The Majestic Sisters by Jessica Ilse
A Fiction Review by Heather Babcock
“I always believed I’d be famous someday. That was the one constant in my life. And when you’re always looking for signs, you’ll believe anything you see.”
As the Majestic Sisters, siblings Melly and Missy charm audiences at the Majestic Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, singing, dancing and cracking wise in the live prologues performed before movie screenings. Yet as the 1930s come to a close, Melly secretly escapes her hometown and runs away to Atlanta for the premiere of Gone with the Wind, ditching her sister’s wedding in the process. At the premiere’s afterparty, a spilt cocktail on none other than the King of MGM, Clark Gable, leads to the beginning of an illustrious Hollywood career for Melly. Nearly twenty-five years later and now an Oscar-winning superstar, Melly discovers that her beloved Majestic Theatre is closing. Travelling back to her seaside city for the first time since she left, Melly is determined to enlist the help of her estranged sister and save the movie theatre; but to do that she must first right her past wrongs and reveal a long-buried secret.
Jessica Ilse’s well-researched debut novel takes us back to the days of thirty-five cent theatre tickets, soda fountains and, yes, prologues. In an era where we increasingly pay more and get less, it’s astonishing to think that there was once a time when audiences were treated to both a live show and a movie: all for the price of one ticket. I first learned about prologues by watching the 1933 musical comedy Footlight Parade, starring the inimitable James Cagney as a prologue producer and the adorable Ruby Keeler as his most popular performer. Keeler, the Depression-era’s tap-dancing sweetheart, may not have been the most graceful dancer but she made up for her lack of finesse with an overabundance of charm. In the 1930s, talent counted for something, but personality and gumption counted for a lot more. This is true for the Majestic Sisters as well: both are skilled performers but Melly becomes the star because she wants it more.
“Talent’s fine, looks are better, but you’ll need another gimmick to get you noticed.”
The Majestic Sisters is told from Melly’s point of view, in a memoir style. As I was reading, I kept picturing Melly as Joan Crawford: a sassy yet sardonic smile stretched across her glamorous kisser. “I am the hero of this story,” she tells the reader, “But I’m also, in parts, the villain.”
The Majestic Sisters is a fun, lively read that fans of classic Hollywood movies should particularly enjoy.
About the Author
Jessica Ilse is a communications professional who moonlights as a freelance writer. She lives in Halifax by way of Cape Sable Island, and has a journalism degree from the University of King's College. The Majestic Sisters is her first novel.
About the Reviewer
Heather Babcock's debut novel Filthy Sugar was published by Inanna Publications in 2020. She has had short fiction and nonfiction essays published in many literary journals including Descant Magazine, The Humber Literary Review and The Toronto Quarterly. In 2015, her chapbook Of Being Underground and Moving Backwards was published by DevilHousePress. Babcock has experience as both a performer and an organizer of open mic and reading events. She is currently working on a novel tentatively titled The Memory of Crows.
Book Details
Publisher : Vagrant Press (Aug. 27 2024)
Language : English
Paperback : 282 pages
ISBN-10 : 1774713438
ISBN-13 : 978-1774713433