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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Don’t read if you don’t want to know the bad and the ugly.
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book dishes all the dirt about the View. It was entertaining to read about all the scandal, confrontations, and behind the scenes drama.
Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View by Ramin Setoodeh is a retrospective of The View. What made it especially great was that the author interviewed all the co-hosts to build this story. It was very much a direct source piece which made it much more interesting and compelling. The book starts with the initial vision for the show from Barbara Walters, then traverses through each of the iterations of the cast. I've been a regular to casual to hardly ever watcher of the show through the years, so I definitely had my own memories of watching many of the casts and moments mentioned. This did a really good job of explaining how certain things actually went down from multiple angles. Were there "villains" in the story? Yes, but there was explanations for why that was the case. The natural drama of the story came from the storytelling and memories of the people that were there, and that's what made it so compelling.
In many ways, this book is fascinating for the same reason The View itself is, because of the personalities involved and their interactions with one another. It's also an intriguing look at the behind the scenes drama and cutthroat nature of the television business. The book is full of drama; the author spends more time on Rosie O'Donnell's tumultuous two stints on the show than the relatively calm seven years in between. But it's also important to note that Setoodeh, while obviously emphasizing the drama and rough times, always attempts to frame the co-hosts as three-dimensional people, trying to present a balanced account of people and events. My opinions of some people definitely changed. The saddest part of the book deals with Barbara Walters's retirement (which she was very hesitant about) and her sale of her 50% stock in the show back to ABC. In a way, this is also the most intriguing part of the book, because it humanizes this iconic figure, showcasing her flaws and insecurities.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Funny, drama-filled, and informative! I had no idea how much went into the creation of the show and sustaining it in later years.
Interesting, but unbalanced in terms of coverage. Certainly made me glad I was never part of the View. The fights on air were dwarfed by the pettiness and fights behind the scenes. Far amount of background regarding various producers, etc. that I had no interest in. Nobody came out looking good.
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced