Book Description

Reviews (20)

Different view of Jackie
I have read everything written about Jackie K., and it tends to be either gushing or vicious. This book deals with the influences that led to her becoming the type of person she was. Being born in 1929, she was a Depression baby, and she had the same desire for security that most people from that time have had.
The attributes most admired by the world were the ones her mother instilled in her [speaking French, riding ability, fashion sense] and Jackie probably had mixed feelings about this.
The book made me see Jackie as a more vulnerable paerson and I have nothing but admiration for her mother.

Enjoyable Reading
I loved this book.One thing I learned from reading
this book was the name of Jacqueline's 1st daughter which she miscarried.I have made many trips to D.C., especially making a point of visiting President Kennedy's gravesite where the bodies of Jacqueline and her two children are also buried.The name of her daughter on the gravsite is indicated as "unnamed".I am wondering why her name was never identified.If you are wondering what the name is, read the book.

Mothers and daughters
Jackie Kennedy Onassis is undisputedly one of the most written about women of our time. Surprisingly, there is very little written about her mother Janet Auchincloss. There is no doubt that Jackie was hugely influenced by Janet. Friends and family often remark on Janet's "demands" on both her daughters. Their dress, schooling, deportment were all noted and remarked upon.Jackie was more openly rebellious than her sister.Her parent's's divorce was difficult for a young girl who adored her father. Janet, no doubt stung by the public humilation, strove to protect her and her daughters' privacy and aura. Jackie was to go through life trying to reconcile those parts of her personality, the adventurous part(her father) and the socially correct side(Janet).
"Janet and Jackie" chronicles a mother/daughter relationship strained bydivorce,remarriage,unspoken and unmet expectations, changes in society, wealth and fame. It is a portrait of the huge changes in "society" life. Jan Pottker describes a family of women restrained by society and their inability to communicate. "Janet and Jackie" provides a peek into the life of two fascinating women and the times that helped shape them.

Somewhat Interesting, Not Much New Information
This is a somewhat interesting book about Jackie Onassis and her mother, Janet Lee Auchincloss.The first part of the book concentrates on family lineage and heritage.It mentions that Jackie was only 1/8 French, and half Irish.The author states that Jackie's Irish ancestry was hidden by a French name and a love of all things French.Underneath all that, she says that Jackie was authentically Irish.Jackie never corrected the media when they incorrectly assumed she was entirely French, and Rose Kennedy encouraged Jackie to play up the Bouvier side, thinking it made the family sound more like high society.Janet was a social climber who denied her Irish heritage and tried to pass herself off as English.The book explores the marriage to Jack Bouvier, which produced two daughters, Jackie and Lee.Drinking, gambling and womanizing on Bouvier's part caused a divorce.Janet later married Hugh Auchincloss, which provided financial security for herself and her children.Although I found Janet's obsession with money and status annoying, she also was there for Jackie.She confronted Jack Kennedy after Jackie lost their baby, and she was there for Jackie after the assassination.The book is an interesting read, although I don't think there is a whole lot of new information in it.

Nonsense!!!
This book sets out to tell that it was Jackie Kennedy's mother that instilled strength in her daughter. What she acctually did was instill a self-hatred. There is a great book called "Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years" by Barbara Leaming. In that book the author states repeatedly that her mother treated her older daughter horribly. Onassis's mother would tell her daughter that her hair was too kinky and she had big feet her eyes were too big, her hands were too big and that no man would marry her because she was so unattractive in every way. Her mother may have been saying these things to make sure her daughter would act wisely so she could land a man, but it is obvious that these taunts had a neg. effect on her daughter. Onassis thought that her marriage to JKF was a faliure because she believed his cheating was the result of all the neg. things she thought she was, all those neg. things her mother said she was. Jackie thought that she had to stick out the marrage because she was lucky to have found a man that could look past her "ugly" looks. Hopefully the readers of this book will not be suckered into believing that this woman, Janet A. was a great woman. She was cruel to many people. The only good thing I can say about the subject is that she is a prime example of how far woman have come in this society. From being raised as Janet A. was to "land a man" to finding fullfilment within and not through wealth and marraige. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

FUN FACTS!!!!!!!
This is a simple little book with fascinating tidbits on our favorite First Lady. A nice addition to anyone's library. FOR QUETIONS OR DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Very in-depth
I bought this at Arlington Cemetary on trip to Washington,D.C. and read and finished the book before the trip was over.It told a great story and was well researched.

