Carole Radziwill: She's a Real Princess!

[savannah1985]

I'm reading "What Remains" right now. It's on the Kindle I inherited from my aunt. I'm almost finished. It's beautifully written, I highly recommend.

[Trooper York]

"I had a sex dream about you."
"Really? Did we go all downtown Julie Brown?"
"It's not only that. We did it in Macy's Window. But that's not the worst part."
"What could be worse?"
"Murray Hamilton was watching us the whole time."
"EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[imjagain]

I laughed that Carole had a sex dream of Beth, because she wanted Beth to relax lol. Oh that Carole taking one for the team. ;)

Beth makes me tense just being on my TV, I can't even begin to imagine how stressed Carole must feel when Beth is all tightly wound and breaking down all the time.

Not very relaxed indeed.

[Mondrianyone]

I laughed that Carole had a sex dream of Beth, because she wanted Beth to relax lol. Oh that Carole taking one for the team. ;)

Beth makes me tense just being on my TV, I can't even begin to imagine how stressed Carole must feel when Beth is all tightly wound and breaking down all the time.

Not very relaxed indeed.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that Carole has other ways of relaxing herself that can even get her over the Bethenny hump.  So to speak.

[Petunia13]

"I had a sex dream about you."

"Really? Did we go all downtown Julie Brown?"

"It's not only that. We did it in Macy's Window. But that's not the worst part."

"What could be worse?"

"Murray Hamilton was watching us the whole time."

"EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The one on the right is Bethanny, recognize that jaw anywhere. The leftie has some big chompers like Carole.

Carole's a pothead. So she should be relaxed -maybe she can smoke a blunt with Beth or give her a gummy bear and see what happens.

[maggiemae]

BTW - whatever happened with Carole and Adam? We haven't seen him in a long time......

[Petunia13]

They are still together in RL. There was a picture of them in this weeks US Weekly walking in NU while Adam was carrying Carole's dog Baby. Not the one she rents and boards in CA all year but the one she rents in NY.

[Sun-Bun]

I'm still an unabashed Carole fan, even despite her unapologetically-ditzy hipster cougar act this year. I honestly do think half her "Cool Carole" persona is just a clever disguise to hide her true self, which we have seen enough glimpses of in past seasons to realize that she's actually a very sensitive, quiet, possibly insecure old soul who has dealt with a lot of heartache in her life. Plus, we know she probably smokes a shitload of weed.

I remember seeing glimpses of her deeper side when she had to go be by herself on their trip to the Islands and have a good therapeutic cry, since she was so overcome with memories flooding back from her past days spent there with her late husband. I remember how genuine and disarming her fun outings with Heather were as their friendship deepened and they formed a real bond. And I remember her telling Bethenny in one line how easy it was just being with her late husband: "It was perfect."

I'd like to see more of this Carole, the unfiltered no BS Carole that many viewers grew to enjoy with her refreshingly relaxed take on life, friendship and love. I'm actually looking forward to her upcoming scenes dealing with how she plans on taking care of Anthony's ashes now that they'll be in her care again. I think the thoughtful, deeply mellow Carole is still there, she's just relishing her newfound onscreen role as Samantha Jones after years of playing Carrie Bradshaw.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Sun-Bun

[Mozelle]

I'm still an unabashed Carole fan, even despite her unapologetically-ditzy hipster cougar act this year. I honestly do think half her "Cool Carole" persona is just a clever disguise to hide her true self, which we have seen enough glimpses of in past seasons to realize that she's actually a very sensitive, quiet, possibly insecure old soul who has dealt with a lot of heartache in her life. Plus, we know she probably smokes a shitload of weed.

I remember seeing glimpses of her deeper side when she had to go be by herself on their trip to the Islands and have a good therapeutic cry, since she was so overcome with memories flooding back from her past days spent there with her late husband. I remember how genuine and disarming her fun outings with Heather were as their friendship deepened and they formed a real bond. And I remember her telling Bethenny in one line how easy it was just being with her late husband: "It was perfect."

