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Just Jackie: Her Private Years
In this journalistic tour de force, bestselling author Edward Klein, a friend of Jacqueline Onassis's for many years, takes us behind the public image to give us a story that has never been told before. For this myth-shattering portrait, Klein has amassed a wealth of exclusive information from private documents and correspondence; FBI files; and hundreds of interviews with Jackie's friends, the associates of Aristotle Onassis, and people familiar with her longtime companion, the mysterious diamond merchant Maurice Tempelsman. Many people break their silence here for the first time.Much more than a portrait of a famous celebrity, JUST HER PRIVATE YEARS captures the essence of a captivating woman whose passion for wealth was matched only by her deep need for privacy.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1998
217 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Edward Klein
36 books59 followersEdward J. Klein (born 1937) is an American author, tabloid writer and gossip columnist who is a former foreign editor of Newsweek, and former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine (1977-1987). He has written about the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Donald Trump.
Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and served as the editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine from 1977 to 1987. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade and writes a weekly celebrity gossip column in Parade called "Personality Parade" under the pseudonym "Walter Scott." (The Walter Scott pseudonym had originally been used by Lloyd Shearer, who wrote the column from 1958 to 1991.[3]) He also writes books, many of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Edward Klein
Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and served as the editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine from 1977 to 1987. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade and writes a weekly celebrity gossip column in Parade called "Personality Parade" under the pseudonym "Walter Scott." (The Walter Scott pseudonym had originally been used by Lloyd Shearer, who wrote the column from 1958 to 1991.[3]) He also writes books, many of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Edward Klein
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 17, 2021
Uneven
I wanted to like this book but almost didn't get past the first few chapters due to some quite off putting bits by the author such as the detail that Jackie's menstrual blood was mixed with the blood from Kennedy's shooting. That is a detail that was quite unnecessary and crass. Then there was the gruesome findings when the casket of one of her first children broke open when being dug up to be reinterred with its father at Arlington Cemetery. It looked to be one of those tell all, gossipy, in bad taste biographies. The book seemed to improve somewhat after that so I soldiered on. The situation with Aristotle Onassis was done well although a good proofreader might have fixed "Art" instead of "Ari.". Also, since when can you get a train carrying the body of Bobby Kennedy to go from LA to Washington, D.C. in eight hours? The ending which was Jackie 's dying from cancer was very abrupt. This was not a professionally done biography and Jackie deserves better than bits of gossip cobbled together to make a book. Shame on the author whose background as editor of important publications should lend itself to a better endeavor with more respect for the subject!
I wanted to like this book but almost didn't get past the first few chapters due to some quite off putting bits by the author such as the detail that Jackie's menstrual blood was mixed with the blood from Kennedy's shooting. That is a detail that was quite unnecessary and crass. Then there was the gruesome findings when the casket of one of her first children broke open when being dug up to be reinterred with its father at Arlington Cemetery. It looked to be one of those tell all, gossipy, in bad taste biographies. The book seemed to improve somewhat after that so I soldiered on. The situation with Aristotle Onassis was done well although a good proofreader might have fixed "Art" instead of "Ari.". Also, since when can you get a train carrying the body of Bobby Kennedy to go from LA to Washington, D.C. in eight hours? The ending which was Jackie 's dying from cancer was very abrupt. This was not a professionally done biography and Jackie deserves better than bits of gossip cobbled together to make a book. Shame on the author whose background as editor of important publications should lend itself to a better endeavor with more respect for the subject!
December 29, 2022
Reading Edward Klein is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, his prose is almost novelistic (which I enjoy), but it also lacks cohesion. As I wrote in a previous review of one of his books, All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy, it seems like a scrapbook clumsily put together. You get the picture, but many important details are missing. Another maddening habit of his is including anecdotes that have no bearing on the overall story (is it necessary to know that a flight attendant accidentally walked in on Jackie and Onassis having sex in their private cabin during their honeymoon and that they didn’t notice the interruption? Absolutely not. Also, I never again want to picture Onassis in that situation; the man was nauseating in every way).
