Description
From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America’s favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks
“I loved Meet the Newmans!” —Judy Blume, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“[A] witty and moving novel.” —People
“Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will love Meet the Newmans.” —Woman’s World
For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb—literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.
When Del—the creative motor behind the show—is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?
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Meet the Newmans: Dinah, Del and their boys, Guy and Shep. They are the quintessential 1950s nuclear family both on and off screen. Or so everyone (including Dinah) thinks. Their daily lives are regulated by studio jockeys and headstrong Del. Their studio set is an exact replica of their home (or vice versa). Del writes, produces and directs the weekly sit-com in which they live, but the boys have growing pains, and Dinah has progressive numbness and fantasies of an affair with the next-door neighbor. It’s all fun and games, until it isn’t.
Niven writes a captivating novel about waking up – both literally and figuratively. The Newmans’ stories are told in alternating voice, including that of a young female reporter, sent to capture the essence of Dinah’ hothouse life. The author’s descriptions of life in the 50s and 60s are spot on and are vivid enough for one to imagine being an insider to Hollywood action. She evokes the heyday of actors such as Doris Day, Cary Grant, Ozzie & Harriet, and sets like those used in Mad Men. This is a fast read, perfect for summer lazing.
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