I'd like to see more of this Carole, the unfiltered no BS Carole that many viewers grew to enjoy with her refreshingly relaxed take on life, friendship and love. I'm actually looking forward to her upcoming scenes dealing with how she plans on taking care of Anthony's ashes now that they'll be in her care again. I think the thoughtful, deeply mellow Carole is still there, she's just relishing her newfound onscreen role as Samantha Jones after years of playing Carrie Bradshaw.

 

Gosh! I'd completely forgotten that this was shown in the "This season on..." bumper after the premiere. However, I doubt that we'll see this because I've been reading that these Turks & Caicos episodes close out season seven. 

 

So it looks like TPTB thought it would be better to pretty much sideline all of the HWs and the things going on in their lives in order to reimagine season seven as "Bethenny Starting Over" (with a couple moments here and there of some of the other cast members).

[slitz]

Gosh! I'd completely forgotten that this was shown in the "This season on..." bumper after the premiere. However, I doubt that we'll see this because I've been reading that these Turks & Caicos episodes close out season seven. 

 

So it looks like TPTB thought it would be better to pretty much sideline all of the HWs and the things going on in their lives in order to reimagine season seven as "Bethenny Starting Over" (with a couple moments here and there of some of the other cast members).

 

So did they shorten the season then?  Normally we get at least 22-23 episodes, including the Reunion episodes.  The last T&C episode is #15.  

[Mozelle]

I wonder. Because the Wikipedia page for this season only has it going 'til episode 15, which is still Turks & Caicos. I imagine they'll air the reunion after that. I haven't heard anything about the filming of the reunion yet, though.

[FairyDusted]

Just real quick before I forget! Did Razzi get that Gummy Bear from Crazy Kelly???!!!! NYC must infuse those fuckers. Kim Richards would love that;) 

[motorcitymom65]

I wonder. Because the Wikipedia page for this season only has it going 'til episode 15, which is still Turks & Caicos. I imagine they'll air the reunion after that. I haven't heard anything about the filming of the reunion yet, though.

We still have to see Carole doing whatever she ends up doing with her late husband's ashes, as well as Sonja's event during Fashion Week. My guess is we still have at least 3 or so episodes after T&C.

[slitz]

The editing monkeys at Bravo must be clocking in some serious overtime then on the episodes coming after T&C, if indeed there are any.  Usually there's at least the episode titles by now, but we don't even have those yet!  And there's been not one single peep about them filming the reunion and I can't imagine that the Twitter loving Dorinda wouldn't be tweeting something about that.

[biakbiak]

Andy has asked for questions for the reunion on Facebook.

[Mozelle]

Carole neither rents nor boards Margaret.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Mozelle

[Petunia13]

Yes it's not in a kennel. She pays a person to take care of Margaret daily indefinitely (2 or 3 yrs now?) since "dogs don't like NY". Which is really stupid JMHO and total hypocrisy since she just bought a timeshare in a dog in NYC and her best pal Andy Cohen has a dog and lives in NYC.

I don't really think you should have a dog if you only see it a few x a yr by choice. That is idiotic. Btw I work in the canine industry and I have done this for others for money.

I think she thinks of dogs as useful only when there's a photo op or she wants an endearing story to spew or a thing to add to her list of fun and quirky traits.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Petunia13

[ryebread]

I think she thinks of dogs as useful only when there's a photo op or she wants an endearing story to spew or a thing to add to her list of fun and quirky traits.

 

Reminds me of what Lu said about Carole when she was running for a spot on the co-op.  Something like "Carole doesn't get up before noon, can't water her plants and doesn't have a kitchen."  Owning a pet is no joke.  Having a puppy is oh so adorable.  Especially when you're sharing it with your new boyfriend (and 6 others). But somehow I don't see Carole rolling herself out of bed before noon to cook, work, or take a puppy for a walk.

