The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Might just be her best novel to date.
Eclectic readers who prefer not to pigeonhole authors into strictly designated genre types have wholeheartedly embraced New York Times #1 best-selling author Jennifer Weiner. She burst into publication in 2002 with two books: Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, launching a trilogy about a zaftig heroine named Cannie Shapiro. The series was initially deprecated as “chick-lit” or sassy romance by some critics prior to the first book’s phenomenal debut, selling over 3 million copies.
Weiner’s heroines are smart, super-talented and often plus-sized with some element of family or boyfriend drama in addition to romance. However, each novel is highly original, fast-paced, attention grabbing and full of relatable characters. This masterful storyteller and gifted wordsmith is a lyrical and literate. The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits might just be her best novel to date.
Sisters as Different as Night and Day
The Griffin Sisters took the music industry by storm in 2003/2004, becoming a pop sensation with sold-out tours, television and print interviews, and a debut Grammy-nominated album of original songs that sold seven million copies. With the whirlwind year past and the sisters on the brink of super-stardom, they abruptly broke up, canceled engagements and dropped out of sight. The sisters have not spoken to each other in 20 years.
The two young women really were sisters, but Zoe and Cassie’s surname was Grossberg, not Griffin, as bestowed by their record company. Zoe is older by one year, ambitious with a confidence born of admiration and compliments for her beauty and winning charm beginning in her infancy. She desperately wants fame as the hot lead singer in a band and enters every area school and community talent show, undeterred by her weak soprano voice and somewhat hampered by her inability to play a musical instrument. Zoe eventually learns to strum three or four guitar chords, but only after the breakup in her grab for success as a solo artist.
Cassie had no interest in seeking fame, fortune or performing in front of an audience, but was easily talked into following her sister’s lead to avoid disappointing her. Born big-boned, large-framed, plump and plain, she never lost her baby fat or her paralyzing shyness but possessed massive heaven-sent talent. In pre-school, after hearing her teacher play their customary “Good Morning Song”, she stepped up to the piano and perfectly played, note by note, the song they had heard earlier in the day.
Parents Sam and Janice Grossberg were already struggling financially with one baby and wholly unprepared for a difficult second daughter who was a musical prodigy. Had Cassandra (Cassie) been born decades later, she probably would have been diagnosed as being high-functioning on the autism spectrum. As it was, they were ill-equipped to cope with her unsmiling silences, fear of strangers, reluctance to make friends, and her singular focus on music.
After her teacher suggested that Cassie be given piano lessons, her parents bought her a second-hand electronic keyboard, followed by a battered upright. Her prodigious natural talent soon outstripped the instructor’s ability to teach her. She had an uncanny ability to pick up and play nearly any instrument, including the guitar, without lessons. The biggest surprise was when everyone realized her mezzo-soprano voice was truly her transcendent primary instrument.
Rise to Stardom — and a Disastrous Fall
Cassie and Zoe shared a bedroom and began singing together at night as little girls, crooning Disney tunes and songs they heard on the radio in melodious harmony. Cassie’s perfect pitch, innate sense of rhythm and multiple octave range were already masking and compensating for Zoe’s inadequacies. Though she rarely spoke to anyone other than her sister and had made no friends, Cassie’s brilliant mind was constantly composing songs which she jotted down in ever-present notebooks.
Following high school graduation, Cassie enrolled in a prestigious performing arts academy in Philadelphia, as she was too timid to audition for Juilliard. It was a great fit on several levels for she not only gained greater technical expertise, honed her sight reading skills, studied composition and received formal vocal training, but also tentatively made a few friends among fellow outsider music students. It was quite refreshing not to be the only weirdo in the school!
Zoe pushed, cajoled and ultimately convinced Cassie that she was her ticket to stardom. Signed to a label even before they formed a band, Cassie had to drop out of college. They formed a band including a lead guitarist and singer/songwriter who was handsome, an experienced performer and as obsessed with music as Cassie. In fact, Russell D’Angelo could have been her soul mate.
They wrote beautiful songs together, discussed and listened to all types of music constantly during the early days as the band bus rolled from clubs and gigs, personal appearances and radio station interviews. The Griffin Sisters built a loyal fan base, mesmerized primarily by Cassie’s voice and song lyrics. She inspired an entire generation of shy and lonely girls.
Zoe was insanely jealous of her talented sister and couldn’t fathom that a guy like Russell might actually love this fat girl, and proceeded to manipulate him until she got him into her clutches. Read The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits for the details of their rise and disastrous downfall.
Life After Fame
The sisters went their separate ways, Zoe back to Philadelphia to have her baby, Cherry, before attempting to carve out a separate career. Already broke from her spending spree as a member of The Griffin Sisters, she returned to her parents’ modest home. In the single year of achieving super-stardom and attracting a legion of fans, money had rolled in, with Cassie receiving considerably more due to the songwriting royalties.
Stylists made no attempt to glamorize her, and as she had no desire to stand out, clothing that was simple, inexpensive and black was sufficient for their live performances. Her money had been saved and invested. Zoe didn’t seem to realize band expenditures were deducted from their earnings, and her extravagant wardrobe came out of her lesser share. Instead of putting aside income, she bought Birkin and Hermes bags costing $5,000 or more, designer shoes and boots and an endless array of artfully and costly ripped jeans with various crop tops emphasizing the display of her slender form.
Zoe’s hopes to succeed as a solo artist were soon rudely dashed by their erstwhile record label and former manager, who had no interest in representing her. Adding insult to injury, she was molested by the sleazy photographer recommended for publicity stills. The bookings she managed to get based on the reputation of The Griffin Sisters were slim and quickly dwindled to short gigs in small bars where she sometimes performed for a small percentage of the take.
Her mother, Janice, informed her that her babysitting services and free rent were ending when 2-year-old Cherry toddled over to the old upright and astonishingly played Beethoven’s “Für Elise” without pause or error. It was too much to contemplate that Cherry might possess talents matching those of Aunt Cassie. Fortune then smiled when Zoe met Jordan, an affluent widower with a son named Bix, at her final bar gig. Marriage ensued, followed by the births of Schulyer and Noah, both healthy, active sons who filled her life as she transformed into a highly organized soccer mom and PTA fundraiser.
Guilt and shame troubled her dreams as Zoe blamed herself for the lies she had foisted on Cassie and the catastrophic consequences that severed their relationship. She also has regrets about discouraging her musically gifted daughter, Cherry, from pursuing her musical ambitions.
A Must-Read to Drive Away the Blues
It’s now 2024, and Cassie has successfully been in hiding for nearly 20 years. Returning to her studies as a classical piano major was incompatible with her fame and incongruous with her desire to get as far off-grid as possible. Touring had developed greater confidence in her competency and provided her independence. Her income was sufficient to allow her to purchase some land with a livable cabin a few miles from seaside Homer, Alaska, on the Kenai Peninsula.
Cassie had two attractive, well-built small houses constructed on the property, which she rented as Airbnbs. All communications were online or via text; she cleaned and maintained the units, which successfully paid all her expenses and turned a profit. She no longer sang or played the piano. Wesley, a hungry, apparently abandoned terrier, adopted her. To avoid people, Cassie did her Safeway shopping shortly before they closed at 11:00 PM. It was a circumscribed life, but suited her wish for privacy.
Jennifer Weiner tackles tough subjects in The Griffith Sisters’ Greatest Hits, including the male-dominated music industry with too many opportunities for sexual abuse of vulnerable young women, fat shaming, the rise of feminism, misunderstanding of autism, and undiagnosed mental health issues.
Cherry Grossberg D’Angelo is a strong, unifying character determined to succeed and equally motivated to reunite her mother and sister. Readers will love this book and these engaging characters. Cassie takes her seat at the piano; Zoe is on stage at the center microphone as The Griffin Sisters begin their set and fully reveal their stories. Jennifer Weiner offers the perfect cure for a day of the blahs or blues. Read her latest book!
Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 19 books, including That Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything, In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir in essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs, including the Today show and Good Morning America, and her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia.
Publish Date: 4/8/2025
Genre: Fiction
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Page Count: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 9780063342446