Jackie: Woman of Focus
Jackie, a Legend Defined, gives us the most salient features of the life of a woman whose influence upon Americans will endure. Anyone whose awareness of the Jackie phenomenon dates back to the sixties will find this cursory examination of her life adequate, perhaps. For the younger student, there is a rather good bibliography referencing both periodicals and books. Somehow, her sophistication spoke to a people who could now travel to Europe and the rest of the world by jet, while at the same time be terrorized by the threat of global nuclear war. Jackie, poised and focussed equestrian, seemed to embody the cool which we needed to live our lives in the shadow of threat. She knew the lessons good breeding was supposed to teach, but her own childhood had been somewhat chaotic. She made up for it with her intensity, composed of the Latin virtue of a sanguine disposition and the ability to focus her energies on the pursuit of excellence. Never mind that being First Lady could only be at most an eight-year reign. She set a course for the rest of us, in that she drew into the White House the artists who have been welcomed there ever since. She raised an historical consciousness with her restoration there, and went on in later life to fight for preservation in New York City. The battles she chose were few, but crucial. Her editorship at Viking and then at Doubleday gave scope to her discernment and to her ability to connect with people in the arts. Somehow, she once again embodied an age - that of the independent professional woman, who is a survivor. In the beginning, her mother and father had been part of an America which imitated Europe (especially England) in its faith in blood-lines and privilege. The "Lee's of Maryland", no relation to those of Virginia, were not planters but supplanters. The Bouvier's had been peasants in France. But here, their descendant Jacqueline, had redefined class. It is something revolutionary, and it is there for anyone with the nerve, the brains and the grace to have it. No wonder that to so many aspiring African-Americans Jackie was, as Tina Turner put it, the reigning Queen. No wonder, as the book spells out, the American public went mad for her relics. But relics or no, to understand her as a whole, as this book attempts, is an important step in the education of taste. In the end, her stay was too brief, like a career of a great diva. She bowed off the stage even before her Victorian-era mother-in-law, who at 103 watched her funeral on television. She left just enough clues for us to feel that we knew her. She seemed to define herself in characteristically bold, telling strokes. She is the persona of the latter half of the twentieth century in America. ... Read more

Book Description

An intimate look into the world of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis -- from the people who knew her best

In As We Remember Her, Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian of first ladies, paints the most personal, revealing portrait of Jackie to date -- one that shows her not in the shadow of her famous husbands or frozen in the light of flashbulbs but as she viewed herself over the years and as she was known by those closest to her.

To understand Jackie on her own terms, Anthony conducted exhaustive interviews with an impressive collection of Jackie's friends, family members, and colleagues -- many of whom speak here about her publicly for the first time -- and drew upon rarely published but quite revealing autobiographical accounts. Those interviewed include Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Joan Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, former senator John Glenn, Pamela Harriman, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Gloria Steinem, Yusha Auchincloss, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Kenneth Galbraith, Robert McNamara, Ted Sorenson, Pierre Salinger, Rose Styron, former senator Claiborne Pell, and George Plimpton. And from previously sealed oral histories housed in the Kennedy Library, we hear from Jackie's mother, Janet Auchincloss, and lifetime confidante, Nancy Tuckerman, among others.

With never-before-seen family photographs and letters throughout, Carl Sferrazza Anthony has created a beautiful tribute to the private woman who forever captured the world's attention.

Reviews (6)

Not faultless, but very interesting and revealing biography
I am interested in anything Jackie O, so when I saw this book, I thought it sounded interesting. It definitely doesn't fall short! There are lots of quotes, from many people who knew Jackie, and they reveal a lot of things about her--or, at least, not so much famous things about her--that you wouldn't find in a "traditionally" written biography. I like that the author shows Jackie's many contraditions, and subtleness of her personality. It is not an in depth, objective biography--the author even says in the introduction that is written in "affection" because it is more of a tribute book to her. However, the author included many essays and things written by Jackie that are not normally published in other biographies, and so it definitely makes up for the lack of critical analysis of her decisions, the way she led her life, etc. I especially liked that the author included parts of her Prix de Paris Vogue essays, which are never published in other biographies on her. I would have given this book a five star rating, but I am somewhat prickly to the fact, that the quotes constantly have to tell me how very smart and very enlightened Jackie O was. A couple of quotes about her intelligence are one thing, but on practically every page we are told how Jackie was an expert on this subject, how she knew so much about this or that, and how much more enlightened she was than the rest of Americans. Enough all ready!!!! I am in awe of Jackie's intelligence, but one can only take so much. (Although these were her friends and family talking so of course they are going to paint her in a worshipful way, even it if means demeaning average Americans.) But aside from that, it is an excellent book, and many great photographs and insights are revealed. I especially liked that the author made more of an attempt to highlight her editing career. (Even devoting a whole chapter to it!!!) And her last year is covered more comprehensively. I would recommend that any Jackie fan read this, as there is so much to it that would help one to understand Jackie's taste, her environments and different things she did thoughout her life.

A WONDERFUL TRIBUTE!!!!
This book will take you on a ride through Jackie Kennedy Onassis's extrodinary life. A perfect book to read on a quiet afternoon alone. A handsome addition to anyone's library. FOR QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!

Amazing...
This book has captured the essence of Jackie's life, not only during her JFK years, but in her post-political life as well. It portrays her as an adventurous, spirited woman vaulted to an American icon by her adoring public. Spectacularly written, I was highly impressed.

I smiled, laughed, and cried as I read about her life.
At first I did not want to read a book full of quotes, but I totally lost myself in the book. I spent the whole day reading it. When I got to the end when Jackie died, I found myself crying. She was an inspiration and role model for all of us.

This book canonizes Jackie Kennedy.
After having read Doris Goodwin's book, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, I was very disappointed in the lack of objectivity in As We Remember Her. I hope Jackie was not as insipid as this book presents her. Most fiction books do a better job in character development. ... Read more

Book Description

Critical Acclaim for Jacqueline Bouvier John Davis’s intimate memoir of his beloved first cousin "Readers longing for a dignified and elegant approach to Jackie’s early years will enjoy this biographical gem by John H. Davis." —Boston Herald "Goes a long way to highlight the formative influence of her privileged back-ground and her warm relationship with her father, the philandering Jack (Black Jack) Bouvier." —Los Angeles Times "Re-creates a colorful, fast-fading slice of American life as it flourished in the shadows of toll hedges and long lineages." —The Miami Herald "The most charming and reliable in the batch [of Jackie books] is Davis’s memoir." —The Atlanta Journal and Constitution "Entertaining, a guilty pleasure." —The Associated Press "This tender memoir of Jackie’s early years sheds much light on the future woman we all wanted to know but never could." —The Star-Ledger (Newark) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

an ok book
This book was good, but it only talked about her childhood. There was nothing about Onassis and her life after she married JFK. It didn't even mention her kids. John H. Davis also needs to learn to stick to the subject, he would often wonder off into stories about himself. If I cared about him I would have gotten a book about John H. Davis, but I didn't, I got a book on Jacqueline Bouvier. No one really cares what she did day by day of her childhood. We just really need the basic stuff. My final words are that it was a good book about her childhood and thats it, so i believe this book doesn't deserve more than two stars because there was more to Jacqueline's life than just her childhood and it doesn't even talk about her White House expirence or how she died.

Excellent book about Jackie's childhood
This was one of the first books I read about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and though I've read many since, I still consider this one of the best. It is filled with reminisces of events experienced by the author, a cousin of Jackie's who kept in touch with her throughout her life. The author has done extensive research into both the Bouviers and the Kennedys in his other writings - this book is an interesting and informative combination of that research and his personal memories of Jackie as a child and young woman. Highly recommended to all who wish to learn more about the less documented part of Jackie's life.

CAPTIVATING
A new insight into Jackie's childhood and teen years. A fresh change from other biographies on Jackie O. Highly recommended. FOR QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!

An excellent look at Jackie's early childhood.
If one is interested in learning about Jackie Kennedy's early childhood and teen years, this is the perfect book to examine. The author, a cousin of the late First Lady, shared many of her early experiences and thus provides excellent primary source material. Also noteworthy are photographs from Jackie's childhood and teen years ... Read more

Amazon.com

What a great idea for a deep-dish tell-all! JFK's lonely, classy wife, Bobby's athletic, competitive wife, and Ted's meek, alcoholic wife, together at last between covers, soothing each other when not fighting like fishwives. Taraborrelli's breathless prose makes you a fly on the wall when formidable mother-in-law Rose Kennedy walks in on Joan commiserating with Ethel about their honeymoons: "I think Bobby was finished before I got into the room!" said Ethel. "Now what are you ladies talking about?" asked Rose. Jackie, who was present, cooed, "Oh, we were just saying how well Bobby sleeps at night." "He gets that from me," said Rose.

Ethel should never have been so catty when gentle, simple Joan joined the clan: "Goodbye wine and cheese," hissed Ethel. "Hello macaroni and cheese." And she shouldn't have mocked Jackie for being unable to compete in touch football--with the Kennedys, it was more like "claw, scratch and bite" football. And what about when she rubbed it in that she and Bobby were closer than Jackie and Jack? After all, when Lee Remick phoned Ethel to say "You're on the way out," and Ethel replied that Bobby was home in bed, Bobby was in fact (says Taraborrelli) in bed with Lee Remick.

You may have heard that JFK's dad, Joe Kennedy, offered Jackie $1 million not to divorce JFK, but did you hear Jackie's alleged reply? "The price goes up to $20 million if Jack brings home any venereal diseases." Did Ethel betray Jackie's discontent to Joe--and then go ballistic when Joe only gave Ethel $500,000? You'd think Joan would be the clinker in the group, like Zeppo Marx. She was a bit dim, but should Ted have put her down as dumb? He's the one who showed up soused with a prostitute for dinner with the king and queen of Belgium, whose priceless antique couch Ted's date ruined by wetting it.

Who knows how historians will judge this book, but it sure does a great job of making history into a Jackie Collins novel. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (95)

A Kinder Camelot Than We've Seen Before
This is the first book I have read by J. Randy Taraborrelli, and I was impressed. I am distantly related to the Kennedys -- a distant cousin -- so I like to think I know a little bit (probably not much) more than the "normal" reader. But even I didn't know this material. Taraborrelli approached his women of Camelot with such grace and evenhandedness, he makes other biographers of the women seem like samari warriors. I most enjoyed reading about the differences in the Kennedy women's background prior to their marrying into the powerful family. These are three very different people --- Jackie, Ethel and Joan -- and in reading about them you wonder if they ever would have known each other or spent a second with one another had they not married into the family. (Though I do think, from reading this book, that Jackie and Joan may have been friends, anyway ... though I don't know how they would have met.) Taraborrelli writes about the rumors having to do with Jackie and Bobby (not true, he says) and Marilyn and Bobby (again, not true, he says) and Marilyn and JFK (very true, and much to Jackie's ongoing unhappiness.) Plus there's lots of political suspense in the book, too -- though we all know how it works out in the end. I enjoyed this book tremendously and would recommend it to anyone. You don't even have to like the Kennedys to enjoy this, it's such a good read. A-Plus effort, and thank you Amazon for giving me a chance to voice my opinion.

A Fun Political Wives Insight
This book about the wives of Kennedy rogues Jack, Bobby and Ted reads like Valley of the Dolls goes to Washington. Booze, pills, bitchy rivalries -- it's all here in this bloated but fun read by celebrity biographer Taraborrelli.

Based on interviews (though not with the wives) and previously published material on the Kennedys, the author -- dishy tone aside -- provides surprisingly three-dimensional portraits of queenly Jackie, sharp-tongued Ethel, sensitive alcoholic Joan and their complex relationships with one another. (Ethel's jealous sniping at Jackie is a hoot.)

While the book upholds old rumors, such as Ethel's affair with singer Andy Williams, it leaves a question mark surrounding alleged flings between Jackie and Bobby and Bobby and Marilyn Monroe. (The book was completed, of course, well before a family imbroglio -- the Jan. 19 arrest of Ethel's nephew Michael Skakel, 39, who is charged with the 1975 murder of his 15-year-old Greenwich, Conn., neighbor Martha Moxley.)

Though none of the cheating Kennedy men was any bargain as a husband, it's Joan -- if the long list of Teddy's cruelties here is to be believed -- who got the rawest deal. After she campaigned for his Senate re-election in 1964 as he recuperated from a plane crash, Teddy's way of saying thanks was to head directly from the hospital into the arms of a mistress.

Ah, politicians and their wives, do indeed make for strange bedfellows and fun dishy reading.

DELICIOUS DISH DELICIOUSLY READ
Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Kennedy clan Taraborrelli proves we didn't. Of course, much of what we now discover reads like a tabloid tell-all.

These women had nothing in common save for their last name - soignee Jackie wasn't about to get on a touch football field with athletic Ethel. Shy, later alcoholic Joan, was sandwiched between the two of them.

History? No. Tawdry tattled tales? Yes. If gossip is your meat, it doesn't get any juicier than this - deliciously read by Beth Fowler.

Jackie Ethel Joan
This is a great book especialy if you are interested in history or the Kennedys. Even if you aren't it is still a great book. It keeps your intrest and does not bore you with things you don't want to read about. I strongly recommend reading it.

READ THIS BOOK!!!
I just loved this. How could you not? It's warm and lovely and really paints such a memorable picture. I totally got it, in terms of understanding not only the women, but the author. He sincerely cared about these women. I've read all the millions of Jackie books and Kennedy books, and this is the one I will always go back to because it's such a heartwarming work. I also saw the movie, and loved it -- but not as much as the book. Isn't that always the case? I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Jackie, and to anyone who may want to know a lot more about Joan and Ethel. I've also read this author's book about Princess Grace called Once Upon a Time and it, too, really made me think. This author writes the best books, if you ask me. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Extremely Well-Written
This book is what it is...an extremely well-written coffee table book with beautiful photographs of an intriguing, talented, influential woman--Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The overview of her life is beautifully crafted--this book is a wonderful, moving tribute to Jackie Kennedy Onassis' life.

A WINNER
A wonderful tribute to the woman who dazzled us as first lady. Lovely pictures. The perfect coffee table book. Highly recommended. FOR QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!

A disappointing book
For one of the most photograhed woman of the twentieth century it is amazing that with each new book that is published that the photo's used to illustrate it are generally one's that have been used often in the past...this book is no exception...very few unseen or different photo's here..and as usual the content is sadly unbalanced..the book is 120 pages long...86 of those pages refer to the years up until 1963..the last 30 years of her life...which wre just as interesting are dismissed with a scant 34 pages.Aristotle Onassis makes one appearance and Maurice Templeman who shared more of her life than any other man doesn't get a look in...all in all a very disappointing pictorial look at this facinating woman's life.

Beautiful Picture Book
Nothing new in the written content - just a basic description of her life. But features beautiful (and often big) black and white photographs of Jackie as a child, wife, First Lady, and beyond. Some photo's are of events and functions I had seen before, but taken from a different angle. Other's are more rare. Lovely book, but only for a true collector. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful book!
This was a wonderful biography and I LOVED it to death.I'm surpised no one has reviewed it yet!It was amazing! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Jackie, Quick Overview of Her Life
This book is excellent for a quick overview of Jacqueline (Bouvier) Kennedy Onassis, her life, her family and the world around her. While an enormous amount of research seems to have been done, the book remains a quick read but packed with facts and details. You gain an understanding of how Jackie responded to the world's need to think of her and treat her as royalty. While the book is short, Ellen Ladowsky provides enough detail for you to feel like you now know a little more about her and the many people (children, husbands, friends, presidents and many others) that were involved in her life. I recommend the book to anyone wanting to get a brief look at Jackie and/or the first step to studying her life in detail.

A REAL TREASURE
A captivating biography about Jackie Kennedy Onassis. New revalations. Fascinating photographs. FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HPOE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

According to Klein, the author of All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis began courting the widow less than 48 hours after her husband's assassination, but she made him wait, which drove him crazy. Soon she got drunk with Marlon Brando and later with Clint Hill (the agent had thrown his body on top of hers during Oswald's fusillade) at D.C.'s fanciest restaurant. Brando she took home to seduce by dancing to Wayne Newton's "Danke Schoen," pressing her thighs against him, but he fled into the night.Cowboy-handsome Clint Hill and Jackie were seen necking and petting, occasionally disappearing beneath their banquette. Klein (the spoilsport) says Jackie didn't sleep with Ros Gilpatrick, Lord Harlech, Frank Sinatra, or Bobby Kennedy, even though Ethel was told, "He's spending an awful lot of time with the widder."

The book is arranged in bite-sized mini-chapters, and there's a naughty treat in almost every bite. Though Ari didn't kiss Jackie at their wedding, an alleged accidental eyewitness calls their lovemaking "energetic and creative"--maybe because, unlike with his previous girlfriends, Ari didn't burn Jackie with cigars or wear her clothes. Jackie may have spent over $2 million (in 1998 dollars) on clothes, but hey, her pal Bunny Mellon spent $6 million.

Klein offers lots of intimate alleged facts, like her three face-lifts in the '80s, but the best thing about the book are the quotes, some of them Jackie's. Her friend Brendan Gill poses the central question of her life: "How does one live publicly in a world where one has to lie?" Some of the truths are probably in this book. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Fleshing Out Jackie
I have been a lifelong follower of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and thought I knew a great deal about the facts of her life. But like everyone else I was on a quest to understand what was under the facade. This book didn't bring more insight about the ever elusive "Jackie", but it did provide a fleshed out version of many of the extraordinary circumstances of her incredible life. With so much of the history of her life presented like "visual" soundbites, it was engrossing to read this book's details which to a great extent humanized Jackie to me as never before. The image may have seemed effortless, but the cost of her public persona was more than anyone should have to pay. It is strangely comforting that she was so very human, and such a woman of her time -- at first looking for her purpose through a man, and finally finding her identity and happiness from within. I thought when I was a child at the time of JFK's assassination that I would never have been able to do what Jackie did during the time of his death and funeral. It is reassuring to know that no one, not even Jackie, could possibly behave the way she did without a tidal wave of emotional pain that nearly spanned the remainder of her time on earth.

Horrible
I don't mind it when people shatter a facade. Only as long as it's true. This book holds no credibility. When Klein claims he was an acquaintence with Jackie, I think that means he picked up something she dropped once. Another thing that seems suspicious is that Klein keeps writing books about the Kennedys. How many times can you write about the same subject? Get a life, Klein.

CAPTIVATING
New information awaits those who read this best selling book. I read this book within three days. Highly recommended!!!!! FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fleshing out Jackie
I have been a lifelong follower of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and thought I knew a great deal about the facts of her life. But like everyone else I was on a quest to understand what was under the facade. This book didn't bring more insight about the ever elusive "Jackie", but it did provide a fleshed out version of many of the extraordinary circumstances of her incredible life. With so much of the history of her life presented like "visual" soundbites, it was engrossing to read this book's details which to a great extent humanized Jackie to me as never before. The image may have seemed effortless, but the cost of her public persona was more than anyone should have to pay. It is strangely comforting that she was so very human, and such a woman of her time -- at first looking for her purpose through a man, and finally finding her identity and happiness from within. I thought when I was a child at the time of JFK's assassination that I would never have been able to do what Jackie did during the time of his death and funeral. It is reassuring to know that no one, not even Jackie, could possibly behave the way she did without a tidal wave of emotional pain that nearly spanned the remainder of her time on earth.

Yuk! What an Awful Excuse for a Book!
I HATE this book. I have been a reader of books on the Kennedy's for almost 20 years. I've waded through a lot of smut. This book ranks right up there with the major, unreliable smut. Klein may have met Jackie, but much like Ted Bundy, Klein manipulates that encounter to rape her in this book, disclosing information no one would ever want published.

There are glaring factual errors. Jackie was not at Patrick's funeral. Caroline was not married at age 25. Klein neither knew nor understood anything about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

This is such a wonderful book!
I really loved this book! It's an amazing tribute to Jackie, and the pictures are incredible. I've never seen most of them, and so many of the ones with JFK and John Jr and Caroline are so touching. Most picture books have a smattering of photos, but this one seems to cover just about every month of Jackie's life! It's really something to see her as a lovely little girl, maturing into a young woman, and then going through all that she did. The captions are very interesting too, and well-written. If you remember Jackie fondly like I do, you will want to get this book!

