The Onassis Women

by Kiki Feroudi Moutsatsos, Phyllis Karas, Judy Kaye (Reader)

At seventeen, Kiki Feroudi Moutsatsos began a job at Olympic Airways that would change her life. She worked in the office of the most renowned man in Greece, and within a year she was Aristotle Onassis's personal secretary. For the next nine years, the last of his life, Moutsatsos was a key player in Onassis's professional and private worlds. She spent her days in his office, assisting him with important business matters, and her evenings at his sister Artemis's villa, mingling with his family and their world-famous guests. She was witness to his personal relationships with the most significant people in his life. She worked side by side with his children, Alexander and Christina, planned his travels with mistress Maria Callas, and even managed the details of his wedding to Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968. The Onassis Women is Moutsatsos's privileged insider's account of this larger-than-life figure and the grand objects of his love. Moutsatsos greatly admired Jackie, and the two women developed a close relationship, extending beyond their ties to the Onassis family. Moutsatsos visited Jackie in New York, staying in her Fifth Avenue apartment, and kept in touch with her throughout her life, even in the weeks before her death. Moutsatsos also became an intimate friend to Aristotle's daughter, Christina. Though often rebellious, Christina was always desperate for her father's love. Moutsatsos observed their volatile relationship as well as the push-pull element between Onassis and the women in his life. With the possible exception of Jackie, all these women--his mistress, his sisters, and his daughter--needed Aristotle's approval and suffered to gain it at almost any cost. It is through understanding the importance of these relationships, and their interconnectedness, that we begin to truly perceive the charmed and haunted lives of Jackie, Maria, Christina, and Aristotle Onassis. Index.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History

Audio Cassette

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Nina Ive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous perspective of Aristo Onassis and his life and loves, by his personal secretary. She started at 17 and for the next 9 years had a front row seat to everything going on between Aristo and his wife, his Mistress, son, daughter and sisters.

The stories of the way they lived their lives, the opulence and splendor of the mega rich, the a-list of visitors on the Christina - everyone from Winston Churchil to Frank Sinatra and everyone in between.

However the higher you are, the further you have to fall, and this family had a tragic ending. The last surviving member of the Onassis family does not speak Greek and shuns the Onassis name (apparently - source Wikipedia).

I really enjoyed this, having read a biography of Maria Callas already, it was interesting to see the relationship from the other side.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author had good intentions in writing such a glowing biography about the Greek tycoon and to a degree she succeeds, perhaps a little too well. Some of the disclosures were kind of sugary. There were also some moments of serious squirming for the more squeamish of readers when a little too much was revealed. With all the "participants" now deceased the author took some liberties. Still, one can tell she truly loved the family, worked with them for many years and wanted to put each family member in the best of lights.

[CeeJayBee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly cloying and awful. If I could give it no stars I would. More drenched in saccharine than

[Allison Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What interesting lives/people/tragedies

[Shelee Bush · Rating 2 out of 5]

My mother sends me stuff from California all the time, little articles, self-help books, and now this little ditty. I think the author Kiki who was Ari's personal secretary is SO fawning over the Onassis family that is never really ventures too far into anything you can sink your teeth into. It is somewhat readable but she repeats herself again and again and belabors many observations of Jackie, Christina and Maria. The prose is over dramatized and frankly, kind of boring.

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can I say? Okay biography, a little outdated since it was written quite a while ago, overall not the best one I've read on the Onassis family. Still it was interesting in parts. The author got her material while working for Mr. Onassis and becoming a friend of the family, but I found accounts of her own life intrusive, particularly since I didn't much care for her.

[Ioannis Remoundos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a chicky biography.I am nearly sure that Kili knew much more that I really wanted to read.But as we say in Greece "better to get a little bit than to get nothing at all" !I wish Kiki was a friend of mine to get to know more stuff from the ONASSIS familly.I think after reading her book I will go on holidays at her hotel at the island to know more...

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Jackie O. I like memoirs. So of course, I liked this! [Although I cringed from time-to-time thinking that the author probably revealed more than the Onassis or Kennedy family would have liked...)

[Angela Maone]

This was actually very interesting and sad.

[Gregory Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

a light hearted and intimate look on how many of us learn our lessons in life in a variety of ways.

This was written with love and from the heart. That's what makes this book awesome

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as many juicy details as you might hope, but still interesting. However, the excessive notes on what everyone weighed at any given point and time was annoying.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went on a bit long

[₵oincidental Ðandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat trite & a tad-bit melodramatic; it contributes nothing new or that hasn't already been stated in other sources & biographies - this one's headed for the 'give-away' pile.