Meet the Newmans

Reminds me of ‘behind the scenes’ of Ozzie and Harriet and I Love Lucy. I liked it more than my almost 100 year old parent.

This is a good book with good characters. It kept my attention and is eye opening to the restrictions placed upon women even in my lifetime. We’ve come a long way! The story is a little scattered at times but in the end it all comes together. Worth the read!

Forget what you think this book is gonna be about, for it will surprise you. The plot, the twists, the turns, the soap opera of the people’s lives. It’s all there as we see the real them, as they change and reflect some messages of the times. For in the 60s life was different than it is now and yet it’s not so different if you remove the Internet, take away the cell phones, and cancel all the social media. This is a story about personal growth and change, and how one family demonstrated the complexities of being a family on television for everyone to see. Yet life their real lives were so much more interesting. This is the novel you’re going to enjoy. It’s a great read. Don’t miss it.

I couldn't put this book down. I love how vivid each of the characters was and how clearly we could see their perspectives.

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.