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Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill
A dazzling biography of three of the most glamorous women of the 20th Century: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, her mother Janet Lee Auchincloss, and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill.
“Do you know what the secret to happily-ever-after is?” Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters Jackie and Lee during their tea time. “Money and Power,” she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother’s footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite “Black Jack” Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss.
Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with one and possibly both of Jackie's husbands, in addition to her own three marriages—to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince and a Hollywood director.
If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half-brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli's book paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.
*THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED FOR TELEVISION BY TOMORROW STUDIOS
“Do you know what the secret to happily-ever-after is?” Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters Jackie and Lee during their tea time. “Money and Power,” she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother’s footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite “Black Jack” Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss.
Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with one and possibly both of Jackie's husbands, in addition to her own three marriages—to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince and a Hollywood director.
If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half-brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli's book paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.
*THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED FOR TELEVISION BY TOMORROW STUDIOS
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2018
1155 people are currently reading
5606 people want to read
About the author
J. Randy Taraborrelli
25 books487 followersJ. Randy Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia. He also appears on television as an entertainment news reporter on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Today and CBS This Morning. Taraborrelli resides in Los Angeles, California.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
Taraborrelli, who has written eighteen books (including updated and expanded editions), has had fourteen of them appear on the New York Times best seller list, the most recent of which was 2014's The Hiltons - The True Story of an American Dynasty. His first best seller was Call Her Miss Ross in 1989. His 2009 biography of Marilyn Monroe - The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe - made a re-appearance on the e-books best-seller list at number two in the summer of 2012.
In November of 2012, it was announced that Reelz cable channel had optioned Taraborrelli's New York Times best-selling book, After Camelot, as a miniseries. It will be his second television miniseries, the first airing on NBC in 2000 and based on his book, Jackie, Ethel, Joan.
Through his newly formed J. Randy Taraborrelli Productions, Taraborrelli is currently developing and producing a number of television projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
March 24, 2019
This is a 21 hour audio book and I dnf'd it at 75% because it is life-sapping listening to such a shallow book about vapid women who put money first with nothing that couldn't have been and perhaps was, written in something like the Daily Rag or the Enquirer. Except the book does expose the media-whipped up spin of the adulation of the undeniably beautiful Jackie as utterly misplaced. She was a gold-digger pure and simple. And a real bitch.
The spoilers are an attempt to organise and shorten this all-over-the-place review.
The awful writing (this is a biography not chicklit) and worse narration
Fact-checking
Yet again, Jackie dumps a man because he isn't rich enough although she as Jack Kennedy's widow is very wealthy herself.
Why Jackie is a world-class bitch
Jackie sells herself, cash up front.
Queen of the Fakes, supremo of the golddiggers, Janet Auchincloss,
Notes on reading and how I was fooled by Jackie's "class"
Notes on reading and how exactly Jackie dumped her first fiance because although rich, her mother said he wasn't rich enough
So why am I giving this awful book 2 stars? One because it at least fascinated me enough I listened to three-quarters of it, and one because there was an ah-ha moment in the book, at least for me. My mother didn't love me but adored my brother. Janet loved both Jackie and Lee, but not equally, Jackie always came first, and Lee said (paraphrasing) that if you didn't receive praise for your accomplishments and looks when you were young, you were forever after inclined to doubt compliments and never quite believe in yourself. So true.
Fake Ratings when the book first came out?
The spoilers are an attempt to organise and shorten this all-over-the-place review.
The awful writing (this is a biography not chicklit) and worse narration
Fact-checking
Yet again, Jackie dumps a man because he isn't rich enough although she as Jack Kennedy's widow is very wealthy herself.
Why Jackie is a world-class bitch
Jackie sells herself, cash up front.
Queen of the Fakes, supremo of the golddiggers, Janet Auchincloss,
Notes on reading and how I was fooled by Jackie's "class"
Notes on reading and how exactly Jackie dumped her first fiance because although rich, her mother said he wasn't rich enough
So why am I giving this awful book 2 stars? One because it at least fascinated me enough I listened to three-quarters of it, and one because there was an ah-ha moment in the book, at least for me. My mother didn't love me but adored my brother. Janet loved both Jackie and Lee, but not equally, Jackie always came first, and Lee said (paraphrasing) that if you didn't receive praise for your accomplishments and looks when you were young, you were forever after inclined to doubt compliments and never quite believe in yourself. So true.
