Meet the Newmans

Maybe it’s time for perfection to fall out of style . . .

Los Angeles, 1964.

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favourite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now the Sixties are in full swing, and the Newmans’ 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. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and rock ‘n' roll idol Shep may finally be in real trouble.

When Del is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken 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 America.

Can Dinah Newman bring her family together to change television history?

Or will she be cancelled before she ever had the chance?

Review

Glamorous and nostalgic, chaotic and warm-hearted, but with important things to say – the perfect recipe for an immersive read about a family in the spotlight and the truth behind the façade. You will fall in love with all the Newmans, but especially Dinah, juggling fame, motherhood and being the perfect wife. Compulsive reading - I loved it! -- Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestselling author of How to Find Love in a Bookshop

Turn off the TV and read this book! Meet the Newmans is a warm, humorous, emotionally resonant tale of family and feminism, exploring the hidden layers of our everyday lives -- Camille Perri, author of The Assistants

Billed as Lessons in Chemistry meets Daisy Jones and the Six and I can completely see why. This story of a famous fiction TV family in 1960's America and their subsequent unravelling is as thoughtful as it is entertaining. The writing thrums with energy, and the characters feel wholly believable. Definitely a recommend from me -- Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

I loved Meet the Newmans! The characters jump off the page. I appreciated the subtle feminist twist and the humor. Jennifer is always good but this is one of her best -- Judy Blume, author of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret

Very unique and cleverly written. A big fat family drama and huge slice of social history in the 1960s when life for each family member pivots, attitudes are challenged and relationships are tested. This family is like a simmering pot on the stove, waiting to boil over. And when it does, it's a recipe for drama -- Jo Thomas, bestselling author of Love in Provence

A clever and cathartic exploration of intergenerational female rage. I was immediately drawn in by the brilliant premise and the tongue-in-cheek way it scrutinises the dual lives all of us lead -- Anna Brook-Mitchell, author of Motherfaker

Tapping into a keen sense of family fault lines, Jennifer Niven gives us the Newmans – a seemingly perfect television family who, once the cameras stop rolling, are barely holding it together in a rapidly changing world. Warm, witty, and wise, this is a novel about reclaiming the narrative when the cost of pretending becomes too high to bear -- Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

About the Author

Jennifer Niven is the number one New York Times and internationally bestselling author of thirteen books, fiction and non-fiction, including the massive breakout All the Bright Places, which she also adapted for film. Her award-winning books have been translated into more than seventy-five languages and have sold upward of 3.5 million copies worldwide. Jennifer has loved television and film her whole life and has been lucky enough to develop projects with Netflix, Sony, ABC and Warner Bros.

She divides her time between coastal Georgia and Los Angeles with her husband and literary cats.