A remarkable and reverent look at a very human icon.
I really adored this book - it is so much more than yet another reprinting of the famous pictures of Jackie. The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as her frailties that we can all relate to. While many people have seen the countless photos that have been published of Mrs. Onassis from her birth to death, Mr. Spada managed to select mostly photos that are little-seen, as well as photos that needed no text to give the reader a better sense of the people portrayed in the book. The text that does accompany the photos is well written and restrained. Purchasing "Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent.

a lot of rare photos!!
The texts are good but particularity the photos, there are a lot buy it!!!The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy .
Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent

One of the BEST
This book had pictures that I have never seen before and I thought I had seen them all. Worth every penny

A before unseen view of Jackie
I was captivated by this book. James Spada has compiled several well-known photographs with many photos I had never seen. He does not try to analyse or to delve into the behind the scenes. He presents the photos with a paragraph or two, and lets us glimpse into Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. I was entranced by the pictures of her youth and the pure beauty and joy in several ungarded moments. A beautiful tribute. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

#4 will always be the greatest hockey player of all-time.
I have a web site dedicated to the greatest hockey player of all-time, Bobby Orr. If you are searching for something for a Bobby Orr fan this would be a great gift. Packed with many great photos and stories this book will defenitely be cherished. You will also be greatly thanked.

Bobby Orr & the Modern Era of Ice Hockey!
"Remebering Bobby Orr" is a great little book you will cherish, and a great gift for any young kid who loves the game. Much of this has been said before, but true fans can never get enough of # 4! Great Pictures, and hopefully someday a definitive biograpy will get written about the man who changed the face of hockey, and began the modern era. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

no myths or lies here
I really enjoyed this book. It was very refreshing. There are so many books out there on the Kennedy's that are there just to sling mud, portraying rumors and myths as facts. It was nice to read a book about Jackie, the person. It's an uplifting book about a remarkable woman.

This book reveals many secrets about Jackie's private life.
I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to women. The story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is about a public figure who is very different from the private person. It tells the inside story of her life. There are many things she was holding from the public. Her life behind the camera as the wife of the president is particularly interesting. This book reveals many secrets about the life of Jackie and her family. There are also many good lessons to be learned. I think that this book is well written and holds you attention. Morgan Bush ... Read more

Amazon.com

Edward Klein shows that, despite their glamorous public lives, the Kennedys were as human as the rest of us. Through details on the couple's most intimate moments, including Jackie's defloration in a Paris elevator, and her amusing, albeit catty, disposition (kept under wraps because of her political standing), the ivory tower of their existence seems less out of reach. With chapter titles such as "Indiscreet," "Love Lies Bleeding," and "Pleasure First" the book reads a bit like a romance novel, but with a biting touch of reality. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The Myth of Camelot
Jackie was Edward Klein's editor at Doubleday. The book opens with chapters that present a detailed biographical sketch of Jackie's pre-JFK life and then proceeds into how Jack and Jackie came to be.Joe Kennedy needed to find a suitable wife for John if he was to advance in politics.He turned to his good friend Arthur Krock of The New York Times who suggested Jackie Bouvier.Joe approved so Arthur contacted newspaperman Charlie Bartlett, Jackie's friend, to arrange an introduction.

John was the [fun loving person] of Washington with one of the worst attendance records in the House of Representatives.He found girling and parties much more interesting.Jack liked the challenge of conquest but once conquered he soon lost interest and was incapable of sustaining a prolonged relationship.He stated that he wanted to have children but he wanted to marry a woman who was chaste because he was worried about being compared to other men.

Both Jack and Jackie's families had way too much control over their adult children's lives! Joe Sr. even picked out Jackie's engagement ring.At the luncheon where the mother's were to discuss their wedding, Jack acted like a scolded child.It was pretty clear that he didn't want to kiss bachelorhood goodbye and that he wasn't in love with Jackie.

Janet Bouvier Achincloss, Jackie's mother, felt her daughter was marrying beneath her and was putting up a fight with Rose about how the wedding should go.Joe Kennedy intervened.He sneered at the Archinclosses because they were old money but were unable to maintain it and keep living in style.In the end, Joe got his very public very politic wedding.

Jack treated Jackie as the means to an end: the White House and children.Jack even had a brief fling with Jackie's sister Lee while Jackie was in the hospital.Friends implied that the Cuban Missile Crisis caused Jack to take a renewed emotional interest in his immediate family and that he and Jackie very close.Yet he still had a mistress?Please!

This book has it all scandal, [physical attraction], drugs and lies!It takes an intimate look inside the world of old money WASPs and of the newly moneyed and their views of each other. Klein used primary sources including interviews with many of the people in Jack and Jackie's life.One thing Klein never discussed was what Jackie's feelings and beliefs were surrounding the conspiracy theories that have grown up around JFK's murder.A great companion book to this is The Day John Died by Christopher Andersen, which focuses on really both JFK's children's lives before and after the assassination.I simply could not put either book down!

A Touching Report
ALL TOO HUMAN is a touching history of the marriage of John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Jacqueline Bouvier.

In hindsight, Jacqueline had as big an impact on modern culture as did her first husband, perhaps simply because her life lasted longer.Yet this is not to belittle her actual influence; an entire generation of women modeled themselves on her style. Her dignity, her educational standards, her appreciation of the arts, all proved to be an inspiration to the world.

Author Edward Klein has turned writing about the Kennedys into a cottage industry. This particular biography is a nice balance to many other harsher reports, focusing here as he does on the good points of the marriage of this President and his First Lady.

Frothy and surprisingly touching
Reading this book I was reminded of an old 70s song, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." For in this version of the Kennedy marriage, that seems to be what happened. Jackie needed to make a "successful" marriage that would land her "real money," and time was running out. After all, she was 24 years old! JFK needed a wife, a good and presentable CATHOLIC wife, to enhance his image with voters. From these cynical beginnings, according to Klein, a marriage was born and eventually, true love. Over the decade they spent together, Jack and Jackie came to appreciate and depend on one another, bonded by unique experiences and the love of their children. I have one quibble with the point-of-view of this book: Jackie became one of the most influential women of the century because of her marriage to this powerful man. To pretend otherwise is just silly. And for Klein to insist that Jackie was "important" politically is also silly. This is not Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, or Eleanor Roosevelt we're talking about here. She represented her nation well overseas, honored her husband's memory gallantly and worked hard at being a good mother. There is much to admire about her. But she was neither a policy wonk nor a political powerhouse, but a glamorous celebrity, and therefore historically, she was no where near as important as her first husband.

Unpresidented Prose
As of the most successful dynasties in American history, the Kennedy's have left an indelible mark on our nation unlike any other. Millions have proclaimed John to be a hero exemplifying American characterizes and Jackie exhibiting class beyond compare. Klein challenges the status quo by revealing the first family's moral devoidness throughout the course of their campaign and life in general. No longer worthy of the apotheosis so many Democrats have been attempting to bestow to the martyred president, rather a man with extreme moral vicissitude unforeseen by the watchful eye of the nation. Who would have ever thought that before the 1960 election Kennedy had been in the company of a young female to "relax" him before he took center stage against a nation of voters? John shines through as a hedonistic man looking to secure power and politics for his personal discourse. Jackie is seen as a modern day Anna Nichole Smith for her power and money-hungry ways in looking at Jack as a means to build upon herself even greater. Although these themes are a bit cynical and I don't agree with all of them, Klein writes with such chosen linguistics that simply reading will be candy to your eyes. If you are looking for a fun read recounting one of our nation's most memberable presidents All Too Human (or the John Stephanopoulos novel by the same name) are in a class by themselves.

A touching story.
This book tells the touching story of the relationship between Jack and Jackie Kennedy. It is well-written and is a sympathetic telling of their relationship. I enjoyed it very much - better than most of the books about the Kennedys on the market. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book was really interesting and it taught me so much.
My favorite part ot the book was when it talked about her life and what it was like to live on a farm without electrisity,plumbing and without a lot more. I would like to recconend this book to any body who likes books that are extremely descriptive. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that you do to. ... Read more