[zoeysmom]

According to Carole or her ghost writer someone got slapped:  http://www.inquisitr.com/2237325/carole-radziwill-claims-things-got-violent-after-rhony-season-seven-reunion-was-filmed-im-sorry-i-slapped-you/

[WireWrap]

According to Carole or her ghost writer someone got slapped:  http://www.inquisitr.com/2237325/carole-radziwill-claims-things-got-violent-after-rhony-season-seven-reunion-was-filmed-im-sorry-i-slapped-you/

Here is her exact tweet, not the partial tweet that site shows! LOL

Carole Radziwill ‏@CaroleRadziwill  · Jul 8 

A funny thing happened on the way back from the reunion. #sorrynotsorry #rhony #bravotv https://instagram.com/p/45KrmijQVI/

 

Who knows if it was a "physical slap" or a "verbal slap" but it appeared to have happened after they left the reunion. LOL

[Duke2801]

Reminds me of what Lu said about Carole when she was running for a spot on the co-op.  Something like "Carole doesn't get up before noon, can't water her plants and doesn't have a kitchen."  Owning a pet is no joke.  Having a puppy is oh so adorable.  Especially when you're sharing it with your new boyfriend (and 6 others). But somehow I don't see Carole rolling herself out of bed before noon to cook, work, or take a puppy for a walk.

 

Well we know the "doesn't have a kitchen" is a lie.  So who is to say she isn't lying about the other 2 things, too? 

[ryebread]

Well we know the "doesn't have a kitchen" is a lie.  So who is to say she isn't lying about the other 2 things, too? 

 

Possibly.  AFAIC, they're all suspect in everything they say.  One thing I've learned from reading here and other forums is that what they ALL say and do, is suspect.

 

But we're going to believe who we believe depending on who our faves are.  Lu is certainly not one of mine but Carole is further down on my favorite list so Lu gets the benefit of a doubt.  Lu saying Carole doesn't have a kitchen - everyone know she does.  I think that was hyperbole on Lu's part.  Another thing they ALL participate in.

[Trooper York]

This is crazy! Carole slapped someone?

 

This is so typical of a smaller Napoleon complex type person. They have a sense of entitlement. I hope she didn't slap Luann. She would lay her out. Most guys would be afraid of being on Luann's bad side.

 

I mean the whole nation of France is quaking in there berets for crying out loud!

Edited July 10, 2015 by Trooper York

[WireWrap]

Possibly.  AFAIC, they're all suspect in everything they say.  One thing I've learned from reading here and other forums is that what they ALL say and do, is suspect.

 

But we're going to believe who we believe depending on who our faves are.  Lu is certainly not one of mine but Carole is further down on my favorite list so Lu gets the benefit of a doubt.  Lu saying Carole doesn't have a kitchen - everyone know she does.  I think that was hyperbole on Lu's part.  Another thing they ALL participate in.

Well, except we have SEEN that she still has a full kitchen in her apartment this season, after the remodel! LOL I think Carole says these things as jokes but I admit, her sense of humor is very, very dry and it can come across like she is serious.  JMO

[ryebread]

Well, except we have SEEN that she still has a full kitchen in her apartment this season, after the remodel! LOL

 

That's what I said about Carole having a kitchen:  "Everyone knows she does."   When I say Lu has the benefit of my doubt it's about lying in general. Duke2801 said she lied about the kitchen why not the other 2 items - waking up before noon and watering her plants.  I trust her (mostly) rather than not.  Carole does have a kitchen (obviously hyperbole) but I believe Lu when says that Carole doesn't get up until noon or water her plants. Now, do I think Carole NEVER gets up until noon?  Not really.  But she totally looks like a slacker to me.  Dead plants in her wake.

[RedHawk]

We saw her kitchen -- with working oven! -- when she heated the Trader Joe's past-their-expiration-date snacks, right?

[motorcitymom65]

We saw her kitchen -- with working oven! -- when she heated the Trader Joe's past-their-expiration-date snacks, right?

I have never taken this seriously. I think her kitchen is tiny, and she has her workspace there. I just don't think she, or anyone else, considers it much of a kitchen because little to no cooking goes on there. Or eating for that matter. Carole herself said last year after her renovation that the architect won the battle and the kitchen remained.

That's what I said about Carole having a kitchen:  "Everyone knows she does."   When I say Lu has the benefit of my doubt it's about lying in general. Duke2801 said she lied about the kitchen why not the other 2 items - waking up before noon and watering her plants.  I trust her (mostly) rather than not.  Carole does have a kitchen (obviously hyperbole) but I believe Lu when says that Carole doesn't get up until noon or water her plants. Now, do I think Carole NEVER gets up until noon?  Not really.  But she totally looks like a slacker to me.  Dead plants in her wake.