Fake Ratings when the book first came out?
March 13, 2018
My motto has always been: Know Your Position.
Not everyone is Beyonce, there's nothing wrong with being Kelly or Michelle. They're still rich and they still know Beyonce's phone number.
What the Hell does this have to do with Jackie, Janet, & Lee?
Jackie Kennedy was the Beyonce to her sister Lee's Kelly/Michelle. If Lee Radziwill had simply known her position and stopped trying to compete with her sister Jackie she probably would have had a happier life. Jackie, Janet, & Lee is about the lives of Jackie Kennedy, her mother Janet Auchincloss and her sister Lee Radzwill and the stormy relationship between them. Janet was a tough mother, she regularly criticized her daughters weight, vetoed her daughters possible suitors if she thought they weren't rich enough and pitted Jackie and Lee against each other. Some would say she was a bad mother but others would say she was just ensuring a future for her daughters and I'd say she did pretty well. One daughter became FLOTUS and later a literary publisher and the other became a Princess and later Interior Decorator to the rich and famous.
I've read tons of books about Jackie Kennedy and they make some mention of her mother & sister but they're mostly books about the Kennedys. So when I heard about this book I was excited to read it. The author of the book would like for you to feel sorry for Lee but I didn't. She came off as a spoiled and jealous brat. Always complaining about all the attention her sister Jackie received while doing everything in her power to ride her sisters coattails. Lee should have just understood the role she was meant play as her sisters sidekick. She would have been happier and much richer.
I'd recommend this book to my Kennedyophiles and people who enjoy books about complex family dynamics.
Not everyone is Beyonce, there's nothing wrong with being Kelly or Michelle. They're still rich and they still know Beyonce's phone number.
What the Hell does this have to do with Jackie, Janet, & Lee?
Jackie Kennedy was the Beyonce to her sister Lee's Kelly/Michelle. If Lee Radziwill had simply known her position and stopped trying to compete with her sister Jackie she probably would have had a happier life. Jackie, Janet, & Lee is about the lives of Jackie Kennedy, her mother Janet Auchincloss and her sister Lee Radzwill and the stormy relationship between them. Janet was a tough mother, she regularly criticized her daughters weight, vetoed her daughters possible suitors if she thought they weren't rich enough and pitted Jackie and Lee against each other. Some would say she was a bad mother but others would say she was just ensuring a future for her daughters and I'd say she did pretty well. One daughter became FLOTUS and later a literary publisher and the other became a Princess and later Interior Decorator to the rich and famous.
I've read tons of books about Jackie Kennedy and they make some mention of her mother & sister but they're mostly books about the Kennedys. So when I heard about this book I was excited to read it. The author of the book would like for you to feel sorry for Lee but I didn't. She came off as a spoiled and jealous brat. Always complaining about all the attention her sister Jackie received while doing everything in her power to ride her sisters coattails. Lee should have just understood the role she was meant play as her sisters sidekick. She would have been happier and much richer.
I'd recommend this book to my Kennedyophiles and people who enjoy books about complex family dynamics.
March 11, 2019
Drag...g...y..... Yawn....
And frustrating.
And I didn’t, couldn’t, bring myself to finish.
Indulged women, cold and calculating women at their worst, manipulative women, a horrid mother- Jackie Kennedy’s, that is- who was all about money, power and could have given two hoots about men who screwed around as long as they were RICH - and passed that lesson along. We know where that one got Jackie. Her sister Lee got ignored, as any less favourite child would, and made a mess of her life, only to have Jackie take over HER wealthy lover, Onassis. But that was no big deal, really, because he was only sleeping with Lee because she was Jackie’s sister and he liked feeling important, so he kept his affair with the opera singer Maria Callas hot - and maintained that even after he married Jackie and dumped her sister Lee. All with the lovely mother Janet’s approval.
Enough!
Amoral beyond words, I could handle no more. This family was about as clean and cozy as the one presently celebrated in the White House; Janet Auchincloss knew how to look for every advantage. Fortunately she was only the mother-in-law. But, seriously, so repetitive... it just got very boring...
And frustrating.
And I didn’t, couldn’t, bring myself to finish.
