What Really Happened

John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me

By: Rielle Hunter

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

The John Edwards - Rielle Hunter affair made headlines for years. "One of the biggest political scandals of all time", "a fall from grace", "a modern day tragedy"—it’s a story that has been reported, distorted, and spun over and over again by the media, by political aides, by the US government, and by supposed friends. There is, however, someone who actually knows the truth, someone who lived it from day one—the woman at the heart of the story itself: Rielle Hunter.

In What Really Happened, Hunter offers an extremely personal account of her relationship with John Edwards: the facts of how they actually met; how their accidental love started and escalated; what it was like to fall in love with a married man who decided to run for president; the surprise of becoming pregnant during the campaign; how the affair became public; the extensive coverup, and finally, what happened in the years after Edwards publicly admitted to being the father of their daughter, Frances Quinn.

Meet Edwards’ political players and get an intimate look at how they really operated. Learn about the evolution of friends, enablers, and do-gooders, their involvement with the affair and Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign, and where the money from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron actually went. This book doesn’t spin the truth to achieve a prettier picture or a better story. It isn’t about changing anyone’s mind. It’s simply the facts, the truth of what really happened.

Rielle Hunter has been writing since 1993 and has studied meditation, yoga, and Eastern philosophies. What Really Happened is her first book. She has one daughter, Frances Quinn.

©2012 Rielle Hunter (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Pure Voyarism

After all that has been printed about Rielle Hunter at the very least she has the right of reply. I don't think anyone comes out of this story well. For all of Rielle's supposed new age spiritualism she could have been kinder to Elizabeth Edwards. Especially as the woman has passed away and can not reply. The book was interesting and the narrator did a great job. It was the events according to the woman at the centre of the storm.
She is gushing over John Edwards, after all he is her meal ticket for life.
You have to wonder at the sanity of John & Elizabeth Edwards, knowing that a scandal of this proportion was waiting in the wings, and Elizabeth's cancer diagnosis, that they still choose to lie to the American people and run for the Presidency.

REALLY? or should I say Rielle....?

I am not sure that I believe Rielle's account as factual....but you never know. One thing is certain, a child is in this world because of two people and she deserves the best, no matter how she got here. I've never been into politics but I was interested in the story so I bought the book and it was good enough. I can't wait 'til someone writes one about Mark Sanford (ex-governor of SC)! It's like watching a train wreck...you can't help it.

What a character...

I know most people would be disgusted by this story--and so am I, of course (cough)--but I found it fascinating for a particular reason. I was a huge fan of "The Story of My Life" by Jay McInerney in the 1990s, which we found out later (as the John Edwards story broke) was based on Rielle Hunter in her 20s. What's amazing is how (apparently) true that novel was to her character, and to top it off, the narrator absolutely nails it. About 60% of the book is a mundane listing of the hotels they stayed at, the restaurants they ate at, and what they ate....but I also thoroughly enjoyed all that. Not for everyone, but for those of us with a sick fascination for people who can rationalize and justify just about any behavior...it's a guilty pleasure.

Scandal me some more!

I got hooked on the John Edwards story in Game Change. For my money, all other political scandals pale in comparison.

But wait! Should you get this much pleasure out of the misfortunes of flawed mortals? Definitely not. But if you're going to do it anyway, this book is good!

First - Cassandra Campbell's narration is flawless. She found the perfect tone and did an amazing job with it.

Also - The writing's great.Easy prose. Story has good pace and flow. It tells you everything you want to know and not much you don't (I'm not a huge fan of the "How childbirth changed my life" narrative, but it passes).

If you read, "The Politician", this is a fascinatingly different perspective on the same events. It gave me a total Rashomon buzz.

As to who to believe, I'm going with Rielle. Here's why: She is SPECTACULARLY shameless. Her lack of guilt about that whole adultery thing is just jaw dropping. Not so much as a tickle of remorse. So, why would she lie? About what?

Which brings me to my final point: If there's not enough speaking ill of the dead going on in your life, you can fill up here. Not a lot of (any) sympathy for Elizabeth, but crazy, screaming shrew stories galore.

Dig in.

A story about a narcissist who hooked up with another narcissist.

I’ve read a lot about this debacle over the years.

This book tells me I was right about both of these two despicable people.

Fantastic job by the narrator!