Carole talked about sleeping very late in the day in her book. She said that Anthony would be up early and at the gym and that she was hours behind him. Apparently this has always been her pattern. She is more creative late in the evenings.

This is crazy! Carole slapped someone?

 

This is so typical of a smaller Napoleon complex type person. They have a sense of entitlement. I hope she didn't slap Luann. She would lay her out. Most guys would be afraid of being on Luann's bad side.

I mean the whole nation of France is quaking in there berets for crying out loud!

It would be hard for me to picture Carole slapping someone. On the Bravo site Andy says that Ramona does something shocking, something she has never done before. Still, I cannot picture Ramona doing it either. I don't think Carole was serious. I cannot imagine that anything really dramatic happened since all 8 of them went to dinner together after the reunion filmed.

[Mozelle]

Yes it's not in a kennel. She pays a person to take care of Margaret daily indefinitely (2 or 3 yrs now?) since "dogs don't like NY". Which is really stupid JMHO and total hypocrisy since she just bought a timeshare in a dog in NYC and her best pal Andy Cohen has a dog and lives in NYC.

I don't really think you should have a dog if you only see it a few x a yr by choice. That is idiotic. Btw I work in the canine industry and I have done this for others for money.

I think she thinks of dogs as useful only when there's a photo op or she wants an endearing story to spew or a thing to add to her list of fun and quirky traits.

 

Well, it seems that Margaret has been in NYC at some point, given this little interview in Us Weekly (it's from November 2014). 

[LotusFlower]

On the Bravo site Andy says that Ramona does something shocking, something she has never done before.

Here's my guess - I think he was being cheeky. I bet the thing she has never done before is something nice or kind....or silent.

[SCS]

Here's my guess - I think he was being cheeky. I bet the thing she has never done before is something nice or kind....or silent.

Heh, I was thinking she dissolves into tears. Has Pinotitties ever had a sobfest on a reunion?

[LotusFlower]

Heh, I was thinking she dissolves into tears. Has Pinotitties ever had a sobfest on a reunion?

Good question. I'm not sure. But would that really he "shocking?" Or am I taking Andy's hyperbole too literally? Still waiting for that RHOBH reunion smoking gun....

[Sheenieb]

 

I kind of want to get her book from the library and check it out, ghostwritten or not. Has anyone read it?

I have, and it's good. I never bought the ghostwriter rumor because it's way too personal of a story.

 

Carole worked at ABC News, and that's where she met Anthony. He was a reporter as well, and  I think they were covering the Menendez Brothers story.

 

Anthony and John were very close, and Carolyn and Carole shared similar working class backgrounds.  If I remember correctly, they both grew up near each other in Upstate New York.

[motorcitymom65]

I think that Carole says a lot of things facetiously. Like the 50 million dollars/pesos comment. I doubt that she never needs to work again, and I don't doubt that she has a ton of money. Maybe it's not 50 million, but I don't think it's as low as 5 million either.

I did a bit of reading about Carole, her husband and her friendship with JFK/Carolyn Bessette. I can't believe that she ever married into the Kennedy family (okay, Anthony was a cousin, but still) based on what I read this weekend. She doesn't seem like she would fit in with that bunch at all.  I wonder if she is still close to any of them.

 

ETA: Apparently not:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/04/carole-radziwill-on-the-real-housewives-kennedys-and-more.html

 

I kind of want to get her book from the library and check it out, ghostwritten or not. Has anyone read it?

It's such a great read, and I agree with Sheenieb above, that it is hard to imagine it was Ghostwritten. I loved her blogs as well (as corny as that sounds to say) and it was so clearly all her voice. I think that most of us who have read it agree that she had to be so pained and angry to have someone like Aviva start screaming that she used a GW. It is so painfully private and haunting. 

 

I am attaching 2 links for you here which might help you decide. Both are great examples of her writing, and of the story she has to tell:

 

The first is an excerpt from the book. It is the prologue.  It is doesn't grip you and make you want to read what follows, then I would say it might not be for you. For me, I've never been so sucked in by a prologue before.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/Story?id=1179787&page=1

 

The next is her Bio. It is a short read, but gives you insight into how she uses her words, and what you will find in the book.