Indulged women, cold and calculating women at their worst, manipulative women, a horrid mother- Jackie Kennedy’s, that is- who was all about money, power and could have given two hoots about men who screwed around as long as they were RICH - and passed that lesson along. We know where that one got Jackie. Her sister Lee got ignored, as any less favourite child would, and made a mess of her life, only to have Jackie take over HER wealthy lover, Onassis. But that was no big deal, really, because he was only sleeping with Lee because she was Jackie’s sister and he liked feeling important, so he kept his affair with the opera singer Maria Callas hot - and maintained that even after he married Jackie and dumped her sister Lee. All with the lovely mother Janet’s approval.
Enough!
Amoral beyond words, I could handle no more. This family was about as clean and cozy as the one presently celebrated in the White House; Janet Auchincloss knew how to look for every advantage. Fortunately she was only the mother-in-law. But, seriously, so repetitive... it just got very boring...
February 2, 2018
Prolific biographer Taraborrelli (AFTER CAMELOT, CALL HER MISS ROSS, BECOMING BEYONCE) writes meticulously researched biographies that read like novels, and his third book covering the Kennedy dynasty is fascinating and absorbing. This hefty volume focuses on the relationships among Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Lee Radziwill and their mother, Janet Lee Bouvier Auchincloss. Early on, Janet tells her daughters the secret to happiness is money and power. All three strong and temperamental women spent their lives pursuing both.
Despite their efforts to rebel against their mother, both daughters ended up following her matrimonial blueprint. All married initially for love (Jackie snagged John F. Kennedy, who would become president of the United States eight years into their marriage) while their second marriages focused on security: Janet to the heir to the Standard Oil fortune; Jackie to billionaire Aristotle Onassis; Lee to a Polish prince. Shipping tycoon Onassis is a fascinating character. Lee was ready to leave her husband for Onassis, but was convinced by her mother that it would ruin JFK's presidency. But five years after her husband's assassination, it was Jackie who ended up marrying him (after demanding a lump payment of $3 million and a monthly $30,000 allowance for expenses).
Taraborrelli captures the glamorous, tragic, seductive and completely absorbing world of the Kennedys and those who married them. With his bite-size chapters, insightful writing and impeccable research, Taraborrelli's JACKIE, JANET & LEE is irresistible, intimate and revealing. His massive biography offers a fresh take on the iconic First Lady and her family.
An irresistible and intimate page-turner that details the glamorous, tragic and absorbing lives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lee Radziwill and their mother.
Despite their efforts to rebel against their mother, both daughters ended up following her matrimonial blueprint. All married initially for love (Jackie snagged John F. Kennedy, who would become president of the United States eight years into their marriage) while their second marriages focused on security: Janet to the heir to the Standard Oil fortune; Jackie to billionaire Aristotle Onassis; Lee to a Polish prince. Shipping tycoon Onassis is a fascinating character. Lee was ready to leave her husband for Onassis, but was convinced by her mother that it would ruin JFK's presidency. But five years after her husband's assassination, it was Jackie who ended up marrying him (after demanding a lump payment of $3 million and a monthly $30,000 allowance for expenses).
Taraborrelli captures the glamorous, tragic, seductive and completely absorbing world of the Kennedys and those who married them. With his bite-size chapters, insightful writing and impeccable research, Taraborrelli's JACKIE, JANET & LEE is irresistible, intimate and revealing. His massive biography offers a fresh take on the iconic First Lady and her family.
An irresistible and intimate page-turner that details the glamorous, tragic and absorbing lives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lee Radziwill and their mother.
May 3, 2018
I love books about the Kennedys and I've read quite a few. I gave this one the old college try, but gave up after a 100 plus pages. I guess, first of all, it didn't give me any new information or insights that I don't already have. It's written in an immature and rather gushy style and really focuses much more on Lee and Janet. I didn't get a real sense of focus on the relationship that the title implies. Moving on. I do not recommend this book--unless its the only one you have in the house.
April 21, 2024
It is strange to finish a biography this long and not really feel like you know the main characters. But that is how I felt at the end of this lengthy triple bio.
Unquestionably, it's a worthy project. Jackie Kennedy Onassis is too often explored solely in the light of her Kennedy and Onassis relationships. It has often seems like a surprise to remember she had an equally fascinating other side to her family. Janet and Lee are both, unquestionably, as fascinating and dynamic and complex as Jackie.