He also seems gullible enough to believe anything self-proclaimed eyewitnesses tell him (if they even exist. Literature about the Kennedys is full of fabrications for the sake of boosting book sales and titillating readers. Consider Kitty Kelley and C. David Heymann). At one point, one of these eyewitnesses recalls that, shortly after JFK’s assassination, they saw Jackie and Clint Hill, her Secret Service agent, getting cozy in a restaurant, implying that they might be involved in more than a professional relationship. This stretches credibility because Jackie was notoriously restrained in public. Whether there was indeed anything of the sort between them, only they knew, and again, it has no importance in the grand scheme of things.
A more serious accusation comes from the same purported witness, who claims that on the day of JFK’s assassination, the Secret Service detail was too hungover to do their job properly, thus allowing the President to be killed on their watch. I doubt there’s any truth to this claim, but it’s bizarre that Klein deems it important enough to be in the book instead of delving into the impact that the assassination had on Jackie.
By the clinical standards of today, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and survivor’s guilt. Plagued by nightmares and suicidal thoughts, Jackie turned to alcohol and sleeping pills. Only her brother-in-law Bobby was able to get her out of her downward spiral; so close they became that many (including people in their inner circle) suspected it turned romantic and physical. But the author dismisses this more plausible premise with a quote from William Manchester, who despite writing a book about the assassination that counted with the approval of Bobby and Jackie, wasn’t a friend of either.
However, credit where credit’s due. He did interview people who knew Jackie during the most misinterpreted period of her life, the Onassis years. First off, he deconstructs the tabloid version in which Jackie stole Onassis away from her sister Lee, who had an affair with him in the early 1960s; he never intended to propose and she thought they were more serious than they actually were. Does that justify marrying your sister’s ex? Debatable. But at least it’s a different take on the situation than the usual portrayal of Jackie as a calculating shrew, a portrayal that I’m sure pleased the envious, victim-playing Lee.
Similarly, Costa Gratsos, one of Onassis’ associates, hated Jackie so much that he made it his mission to tarnish her reputation, planting false stories in the press that have stuck to this day. One of the most repeated is that immediately after Onassis’ funeral ended, Jackie got in the car with her stepdaughter Christina and brother-in-law Ted Kennedy; with no sense of decorum, Ted told the bereaved Christina they had to talk about Jackie’s inheritance. Klein interviewed Stelio Papadimitriou, another associate of Onassis, who knew of Gratsos’ anti-Jackie agenda and gave a more impartial account.
But what dumbfounded me the most was the moral corruption of the men Jackie was attracted to. The ways of Kennedy and Onassis have been widely documented, but those of Maurice Tempelsman, her last partner, haven’t. Chubby and benign-looking, Tempelsman treated Jackie with consideration and took great care of her, especially during her battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which eventually killed her. But he was also a diamond dealer who made business with dictators in Africa, notably Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Did Jackie know what her partners were up to? Did she even care? Or was money all that mattered to her? Klein points out that despite her privileged upbringing, Jackie rose above the prejudices of her class and settled down with men from different backgrounds: an Irish Catholic (Kennedy), a Greek Orthodox (Onassis), and a Jew (Tempelsman). But I noticed that what these men had in common was their money. It seems that as long as they were rich, Jackie wasn’t discriminating.
There are a few paragraphs here and there about her children, Caroline and John. After the assassination, Jackie took them to prominent psychologist Erik Erikson, in hopes of helping them through the pain and trauma. John had not yet turned three years old when his father died, and thus was too young to be as affected as Caroline, who was almost six. She had been the apple of her father’s eye and changed noticeably. But that’s about everything the reader gets. We barely hear from them until they’re adults and Caroline marries. Then there are a few lines about how she’s more focused whereas John is spread out. He doesn’t know what to do with his life, graduating from law school but failing to pass the bar twice, and his choice of girlfriends exasperates Jackie. For a woman who made her children a priority, their absence from the narrative is ironic.
Klein once again shoots himself in the foot by focusing on her love affairs (though he’s careful to dispel the misconception that she was involved with Frank Sinatra. Jackie didn’t like him due to his connection to the mafia; during the 1960 presidential campaign, she even told her husband to stay away from him). These affairs are part of her life story and they shouldn’t be omitted, but not at the expense of other equally important aspects, such as her work as a book editor. Klein mentions almost in passing that Jackie collaborated with John Loring on several advertorials for Tiffany’s, but leaves out everything else: celebrity autobiographies, literary fiction, children’s literature, photography collections...
Despite its flaws, I don’t regret reading this book, if only for the few pieces that fit into the puzzle that was Jackie.
He also seems gullible enough to believe anything self-proclaimed eyewitnesses tell him (if they even exist. Literature about the Kennedys is full of fabrications for the sake of boosting book sales and titillating readers. Consider Kitty Kelley and C. David Heymann). At one point, one of these eyewitnesses recalls that, shortly after JFK’s assassination, they saw Jackie and Clint Hill, her Secret Service agent, getting cozy in a restaurant, implying that they might be involved in more than a professional relationship. This stretches credibility because Jackie was notoriously restrained in public. Whether there was indeed anything of the sort between them, only they knew, and again, it has no importance in the grand scheme of things.
A more serious accusation comes from the same purported witness, who claims that on the day of JFK’s assassination, the Secret Service detail was too hungover to do their job properly, thus allowing the President to be killed on their watch. I doubt there’s any truth to this claim, but it’s bizarre that Klein deems it important enough to be in the book instead of delving into the impact that the assassination had on Jackie.
By the clinical standards of today, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and survivor’s guilt. Plagued by nightmares and suicidal thoughts, Jackie turned to alcohol and sleeping pills. Only her brother-in-law Bobby was able to get her out of her downward spiral; so close they became that many (including people in their inner circle) suspected it turned romantic and physical. But the author dismisses this more plausible premise with a quote from William Manchester, who despite writing a book about the assassination that counted with the approval of Bobby and Jackie, wasn’t a friend of either.
However, credit where credit’s due. He did interview people who knew Jackie during the most misinterpreted period of her life, the Onassis years. First off, he deconstructs the tabloid version in which Jackie stole Onassis away from her sister Lee, who had an affair with him in the early 1960s; he never intended to propose and she thought they were more serious than they actually were. Does that justify marrying your sister’s ex? Debatable. But at least it’s a different take on the situation than the usual portrayal of Jackie as a calculating shrew, a portrayal that I’m sure pleased the envious, victim-playing Lee.
Similarly, Costa Gratsos, one of Onassis’ associates, hated Jackie so much that he made it his mission to tarnish her reputation, planting false stories in the press that have stuck to this day. One of the most repeated is that immediately after Onassis’ funeral ended, Jackie got in the car with her stepdaughter Christina and brother-in-law Ted Kennedy; with no sense of decorum, Ted told the bereaved Christina they had to talk about Jackie’s inheritance. Klein interviewed Stelio Papadimitriou, another associate of Onassis, who knew of Gratsos’ anti-Jackie agenda and gave a more impartial account.
But what dumbfounded me the most was the moral corruption of the men Jackie was attracted to. The ways of Kennedy and Onassis have been widely documented, but those of Maurice Tempelsman, her last partner, haven’t. Chubby and benign-looking, Tempelsman treated Jackie with consideration and took great care of her, especially during her battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which eventually killed her. But he was also a diamond dealer who made business with dictators in Africa, notably Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Did Jackie know what her partners were up to? Did she even care? Or was money all that mattered to her? Klein points out that despite her privileged upbringing, Jackie rose above the prejudices of her class and settled down with men from different backgrounds: an Irish Catholic (Kennedy), a Greek Orthodox (Onassis), and a Jew (Tempelsman). But I noticed that what these men had in common was their money. It seems that as long as they were rich, Jackie wasn’t discriminating.
There are a few paragraphs here and there about her children, Caroline and John. After the assassination, Jackie took them to prominent psychologist Erik Erikson, in hopes of helping them through the pain and trauma. John had not yet turned three years old when his father died, and thus was too young to be as affected as Caroline, who was almost six. She had been the apple of her father’s eye and changed noticeably. But that’s about everything the reader gets. We barely hear from them until they’re adults and Caroline marries. Then there are a few lines about how she’s more focused whereas John is spread out. He doesn’t know what to do with his life, graduating from law school but failing to pass the bar twice, and his choice of girlfriends exasperates Jackie. For a woman who made her children a priority, their absence from the narrative is ironic.
Klein once again shoots himself in the foot by focusing on her love affairs (though he’s careful to dispel the misconception that she was involved with Frank Sinatra. Jackie didn’t like him due to his connection to the mafia; during the 1960 presidential campaign, she even told her husband to stay away from him). These affairs are part of her life story and they shouldn’t be omitted, but not at the expense of other equally important aspects, such as her work as a book editor. Klein mentions almost in passing that Jackie collaborated with John Loring on several advertorials for Tiffany’s, but leaves out everything else: celebrity autobiographies, literary fiction, children’s literature, photography collections...
Despite its flaws, I don’t regret reading this book, if only for the few pieces that fit into the puzzle that was Jackie.
July 15, 2011
I recently watched the Kennedys mini-series that found a home on the Reelz network after having been booted from the History Channel. It made me want to find out a bit more about the personal lives of various Kennedys, rather than the just the historical significant bits, and the history through which they lived. I found Just Jackie to be a sort of salacious and gossipy account, having read nothing else about her. So, how authoritative this is, I don't know. (One of the very first chapters ends with the revelation that Jackie touched JFK's penis after she'd been left alone with his body in trauma room one at Parkland Memorial in Dallas, after he'd been pronounced dead. That's maybe more personal than I needed, but it's that kind of book. This bit is is supported in the endnotes.) In any case, the chapters are very short and I found the flow within them, and between them, choppy. In the end, I thought Just Jackie satisfied like potato chips--not terribly good for you, but tasty while you're eating them!
November 9, 2024
Of the possibly hundreds of "Jackie" books that have been published since the 1960s, this one seems the least sensationalized and the most accurate. A woman firmly of her time and, I think, just a genuine nice person, Jackie deserves better than the many scandal- and gossip-ridden biographies that have been published about her. This was a good read. A glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous, yes, but it also breaks down the myth of "Jackie" and makes her a person. The content of the entire book was truly none of my business, but I enjoyed it anyway. Lots of good style references, since she knew the best decorators, great artists, and fine designers. It was a treat to get a glimpse of Jackie's world, and the author is both a good and sensitive writer. A trained journalist who knows how to check and cite his sources.
February 21, 2025
I just watched a 90's mini series on Tubi, staring Roma Downey as Jackie Kennedy, so I picked up this book that told of her life after her husband, JFK had been assassinated. She was attracted to very rich men and ended up marrying Onassis, even though her sister was hoping to marry him. He was in the process of divorcing her after his son's death, but Onassis died before the divorce happened. She had various other men in her life and her last was Maurice Templeton, who was already married, but moved into her apartment. The book ends with her death in May of 1994 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 64, It is a very interesting read of this famous woman.
July 10, 2018
I thought it actually was a very poorly written book. We would be introduced to an event/person & poof it's gone. Also, I really don't think a good friend of Jackie's would write about her kissing her dead husband's feet or caressing his penis. And did anybody really want/need to know that she was having her period. Mr. Klein seemed more into telling readers about her sex life than anything else.
I have read almost every book written about the Kennedy's & this hit rock bottom.
I have read almost every book written about the Kennedy's & this hit rock bottom.
October 10, 2017
Overwhelming!
At first I was upset with the Author for traveling such intimate things about Jackie! Also I felt he could have used a much better picture of her! Toward the end I appreciated the details of her illness as I never knew how much she suffered! I felt a kindred spirit with Jackie as we both lost our husbands in 1963. We are both Leos & our husbands both Geminis.
At first I was upset with the Author for traveling such intimate things about Jackie! Also I felt he could have used a much better picture of her! Toward the end I appreciated the details of her illness as I never knew how much she suffered! I felt a kindred spirit with Jackie as we both lost our husbands in 1963. We are both Leos & our husbands both Geminis.
January 19, 2018
Jacks
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a part of my growing up years and died at 64. This story of her life was insightful and very interesting. She came of age after Ari died and became her own women fiercely protective of herself and her children. Many did her a disservice by their portrayal of her. This book helps to set the story straight.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a part of my growing up years and died at 64. This story of her life was insightful and very interesting. She came of age after Ari died and became her own women fiercely protective of herself and her children. Many did her a disservice by their portrayal of her. This book helps to set the story straight.