 

http://www.caroleradziwill.com/bio/my-story

 

If you do read it, make sure you report back!

[Mozelle]

I think that Carole says a lot of things facetiously. Like the 50 million dollars/pesos comment. I doubt that she never needs to work again, and I don't doubt that she has a ton of money. Maybe it's not 50 million, but I don't think it's as low as 5 million either.

I did a bit of reading about Carole, her husband and her friendship with JFK/Carolyn Bessette. I can't believe that she ever married into the Kennedy family (okay, Anthony was a cousin, but still) based on what I read this weekend. She doesn't seem like she would fit in with that bunch at all.  I wonder if she is still close to any of them.

 

ETA: Apparently not:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/04/carole-radziwill-on-the-real-housewives-kennedys-and-more.html

 

I kind of want to get her book from the library and check it out, ghostwritten or not. Has anyone read it?

 

See, this is why I'm annoyed by Aviva's claim. All she had to do was put it out there, and now and forever, there's still this kind of disclaimer when talking about Carole's memoir.  

 

It's cool to note, though, in the link you provided that they mentioned that Carole's memoir wasn't ghost written. This piece is from 2012, almost two years before Aviva's malicious rumor.

[Mondrianyone]

It's cool to note, though, in the link you provided that they mentioned that Carole's memoir wasn't ghost written. This piece is from 2012, almost two years before Aviva's malicious rumor.

 

Doesn't that strike you as odd, though?  That the disclaimer was made, in print, two years before Aviva's accusation?  It would never occur to me, if I were writing a profile of someone, especially someone who'd presented herself as a writer, to add in a disclaimer like that unless maybe some rumor was already afloat somewhere in the world.  Like, who would write, "And this year Joan Didion will publish her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking--which by the way wasn't ghostwritten"?  It wouldn't even be in the consciousness of the profiler.  Unless for some reason it was.  This kind of leads me to suspect that Aviva wasn't the first person making that allegation.  Just because it's such a weird thing to say about a writer's memoir.

[archer1267]

She's never won anything but she married into the Kennedy family.

 

 

I'm so tired of this (not directed to the person who posted this second-hand, but the sentiment in general). Carole's husband was the son of Jackie O's sister. It's not like Carole married one of Ted or Bobby's sons, which is what I think of when I hear this. And frankly, painting the Radziwills and Bouviers with the Kennedy brush is kind of insulting, as if they have no identity of their own other than to have ties (through marriage) to this much-storied clan. I don't think Carole has ever had much to do with the Kennedys beyond JFK Jr. and his wife. 

 

"I haven't won anything since my 7th grade basketball trophy!"

 

 

I take a lot of Carole's humor as self-effacing, as I do the same thing. I don't think it was intended to be anything other than a lighthearted joke, but as is the case with all these women, your interpretation depends on how you feel about the person. 

 

 

 

[motorcitymom65]

Doesn't that strike you as odd, though?  That the disclaimer was made, in print, two years before Aviva's accusation?  It would never occur to me, if I were writing a profile of someone, especially someone who'd presented herself as a writer, to add in a disclaimer like that unless maybe some rumor was already afloat somewhere in the world.  Like, who would write, "And this year Joan Didion will publish her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking--which by the way wasn't ghostwritten"?  It wouldn't even be in the consciousness of the profiler.  Unless for some reason it was.  This kind of leads me to suspect that Aviva wasn't the first person making that allegation.  Just because it's such a weird thing to say about a writer's memoir.

I think they put that in there because they also said "like everyone else, she wrote a memoir". Most people who write Memoir's use a GW. It's not that it had never come up before. I believe she was asked if it was her own work on Oprah, simply because it is so common for folks to not have the muscle to tackle this on their own; most folks not being Writers. And remember, when this piece was written, Carole wasn't known to most people. Her prior work as a Journalist wouldn't have been obvious. Carole received huge kudos on how beautifully written her work was, so for Aviva to claim that she had been lying about it being her own work was just an insult. 

 

I guess Lu is going to go there at the reunion as well, from what is being reported. 

Edited July 13, 2015 by motorcitymom65

[motorcitymom65]

I think the fact that Luanne is going there speaks volumes about her character.

I wonder if she is jealous because of her friendship with Beth?

I agree, Carole was not married to the fam, she was married to a cousin, and she doesn't seem to like the Kennedy family much. Marrying into the Kennedy family is no prize. See Mary Richardson, Carolyn Bessette, Sheila Rauch, and Victoria Gifford (did a lot of procrastinating reading about them instead of something else I had to do, ha!).

When Aviva made the accusation last year that she had zero relationship with the Kennedy's, she posted a great blog where she talked about it. She said that it was strange because the week that the episode aired, she had just returned from a Kennedy family wedding. She said she was close to some, not close to others. Actually, I loved exactly what she said: "I have exactly the relationship with them that I want".  All kinds of awesome. 

[archer1267]

I guess Lu is going to go there at the reunion as well, from what is being reported.

 

 

LuAnn's pissed about Adam and going for the jugular because she KNOWS that will get under Carole's skin in a way nothing else will. So if it's true that Pirate-gate is brought up again, then fair's fair, LuAnn.

 

And I hope that if there's any grain of truth to the whole ghostwriter thing, they name names and haul out proof. If you're going to try to take down someone's career, at least have more to go on than innuendo.

[RedHawk]

Just curious, was Carole's reaction to Sonja's remarks about partying with "John-John" on camera? I imagine she was pretty appalled.

And for the record, its not like he and his wife were shut-ins. He was working hard to promote George and made a lot of public appearances (Kennedy stuff) so even if you were a minor socialite, you probably rubbed shoulders with the guy. Hell, he worked in the Manhattan DA office so even mere mortals had some contact with him.

Carole was not with Sonja and Dorinda when Sonja made the remark. Don't recall if Dorinda mentioned it in front of her later. I certainly would not have, but hey, these ladies never hold back. When she heard about it she probably just rolled her eyes and thought "typical Sonja".

 

John was a party boy from what I remember, often out in the clubs with celebrity women and assorted beauties and all that. Think he did date Madonna for a hot second, horrifying his mother. I still hold that Sonja meant past tense that she had partied with him and Madonna. As in, she once was in the same room, VIP area, or dance floor as they were -- not that she was actually introduced or spent time them socially. Her typical exaggeration + drunkenness = "partied with".

 

Edited to add: JFK Jr. died in July 1999. Sonja married Morgan sometime in 1998, so there might have been a short amount of time when she was in much higher society than prior to her marriage, maybe attended a charity party or something. Don't know why I'm defending her so much on her assertion -- guess I just got tired of everyone acting like it was impossible that they ever shook hands. Anyway, letting it go...

Edited July 13, 2015 by RedHawk

[RedHawk]

Yeah, I don't doubt they had some brief contact but I think I'd be annoyed by that remark were I Carole given that he was one of her best friends and Sonja was trying to shore up her reputation from the old days.

I would be appalled, but OTOH, Sonja really did move in high society circles and so there's not much Carole can say. He wasn't her husband so I imagine she's not that bothered by it anymore. She's probably used to people claiming to have known JFK Jr. well when they meet and chat with her. 

 

Edited because she actually married Anthony before JFK Jr. married Carolyn, so I removed a sentence about that.

Edited July 13, 2015 by RedHawk

[Mozelle]

Doesn't that strike you as odd, though?  That the disclaimer was made, in print, two years before Aviva's accusation?  It would never occur to me, if I were writing a profile of someone, especially someone who'd presented herself as a writer, to add in a disclaimer like that unless maybe some rumor was already afloat somewhere in the world.  Like, who would write, "And this year Joan Didion will publish her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking--which by the way wasn't ghostwritten"?  It wouldn't even be in the consciousness of the profiler.  Unless for some reason it was.  This kind of leads me to suspect that Aviva wasn't the first person making that allegation.  Just because it's such a weird thing to say about a writer's memoir.

 

 I don't find it odd, namely because the assumption is that everyone who has a memoir published has had it ghost written. There's a small minority (Carole among them) who have written it themselves. So, that's how I view the mention.

[Mondrianyone]

 I don't find it odd, namely because the assumption is that everyone who has a memoir published has had it ghost written. There's a small minority (Carole among them) who have written it themselves. So, that's how I view the mention.

 

The assumption is that everyone who's not a writer and comes out with a memoir has had it ghostwritten.  And people who are too famous and too busy being famous to write their own books.  They "have people" for that sort of thing.  I can vouch for that from years of professional experience.  But when the person publishing the memoir has experience as a writer--as a TV reporter writing her own copy and as a producer presumably writing copy for Peter Jennings--and isn't particularly famous, it's not an assumption that's automatically made.  The assumption usually made in that situation is that the TV writer is making the transition into another area of writing.  I worked on a memoir by someone who had a pretty similar job at ABC News, and no one ever felt compelled to mention that he didn't have a ghostwriter.  It was just assumed that he didn't.  (And in fact he didn't.)  So I'm going to stick with it strikes me as an odd thing to mention.

 

It never occurred to me to think she had a ghost for her first book.  But the combination of her reaction to the accusation, which seemed strangely over the top, and her new incarnation this year as a girl who prefers not to work and who can't be bothered to fulfill the terms of her contract or even to know what those terms are--it all really does make me wonder.  I know lots of writers, and that persona doesn't comport with what I know.  If she didn't want to give credibility to the accusation and if she really is sincere about having a career as a writer (and not just one fairly well-received book), she's going about it in a very peculiar way.

[motorcitymom65]

I didn't watch the season with Aviva, but I read this: http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/aviva-drescher-versus-carole-radziwill-help-me#.wudLxK9MDk

and I think her ghostwriter thing is just a nasty rumor Aviva planted. She doesn't seem very consistent in her story in the interview.

I'm not sure to be happy or irritated by that link again. I remember reading it the first time and my blood boiled. Her assertion that Carole had no right to tell that story says all that needs to be said about Aviva. If you didn't watch the show with Aviva, her first season when she met Carole was so different. She loved Carole. She loved the book. She was able to quote parts of it back to Carole. She said it had changed her world view. Then later she says that Carole had no right to write those words; to tell that story. It was so horrific to me. That someone would want to hurt someone in that way. She really was evil. Or as Carole said to her: she had no soul.

[ryebread]

But the combination of her reaction to the accusation, which seemed strangely over the top, and her new incarnation this year as a girl who prefers not to work and who can't be bothered to fulfill the terms of her contract or even to know what those terms are--it all really does make me wonder.

 

This.  Another poster here, who works in the publishing biz in NYC said, 'word on the street' has always been that Carole had some help with her memoirs.  I respect that poster's opinion.  I don't respect Carole 'Gummy Bear' Radziwill.   So that, in addition to what you posted, makes me question her commitment to her craft.

 

But first and foremost, for me, her reaction to Aviva's accusation is what made me raise my eyebrows at her for the first time.

 

If Luann makes the same accusations, which I'm not sure really happens because they were all out to dinner after the reunion, I hope Carole has a different reaction than she did with Aviva. 

[ryebread]

Maybe her reaction was so strong (and she felt that she had to mention the ghostwriting thing in the earlier article) because she'd faced that accusation before Aviva? Maybe people in the publishing world. And given the subject of her book, it was an especially hurtful jab? I dunno, like I said, I didn't watch the season with Aviva.

 

It's a possibility but this is a woman who, over the course of her career had to talk "to guerilla fighters and negotiate with Thai military officials" in Cambodia.  She traveled to the Middle East to cover the Gulf War and then to Afghanistan right after 9/11.  But she couldn't handle Aviva Drescher with one ounce of poise or confidence. I understand her memoirs were close to her heart. Probably an understatement.   But I also expected more from someone, as accomplished a she, facing false accusations.  Especially if she'd already BTDT.

[Mondrianyone]

It's understandable that she'd become upset.  I mean, Aviva is such a nutjob that my first response to an accusation from someone like her that I didn't really do my own work would be just to laugh and walk away, but I get that there's a range of possible responses.  What makes no sense to me is for Carole to be so outraged at such a cruel assault on her career and her credentials as a genuine writer and then go on to seem to want to prove that everything Aviva accused her of was true. She couldn't do a better job of that than act the way she has been this season.  Blowing off deadlines, not knowing she even had contractual deadlines, acting like a teenage stoner.  It's a complete 180 from the professionalism she was defending so self-righteously last year.  I seriously don't get it.  Maybe after the Widow's Guide didn't set the world on fire, she decided she doesn't really want to be a writer, that it's just too hard, and this is how she's acting out that change of plan.  Beats me.

[Mozelle]

I don't see the correlation, to be honest. Carole has said that it took her about five years to write What Remains. And I've continued to maintain (here and in previous episode threads) that she's not an outlier or an anomaly in being a writer who takes a few years to complete a project. That she was (rightfully, in my opinion) upset at Aviva's assault and spreading of malicious gossip doesn't contradict Carole saying that she currently prefers to be out and living her life for this moment before buckling down and getting this book of essays complete. 

[archer1267]

I think her ghostwriter thing is just a nasty rumor Aviva planted. She doesn't seem very consistent in her story in the interview.

 

 

Aviva's got problems with sticking to a narrative on a lot of different things, and has shown that she's not above stretching the truth to make someone look bad. I do think she decided to get nasty when her lunch with Carole started heading south. I've re-watched that scene a couple of times and as much as I can't stand Aviva, I think Carole handled that lunch poorly. Aviva was really just looking for her "you did it! Rah rah" banner, i.e. some validation from an author whose work she supposedly admired. I got annoyed with Carole that she acted as if there is one true way to write. (Under her logic, I guess Stephen King isn't a writer, since it doesn't take him years to write each book. But Stephen King writes all day, every day, except for 2-3 days per year. I recommend his book on writing to anyone interested in the process, regardless of what you think of Stephen King's genre. It's an excellent read.)  Aviva likened her process to writing a big email, and for her it may have been just that.

 

Carole went into that lunch already feeling wary of Aviva and smarting from the previous season and some things that happened afterward. I think if she'd just made more of an effort to congratulate Aviva, make some generally benign statements and try to act happy for her, we wouldn't have had this ridiculous storyline out of the gate that killed the season, IMO.

Edited July 14, 2015 by archer1267

[motorcitymom65]

It's understandable that she'd become upset.  I mean, Aviva is such a nutjob that my first response to an accusation from someone like her that I didn't really do my own work would be just to laugh and walk away, but I get that there's a range of possible responses.  What makes no sense to me is for Carole to be so outraged at such a cruel assault on her career and her credentials as a genuine writer and then go on to seem to want to prove that everything Aviva accused her of was true. She couldn't do a better job of that than act the way she has been this season.  Blowing off deadlines, not knowing she even had contractual deadlines, acting like a teenage stoner.  It's a complete 180 from the professionalism she was defending so self-righteously last year.  I seriously don't get it.  Maybe after the Widow's Guide didn't set the world on fire, she decided she doesn't really want to be a writer, that it's just too hard, and this is how she's acting out that change of plan.  Beats me.

It's funny because to me one thing has nothing to do with another. I've known plenty of people in my life who take their careers or educations very seriously, do some great things and have some success, and then decide to take life at a different pace for whatever reason. Carole has always moved slowly with regard to her work. She has talked about this a lot. Heck, if she finished this book in the next year it would mean she has ramped things up from how she use to do things in the past. She seems to just be enjoying her life, having a good time. I take the contract and deadline stuff with a grain of salt. Yes she missed a deadline, but I don't think that is hardly new in her world (although actually, I know nothing about it, you could probably clarify how often someone misses a deadline).

 

The thing is, this is such a great example of what Aviva did; how harmful her words were. Once she said on national TV that Carole had used a GW, it stuck in some folks mind. It would have stuck there regardless of how Carole reacted to it. I have read on several others forums where people just automatically mention that her book may or may not have been Ghostwritten every time they talk about her being a Writer. If Aviva would have never said anything, it wouldn't even occur to people that because Carole looks lazy this year maybe Aviva was right. It will never, ever go away for Carole. 

Edited July 14, 2015 by motorcitymom65