Two things bothered me in particular. (1) Taraborrelli's writing style leans heavily toward the style typical of historical fiction. There is a lot of dialogue and detailed descriptions of settings and clothing, and a close telling of certain stories. Several times I had to remind myself, but not in a good way, that this was supposed to be nonfiction, not a novel. (2) Taraborrelli seems to rely overly heavily on interviews with several key sources (e.g. Jackie's half-brothers).
Perhaps it is as a result of these two things that I felt like the book was zeroing in on certain key moments in the main characters' lives (e.g., Janet slapping a young Jackie, the family meeting to decide what to do about Hammersmith, Jackie telling Janet's 3rd husband on the way to the funeral to clear out before sunset).
What I missed because of this emphasis on certain selected moments in time was a sense of the larger picture. I didn't really feel like I knew these women; I'd just been shown snapshots of certain key moments in their lives. Taraborrelli did not provide enough scaffolding to help me understand the entirety of each woman's life, nor much insightful analysis to help me really grapple with each woman's complex personality.
As a side note, the title's tagline, "The Other Side of Camelot" really made me chuckle. I even asked around my friends to see what it made them think of -- and they too laughed. In today's world, when there has been so much discussion and exploration of the scandals and tragedies of the Kennedy "Camelot" years, a term like "the other side of Camelot" instantly made me assume it would somehow be trying to cast Jackie, Janet and Lee as living in a triumphant, scandal-free, happy, glorious world. Not, I'm sure, what the editor intended!
Unquestionably, it's a worthy project. Jackie Kennedy Onassis is too often explored solely in the light of her Kennedy and Onassis relationships. It has often seems like a surprise to remember she had an equally fascinating other side to her family. Janet and Lee are both, unquestionably, as fascinating and dynamic and complex as Jackie.
Two things bothered me in particular. (1) Taraborrelli's writing style leans heavily toward the style typical of historical fiction. There is a lot of dialogue and detailed descriptions of settings and clothing, and a close telling of certain stories. Several times I had to remind myself, but not in a good way, that this was supposed to be nonfiction, not a novel. (2) Taraborrelli seems to rely overly heavily on interviews with several key sources (e.g. Jackie's half-brothers).
Perhaps it is as a result of these two things that I felt like the book was zeroing in on certain key moments in the main characters' lives (e.g., Janet slapping a young Jackie, the family meeting to decide what to do about Hammersmith, Jackie telling Janet's 3rd husband on the way to the funeral to clear out before sunset).
What I missed because of this emphasis on certain selected moments in time was a sense of the larger picture. I didn't really feel like I knew these women; I'd just been shown snapshots of certain key moments in their lives. Taraborrelli did not provide enough scaffolding to help me understand the entirety of each woman's life, nor much insightful analysis to help me really grapple with each woman's complex personality.
As a side note, the title's tagline, "The Other Side of Camelot" really made me chuckle. I even asked around my friends to see what it made them think of -- and they too laughed. In today's world, when there has been so much discussion and exploration of the scandals and tragedies of the Kennedy "Camelot" years, a term like "the other side of Camelot" instantly made me assume it would somehow be trying to cast Jackie, Janet and Lee as living in a triumphant, scandal-free, happy, glorious world. Not, I'm sure, what the editor intended!
March 15, 2018
This book reads like two different pieces of literature. Sometimes is seems like a very, very long article one might find in a Vanity Fair magazine. Other times it resembles a screenplay for some cheesy B-movie.
I stopped reading it about a third of the way through.
I stopped reading it about a third of the way through.
November 28, 2018
With a subtitle like "The Other Side of Camelot," this book was about what you'd expect. It was written with the cooperation of James Auchincloss, which should have tipped me off right away that it was all about the sleeze. He should be ashamed. Plus, the book was poorly written and constructed like a 9-th grade geography book: Parts rather than Chapters, and 14-point font breaks with a summary of the next five paragraphs: "A Mother's Duty," "Lee's Conflict," "Emergency Family Meeting," etc. Because we're too stupid not to figure it all out. If there was a minus rating, I'd give this a minus 5.
November 11, 2021
The author identified himself as a historian biographer
who used as source material: newspapers, magazines,
interviews (500+ people), oral histories, letters, audio-
visual sources, the Kennedy Presidential Library etc.
Janet Lee wed Jack Bouvier & they begot Jackie & Lee.
Janet+her 2nd spouse Hugh Auchincloss had son Jamie
& dtr Janet Jr. Janet, between her 1st & 2nd marriages,
worked as a Macy's model, in addition to alimony she
received. Janet often lectured her dtrs to wed wealthy/
powerful men. Janet acted as domineering as her father.
Janet, Jackie & Lee had difficulty expressing true emotions
& fell back on snarkiness instead. Janet Jr. by all accounts
was smart and sweet. Janet Jr. in her youth dated (future
Senator, then Secretary of State) John Kerry.
These folks kept secrets. Jamie kept to himself that he
was gay. The 3 women (see title) had Ari Onassis secrets.
Lee had a 6 yr affair w/ Ari (who continued to see Maria
Callas), Janet met Ari 2x to warn him away from Jackie,
who later "introduced" the 2, & Jackie gave these 2 last
minute notice she'd wed Ari. Lee divorced her 1st spouse,
sought an annulment, & had a civil wedding to Prince
Stas Radziwell. When she thought Ari would propose to
her in 1962, the annulment came through and Stas
wanted a church wedding. Lee reporedly chose Stas again
to save Jackie (still in the White House) from a family
scandal. Ari then acted cool toward Lee.
Janet Auchincloss (heareafter Mrs. A) claimed Robert E.
Lee as an ancestor: simply untrue. Mrs. A, a staunch
Republican, grew to love son-in-law JFK. Later she helped
in fundraising for the eventual (cultural) Kennedy Center
in DC. Jackie & Lee planned a Bouvier docu. They stumbled
upon their late dad's sister and her dtr, the Beales. Who were
w/o food, heat, water and needed a roof repair. Ari absorbed
the cost to supply these needs. Filmmaker Maysles brothers
did a documentary, Grey Gardens, featuring the Beales. This
did not please the Bouviers or the Kennedys. They thought
the living conditions of the Beales reflected poorly on the
Bouvier family.
Jackie & Lee competed with each other. The author provided
many examples ie Jackie was Deb of the Year, younger Lee
got married 1st. Lee tried on many careers, most incomplete,
with the exception of interior design. Jackie oversaw the care
of mom who'd developed Alzheimer's (via staff, extra visits).
Lee stayed away.
Her adult offspring called Mrs. A "Mummy." This sounded
silly. The conception method details (& rationale) used for
Jamie, then Janet Jr. seemed too personal. Janet's 4 off-
spring (& those from High's 1st marriage) were unwilling
to save Hugh and Janet's homestead by pooling resources.
Jackie and Jamie were never the same after his quotes in
the bk Jackie Oh! We learned Jackie's 1st sexual experience
took place in an elevator. Why include this?
Jackie wed x2, Janet x3, and Lee x3. These three seemed
vacuous in their quests for lux lifestyles. Lee less so. Jackie
chose Ari when she loved successful architect Jack Warnecke,
who had less assets. Ari had $500M. Warnecke eventually
had the largest architecture business in the US!
I had mixed feelings, but found the book well-written and
documented.
who used as source material: newspapers, magazines,
interviews (500+ people), oral histories, letters, audio-
visual sources, the Kennedy Presidential Library etc.
Janet Lee wed Jack Bouvier & they begot Jackie & Lee.
Janet+her 2nd spouse Hugh Auchincloss had son Jamie
& dtr Janet Jr. Janet, between her 1st & 2nd marriages,
worked as a Macy's model, in addition to alimony she
received. Janet often lectured her dtrs to wed wealthy/
powerful men. Janet acted as domineering as her father.
Janet, Jackie & Lee had difficulty expressing true emotions
& fell back on snarkiness instead. Janet Jr. by all accounts
was smart and sweet. Janet Jr. in her youth dated (future
Senator, then Secretary of State) John Kerry.
These folks kept secrets. Jamie kept to himself that he
was gay. The 3 women (see title) had Ari Onassis secrets.
Lee had a 6 yr affair w/ Ari (who continued to see Maria
Callas), Janet met Ari 2x to warn him away from Jackie,
who later "introduced" the 2, & Jackie gave these 2 last
minute notice she'd wed Ari. Lee divorced her 1st spouse,
sought an annulment, & had a civil wedding to Prince
Stas Radziwell. When she thought Ari would propose to
her in 1962, the annulment came through and Stas
wanted a church wedding. Lee reporedly chose Stas again
to save Jackie (still in the White House) from a family
scandal. Ari then acted cool toward Lee.
Janet Auchincloss (heareafter Mrs. A) claimed Robert E.
Lee as an ancestor: simply untrue. Mrs. A, a staunch
Republican, grew to love son-in-law JFK. Later she helped
in fundraising for the eventual (cultural) Kennedy Center
in DC. Jackie & Lee planned a Bouvier docu. They stumbled
upon their late dad's sister and her dtr, the Beales. Who were
w/o food, heat, water and needed a roof repair. Ari absorbed
the cost to supply these needs. Filmmaker Maysles brothers
did a documentary, Grey Gardens, featuring the Beales. This
did not please the Bouviers or the Kennedys. They thought
the living conditions of the Beales reflected poorly on the
Bouvier family.
Jackie & Lee competed with each other. The author provided
many examples ie Jackie was Deb of the Year, younger Lee
got married 1st. Lee tried on many careers, most incomplete,
with the exception of interior design. Jackie oversaw the care
of mom who'd developed Alzheimer's (via staff, extra visits).
Lee stayed away.
Her adult offspring called Mrs. A "Mummy." This sounded
silly. The conception method details (& rationale) used for
Jamie, then Janet Jr. seemed too personal. Janet's 4 off-
spring (& those from High's 1st marriage) were unwilling
to save Hugh and Janet's homestead by pooling resources.
Jackie and Jamie were never the same after his quotes in
the bk Jackie Oh! We learned Jackie's 1st sexual experience
took place in an elevator. Why include this?
Jackie wed x2, Janet x3, and Lee x3. These three seemed
vacuous in their quests for lux lifestyles. Lee less so. Jackie
chose Ari when she loved successful architect Jack Warnecke,
who had less assets. Ari had $500M. Warnecke eventually
had the largest architecture business in the US!
I had mixed feelings, but found the book well-written and
documented.
April 24, 2018
The author of this book seems to have made a career out of the Kennedy's as his previouslly published books are After Camelot and Jackie, Ethel, Joan, so the reader pretty much knows what to expect here. Lots of gossipy family details on feuds, romances and marriages. The author seems to have developed a relationship with Jamie Auchincloss, the Janet's son by Hugh D. Auchincloss as he is quoted extensively. None of the major characters her are very admirable. and my general impression was of frivolous women who learned at an early age to be decorative wives to rich men. Not role models for today's women.
September 13, 2024
This audiobook was the exact gossip-y and glamorous drivel I was looking for! I enjoyed learning more about the complicated yet deeply-caring dynamic between these three women. I also realized while listening to this that these women are the OG Kardashians. This is HERstory and I respect the hustle!
April 10, 2020
I am part of the generation that always finds Jackie Kennedy interesting. Inexplicable! But the book was very interesting, because it was about the family relationships closest to her, and the dysfunction in that family that is common to most!
February 20, 2018
I decided to listen to this book on CD suspecting I might be able to get through it easier that way since I had a feeling it would be pure gossip. I was correct on both accounts. While I felt a bit vile listening to the many unflattering stories (to put it kindly), listen I continued to do because it was honestly entertaining even though it often was oh, so wrong. Therefore, I submit this review feeling like a terrible person knowing I would never want to own a copy, yet happy in the knowledge that I was able to check it out free from the library.
May 28, 2018
ahhhhrrgggggg thank god this book is OVER. I will consider it one of my accomplishments this year to have not given up and actually made it through to the end of this book. The writing is weird, and everything seems intrusive and presumptuous, a feeling I get with bios like this. And I'm just really not sure why it had to be sooooo long.
March 11, 2019
We learned nothing new in this gossipy one. Indeed the man seems to be totally in love with Jackie Kennedy and spent most of the book kissing her ass. He had her up there with the virgin Mary and mother Theresa. As a result I spent most of the read trying not to throw up. I certainly got more with Lee. She had faults but seemed more human and more understanding. Not the best of reads for me.
June 10, 2018
A book full of cliches and melodrama - it read like the detailed synopsis for a TV melodrama, complete with tantrums and lots of face slapping (the slap never being in the singular, but always followed by one to the other cheek with the back of the hand !). For me, this is your typical shock biography, peppered with spite and not a lot of talent, aimed at achieving high sales. And I guess that worked, because I bought it.
