About the Author

Steven Gaines is an author, journalist, and the host, from 2003 to 2010, of Sunday Brunch Live on NPR. He has written for Vanity Fair,The New York Observer, The New York Times, Los Angelesmagazine, Worth,and Connoisseur, and is the nationally bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Philistines at the Hedgerow and Fool's Paradise.

Reviews

Praise for Fool's Paradise
“Exposes scandal, intrigue, sex and drugs in the sun-drenched social spot… perfect reading for a lazy afternoon in the double-decker cabana.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Gaines is at ease with all aspects of his subject…[he] also loves his characters, no matter how flawed they may be… His colorful snapshot of the weirdness that is Miami Beach will forever color your view of the Sunshine State. Original, gossipy and flat-out fun–will either have you booking the next flight or scare you off the place altogether.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Gaines inspects decadence at its zenith through the stories of some of the city's most famous and notorious-characters."
—L.A. Confidential
 
"Part Vegas flash and part old-school-Hollywood, Gaines shows us the 'manic desperation and reckless wealth' of Miami Beach.”
—Smoke Magazine

“The book will make a hot beach read, and its pretty pastel cover will punch up everyone's new beach ensemble.”
—Miami Herald

"You don't read this book — you inhale it. Considering the staggering cocaine consumption of South Beach, maybe 'snort' is a better word choice.Whatever word we use, Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach is an irresistible book that wraps up hilarious and tragic stories and serves them in this elegant souffle."
—St. Petersburg Times



Praise for Philistines at the Hedgerow

"Breezy, irreverent, amusing . . . replete with scandals, scurrilous characters, assorted bacchanalia, and all manner of wretched excess."
—Laura Landro, Wall Street Journal

"Hugely entertaining . . . With wit and zest Gaines tells the story of the embattled Hamptons through a series of deft profiles."
—Stephen Birmingham, Washington Times

"A narrative of surprising unity and velocity. Such a cast of eccentrics hasn’t been seen since Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
—Jay McInerney, The New Yorker

"Richly entertaining."
—People

"A fabulous cast of real-life characters, both high and low . . . more fun than most fiction."
—Publishers Weekly

"A satisfying comedy of manners about snobbishness and land lust among America’s overachievers. . . . Gaines knows how to tell a story, and he knows how to dish."
—Carl Swanson, Salon