help but surrender to the energy from the stage, coursing through the earth beneath your feet, and enveloping you in its embrace. Throughout the years, I have been able to experience indescribable sets, including the incomparable Joni Mitchell with Brandi Carlile! In those moments, surrounded by fellow music lovers and immersed in the beauty of the lyrics and the passion of the performers, I feel most connected, and that is what I felt from THE SINGER SISTERS. 

THE SINGER SISTERS encapsulates the heart of folk-rock music. Each intricately formed character is imbued with their own unique voice and story. In the book, Judie’s lyrics create avenues for meaningful conversations about social issues, cultural heritage, and personal experiences. References to folk legends including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and the Indigo Girls transplant the reader right into the crowds. 

With its heartfelt storytelling and memorable characters, THE SINGER SISTERS is sure to strike a chord with music enthusiasts, mother-daughter duos, and fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid.

---

“It’s rare to find characters as richly rendered, a fictional world as expertly drawn, or a story as captivating. Like the best albums, The Singer Sisters is one you’ll finish and immediately want to start over from the first track.” —Diana Spechler, author of Who By Firpere and Skinny

“Tearing through the pages of The Singer Sisters was like flipping through a friend’s magnificent record collection and wanting to borrow every last one of them. Sarah Seltzer’s sweeping and tenderly crafted novel is a quilted history of American music that reminds us that the past can sing, if we’re listening.” —Emily Schultz, author of The Blondes and Sleeping With Friends

“I devoured Sarah Seltzer’s debut novel The Singer Sisters as it swung between the 1960s folk scene and the 1990s alt rock scene. Seltzer spins a profound web, showing the complex intergenerational push and pull between mothers, daughters, sisters. Long kept secrets are revealed through songs and albums and mysterious strangers.” —Bethany Ball, author of The Pessimists