Not All Diamonds and Rosé

November 8, 2021
Journalist Quinn debuts with a tell-all oral history of the Real Housewives franchise that’s as sweeping as it is scandalous. Pulling from more than 175 interviews with Housewives, “Bravolebrities,” producers, and network executives, Quinn takes readers from Orange County—where the show took off in 2006—to Housewife cities New York; Atlanta; New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Beverly Hills; Miami; Potomac, Md.; and Dallas, as the show’s cast and crew dish on behind-the-scenes drama about everything from rivalries between the women to affairs, faked cancer, and firings. Musing on the show’s title, former network executive Lauren Zalaznick explains that while its cheekiness was “a play on Desperate Housewives and The OC,”its on-screen characters “worked hard every day.” Though executive producer Andy Cohen confesses he was “ready to kill the show,” due to bumps in production the first season, he adoringly recalls how the Real Housewives’ ability to capture the fascination of his friends (and millions of others) changed the trajectory of his life. In addition to pages of snarky banter between Housewives, the book concludes with a delightful “Tagline Catalog” of unforgettable quotes from the shows—such as Lynne Curtin’s classic adage, “It’s not about how much money you have, it’s about how good you look spending it.” Fans will drink this up as quickly as the Housewives would a glass of champagne.

November 15, 2021
A lengthy oral history of the outrageous series. Applying straightforward journalistic standards to a pursuit as escapist as Bravo's Real Housewives series feels misguided when there's so much voyeuristic joy in watching a few minutes of table-flipping antics or heated arguments about underwear. Regardless, this book takes the show seriously. Quinn, best known for his work at People and Entertainment Weekly, doesn't do much writing, allowing the principals to speak for themselves. That's a shame because his sometimes-shady notes that summarize events and quickly move the story along can be more entertaining than the self-serving testimony of a Housewife who feels wronged. It's clear that Quinn wants everyone to have their say, as they relive the creation of The Real Housewives of Orange County, which launched the franchise, and every iteration since--in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Beverly Hills, and elsewhere. Quinn provides each Housewife's origin story and (usually) why they exited their particular show. "It's like when somebody is president of the United States," explains Miami Housewife Ana Quincoces. "They will forever be called president. And a Housewife will always be a Housewife." The narrative is most engaging when it shows multiple behind-the-scenes explanations from the Housewives and the producers about now-famous, or infamous, scenes from the show--e.g., New Jersey Housewife Teresa Giudice's legendary table-flipping outburst punctuated with her screams of "Prostitution whore!"--or the increasingly explosive reunion shows hosted by Bravo executive Andy Cohen. However, when one of the principals chooses not to cooperate--a list that includes the franchise's two biggest successes, Bethenny Frankel and NeNe Leakes, and dozens of others, as well as actors Kim Fields and Denise Richards--suddenly there is a gaping hole that can't really be filled, which will disappoint Housewife completists. Housewives fans will delight in the insider gossip, but this serious treatment won't create many converts for the franchise.

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Starred review from October 15, 2021
On March 21, 2006, The Real Housewives of Orange County premiered on Bravo, following the lives of privileged women in an exclusive, gated community. Since then, Housewives has branched out from New York to Atlanta to the Potomac, earning a rabid fanbase in the process. Those ""Bravoholics"" will be thrilled with this juicy oral history that covers the pre-production origins of the Orange County shows to the last season, set in Dallas. Quinn spoke to 175 people involved with the show--housewives, official friends, producers, network executives, and others. Devoting a chapter to each Housewives series location, Quinn presents the interviews with very little commentary, so the book reads like a conversation. The result feels like a recap episode that goes deep into some of the show's iconic moments (e.g., Teresa's table flip in New Jersey), showing the producers' reactions and what happened once the cameras stopped rolling. Though there are a few notable absences (Bethenny Frankel and NeNe Leakes weren't interviewed) and the coverage ends in November 2020 (so Salt Lake City and Erika Jayne's legal troubles aren't discussed), Housewives fans will find much to devour here as the cast dishes on what really happened.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With the promise of behind-the-scenes secrets revealed, expect media coverage and patron demand for this tell-all oral history.

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