Not All Diamonds and Rose by Dave Quinn - 4 stars

[Ellen]

This is an extremely comprehensive look at the television phenomenon known as the "Real Housewives" franchise. Although faithful viewers have seen the fights, drama, back-stabbing on the screen, this book gives the behind the scenes stories behind the show. Each franchise is given its own chapter with commentary from producers, photographers, editors and the housewives themselves. A few, and it seems like the most controversial few, did not participate in the book. I only watch 2 of the shows so the other ones did not hold the same interest for me though the juicy comments are tempting to watch some of the others. There have always been some of the wives that I did not care for at all and it is pleasing to see from the behind the scenes truth-telling that I can feel justified about most of my feelings. It's a fun book with a lot of eye-opening tidbits but I can understand that this is not for everyone.