Chicago Movie Girls

Repp and Allen’s enjoyable ripsnorter features three sisters who are striving for acting success in the silent movie scene in 1914 Chicago. After their mother runs off, Rae and Lily are also deserted by their father, who robs them of their savings. Desperate for money, pickpocket Rae lifts a wallet containing a piece of paper with mysterious numbers written on it, which she sells to gangster Lukas Krantz; Lukas realizes the paper gives him leverage over local officials and gratefully sends Rae to an audition at Matt Ridgewood’s film studio, which he owns. Soon Rae’s stardom soars as a young comic adventurer, and beautiful Lily plays an angelic heroine, bedecked in ruffles. Oldest sister Delia, who lives a boring life on an onion farm in Wisconsin, leaves her husband and joins her sisters on set, cast as a seductress in breast-baring shirtwaists and fancy garters. Rae falls in love with a costar who leaves to fight in WWI, Lily marries a wealthy hotelier, and Delia marries again. Betrayal, jealousy, and lovesick suitors power a fast-moving plot with several twists and turns, and murder provides a dollop of mayhem to further animate the story. The intriguing early years of filmmaking combined with the rich Chicago setting make this satisfying entertainment. [em](BookLife) [/em]