June 7, 2018
I had high high hopes for this book. There were moments that were so captivating but then there were so many chapters that seemed insignificant and unimportant. Mostly it was descriptive chapters about other people. Over all this was an easy ready but also there were times I didn’t feel like I was making any progress at all
Read
July 10, 2019Kinda gossipy, with very personal details about sex, etc. Good points, you do get a sense of Jackie as a living, breathing woman with zest for life. More on her marriage to Onassis than I'd ever read before. Changes your viewpoint from American icon to much more personal but not a really in-depth book. Still, a different view of a very famous woman.
September 16, 2021
Good read. She had a tough life even if it was privileged. Gets down to interesting details of how she tried to lead her life after leaving the White House. Very sad really that the Kennedys really didn’t help her and all the people gawking at her constantly made it difficult to find her way. Would you pick Onassis? Desperate to be safe and free.
September 25, 2022
This was a bit different from other Jackie books. It seemed that the author just wrote with abandon, not caring whom he might offend. His notes show the extensive research and interviews that he conducted to create an interesting book. There were many anecdotes which I had never heard before. Her dying was explored and explained quite thoroughly. This was a good book!!
October 11, 2017
Leading Lady
I always thought Jackie Kennedy/Onassis was a very proud woman that had endured more than her share of tragedies. She handled each of them with grace and courage
Excellent book.
I always thought Jackie Kennedy/Onassis was a very proud woman that had endured more than her share of tragedies. She handled each of them with grace and courage
Excellent book.
January 6, 2023
A very interesting read. Along with Diana Spencer, this take on a biography of Jackie's life after JFK's assassination. I would recommend it as good read. I may look for more books on the insight of her life. I wonder if Caroline has ever written a book about her mother.
May 21, 2023
I loved this interesting story about Jackie, over the years I have always been intrigued by books about the Kennedy family, Jackie certainly was very interesting I loved how she made a lovely life for herself after her marriages
October 8, 2017
Riveting
Klein pulls together primary sources along with news accounts to produce an intimate look into Jackie's life, lifestyle, and loves. Well done.
Klein pulls together primary sources along with news accounts to produce an intimate look into Jackie's life, lifestyle, and loves. Well done.
October 15, 2017
Gives a in-depth look into her personal live/loves and how she changed along the way in her life. Totally disputes the public image that was presented. A great ‘ could not put it down’ read
October 21, 2017
I thought this was a good bio. I have read numerous books on Jackie. I actually found some new information I hadn't known before. Try it, you'll like it!
January 2, 2018
I could have done without the sexist armchair psychoanalyzing, but this was a fascinating introduction to a woman and a time period I know very little about.
January 7, 2018
Disappointed. Jackie was a fascinating person and the title Just Jackie was wrong. It focused on the men in her life after JFK death. Nothing about her children other than the last chapter.
February 7, 2018
Jackie lives in the heart of many
This is a well written, revealing of aspects of Jackie’s life, and an all around good read. So glad I gave it the time.
This is a well written, revealing of aspects of Jackie’s life, and an all around good read. So glad I gave it the time.
June 14, 2018
Don’t bother. This book is way too personal and shares details that shouldn’t be shared. I quit after the second chapter.
July 10, 2019
Jackie
This book gave an interesting insight to Jackie’s’ life. A very easy read. One you could put down and pick up.
This book gave an interesting insight to Jackie’s’ life. A very easy read. One you could put down and pick up.
Read
July 12, 2020Excellent read.
November 10, 2020
This was an excellent biography. I learned so much about this woman and the challenges she faced in her life. I highly recommend it.
February 17, 2022
Complicated & interesting woman
April 10, 2023
Very interesting read.
June 6, 2023
It's hard to learn much new about Jackie but this book had a lot of new things from friends she knew who never would have spoken up before now.
June 13, 2023
What can I say? I will read practically any biography about JKO. This one did not disappoint!
November 6, 2023
DNF
READ 1/2 AND REALIZED THAT I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ENOUGH TO CONTINUE.
READ 1/2 AND REALIZED THAT I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ENOUGH TO CONTINUE.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews