You probably know her as the "cool girl" on The Real Housewives of New York City. The one who lived in a downtown duplex with a golden urn on the mantel and a distinct "don’t mess with me" vibe. But before Carole Radziwill was dodging drama in the Berkshires, she was something else entirely. She was a hard-hitting ABC News producer with three Emmys and a Peabody. More importantly, she was a writer.
Honestly, it’s kinda rare for a reality star to actually have written their own books, but Carole is the real deal. No ghostwriters. No fluff.
When you look at Carole Radziwill books, you aren't just looking at celebrity cash-ins. You’re looking at a legacy of heavy-duty journalism mixed with some of the most profound grief ever put to paper. She’s only published two major works—a memoir and a novel—but they carry enough weight to fill a dozen libraries.
What Remains: A Masterclass in Heartbreak
If you haven’t read What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love, prepare yourself. It’s brutal.
Published in 2005, this book isn't about being a princess, though she technically became one when she married Anthony Radziwill. It’s about the summer of 1999. That’s the year everything fell apart.
Basically, Carole was living this high-stakes, glamorous life in New York. She was close friends with John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Her husband, Anthony, was John’s cousin and best friend. But while the world saw Camelot 2.0, Carole was living in a hospital room. Anthony was dying of a rare form of cancer.
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The triple tragedy
The way she writes about the plane crash that killed John and Carolyn is haunting. She was the one who got the call. She was the one waiting by the phone while her husband lay dying in the other room.
- The timeline: John, Carolyn, and her sister Lauren died on July 16, 1999.
- The aftermath: Anthony died just three weeks later.
It’s almost too much for one person to handle. She describes the grief like "cancer tiptoeing in like a teenager past curfew." Wildly poetic, right? Critics raved about it. Oprah called it a masterpiece. It spent twenty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list because it wasn't just another Kennedy book. It was a human book.
Moving to Fiction: The Widow's Guide
Fast forward to 2014. Carole is on RHONY, and she releases her first novel, The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating.
People expected a sequel to her memoir. They got a dark comedy instead.
The story follows Claire Byrne, whose husband—a famous sexologist—is killed when a Giacometti sculpture falls on him in Chelsea. It’s absurd. It’s quirky. It’s very "New York."
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Some people found the shift from her memoir's gravity to this book's light-heartedness a bit jarring. One critic even said it felt like a "mockery" of her own life. But honestly? That’s Carole. She uses humor as a shield. The book deals with the "unsexy" parts of being a widow: the awkward dates, the unsolicited advice from friends, and the weird guilt of wanting to feel alive again.
Why the novel matters
It proved she could do more than just report facts. She could build a world. The book includes "rules" for dating, like never kissing a man who looks better than you in the morning. It’s cynical and smart, much like the persona she maintained on television.
The Journalism Pedigree
We can't talk about her books without mentioning her "Writer Girl" status.
Before the books, Carole was a serious journalist. She worked under Peter Jennings at ABC News. She wasn’t just sitting in a studio; she was in Cambodia, Israel, and even spent a month with an infantry unit in Kandahar during the Afghan war.
This background is why her prose is so tight. Journalists hate "fluff." They like short, punchy sentences. They like facts. Even in her fiction, you can see that reporter's eye for detail. She notices the brand of a cigarette or the specific way a shadow hits a wall.
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Why people are still talking about her writing in 2026
It’s been years since she left Bravo, but Carole’s name still pops up in book clubs and Substack feeds. Why? Because she didn’t just "write a book." She documented a very specific era of New York history and American royalty through a lens that was both intimate and detached.
There’s a certain "DGAF" attitude in her writing that resonates today. She doesn't beg you to like her. In What Remains, she’s honest about her own failings, her denial regarding Anthony’s illness, and her "cold" moments. That kind of vulnerability is rare.
What’s next for Carole?
As of late 2025 and heading into 2026, she’s been active on her Substack and has hinted at more long-form projects. Whether it's another novel or a return to her investigative roots, the "Writer Girl" isn't done.
If you want to understand the woman behind the "Princess" title, you have to read the work. Start with the memoir. It’ll break your heart, but it’s worth the cracks.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Read What Remains first. It provides the necessary context for everything Carole has done since, including her stint on reality TV.
- Check out her Substack. If you want her current take on politics and pop culture, that’s where she’s most active now.
- Watch her Season 5 debut on RHONY. It’s fascinating to see the "Author" version of Carole before the reality TV machine fully took over.