Review of
Instaread Summary, Analysis & Review of Chip and
Joanna Gaines’s The Magnolia Story
Four out of five stars
The husband and
wife team of Chip and Joanna (Jo) Gaines are the hosts of the reality
television show “Fixer Upper,” which features houses in a state of disrepair
being turned into attractive dwellings. Jo also owns and operates two “Magnolia”
boutique stores. They started out as real estate flippers, people that buy
houses, renovate them and then sell them for profit. Their business lives have
had significant ups and downs, in the 2008 meltdown, they came very close to
bankruptcy.
From the summary,
it is clear that Chip and Jo are two distinct personalities that complement
each other. While their confidence and skills had a lot to do with their
success, it is also the case that they came very close to a flame-out financial
collapse. Just like many other real estate flippers did in the last part of the
previous decade.
It is clear
from the summary that the book is a combination autobiography and revelatory
piece as to how they were able to be successful. Although from the author’s
style section you learn that there was a third author and the book reads as if
it is based on interviews. Furthermore, the concentration is on Chip and Jo and
the hardships they faced.
Furthermore, is
clear that the book is a success story, yet it is one that quite clearly could easily
not have happened. Fans of the television show will no doubt find the book
interesting, but the content of this summary indicates that people with little
interest in flipping real estate will not. That is reinforced by the following
section from the author’s style.
“As narrators, Chip and Jo are warm but not
particularly intimate; there are few moments that feel truly behind the scenes.”
A book that gives the impression of always being in
front of the camera is rarely interesting for the “viewer” not interested in
the primary subject matter.
