Meet The Newmans 🫧
- The_Secret_Bookreview
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Meet the Newmans is a warm, witty and quietly heartbreaking book that pulls back the curtain on perfection and reveals the cost of living a life performed for others. Set in 1964, it captures a moment of cultural change where the world is shifting faster than some families can keep up.
For twenty years, the Newman family have embodied idealised domestic life on television. Del and Dinah, along with their sons Guy and Shep, have presented a flawless version of themselves to millions of viewers.
As the decade moves on and tastes change, their carefully constructed image begins to crumble. Ratings fall, secrets surface and the gap between who they are and who they pretend to be grows impossible to ignore.
Each member of the family is drawn with compassion and depth. Del’s hidden truths, Dinah’s quiet disconnection and the private struggles of both sons give the story real emotional weight.
The arrival of Juliet Dunne, a young reporter with modern ideas about womanhood and family, brings fresh energy and necessary friction. Her dynamic with Dinah is particularly compelling, highlighting generational differences and the evolving expectations placed on women.
The period setting is wonderfully realised, grounding the story in a time of social change without overwhelming the characters. The writing balances humour with tenderness, allowing moments of levity to sit alongside genuine heartbreak. I found myself completely invested in the family, rooting for them even as their flaws became clearer.
Meet the Newmans is a thoughtful and engaging book about identity, performance and the lives we lead behind closed doors. It is unexpected, charming and emotionally resonant, and I loved spending time with these characters in a beautifully drawn sixties setting.
Thank you to Emma and the team at Book Break and Pan MacMillan for running this book tour! The book is out now and available to purchase.
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