May 14, 2018
This is the first book I have read by this author and it is really a great read. The story of the Bouvier women is fascinating. I have never read a book based on Jackie Kennedy's family. This is a history of the family not a tell all, gossipy book. I am going to have to look into some of his other books.
April 27, 2018
Ugh, sadly this reads as a bad 'Lifetime Movie'. Too many inaccuracies, the age of Stas Radziwill when he married Lee would have been 45, and Lee's first husband Michael Canfield died in 1969, not 1960, it goes on....check the facts....get a better editor.
December 26, 2018
My last big read for 2018.
September 1, 2018
Gossipy, yet interesting look at the relationship between Jacqueline and her sister, Lee, with their mother, Janet. Covers childhood, the presidency of JFK, and various lovers and husbands of all three. Gives an in-depth look at both sisters' relationship with Aristotle Onassis.
December 1, 2018
I enjoyed the story telling of historical events and behind the scenes of the lives of politically famous figures that made history. I don’t mind if it was exaggerated it was well put together.
July 28, 2018
I loved the writing style and was very interested to learn so much about these 3 women. I liked that the focus was on all 3 and not just Jackie. Very thorough research!
March 7, 2018
This is the first book I've ever read about Jackie Kennedy. I didn't realize how dysfunctional her relationship with her family really was. I did, in a way, feel bad for Lee. Growing up, Jackie was clearly favored by both their parents forcing Lee to grow up in her shadow. Then of course Jackie became first lady and dealing with the loss of her children and then Jack's assassination. Lee could never escape being Jackie's sister. But, being Jackie's sister also brought a lot of perks Lee's way. It was a double edged sword for sure. Janet, their mother, was pretty tough and a little mercenary as well. I was pretty shocked reading what she did to Black Jack at Jack and Jackie's wedding. There comes a time when parents have to let go and Janet just never did. She tried to exercise control over all of her children until her Alzheimer's diagnosis. I never knew that Jackie had two siblings from her mother's remarriage to Hugh Auchincloss. The whole family dynamic was so strange. They never talked about their issues they just swept them under the rug. No wonder they all had lingering anger at each other. I was pretty surprised that Jackie did not help out Hugh and Janet so they wouldn't lose Hammersmith Farm. I get you don't owe your family anything including money but at this point her fortune had grown to around $100 million. You're telling me she couldn't spare some so her parents wouldn't lose the house Hugh had been born in and Jackie had been raised in? My comments make it sound like I didn't enjoy this book but I really did. Just some of the things I learned really surprised me.
June 16, 2019
I love anything Jackie and Lee. From what I heard, Lee didn’t care much for this book. I think the author did a pretty good job of being neutral.
I was saddened to read that Lee didn’t develop close relationships with her younger siblings. I would love to know why.
Overall I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. Now I’m eager to read about another fabulous wealthy woman, preferably one of Capote’s swans. If you have suggestions...drop a title in the comments.
I was saddened to read that Lee didn’t develop close relationships with her younger siblings. I would love to know why.
Overall I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. Now I’m eager to read about another fabulous wealthy woman, preferably one of Capote’s swans. If you have suggestions...drop a title in the comments.
April 3, 2018
I have a problem with putting people on a pedestal. Taraborrelli definitely fixed that for me regarding the above women. The opinion I had formed of him earlier was that of a sort of tabloid writer but this was very well-researched. If all non-fiction had the pacing this book had I'd read a whole lot more of it. I gobble this thing UP!
February 14, 2019
Yes it’s gossipy but I mean...that’s pretty much why we read books about the Kennedys, isn’t it? I knew very little about Jackie/Janet/Lee and I found it pretty interesting. And also sad. What a strange life. Almost makes me glad I’m not a millionaire. ALMOST.
April 30, 2019
Tabloid fodder and the least scholastic/academic biography I’ve ever read.
March 28, 2018
Well written and exhaustively researched, with access to sources close to the principals, this book is for someone who wants to understand the human being behind historical persona, or just sort through the facts behind some of the rumors, gossip, and fabrications. Jackie would be horrified by some of the revelations here, much of it new to me, but the writer is not striving for scandal. In fact, he takes a thoughtful, humane, even kind approach to his subjects. Each of these three was a flawed human, and I learned more about their flaws here than from any previous book, but in the end, I respected each of them even more. Even Janet, about whom many unflattering anecdotes have been shared. I believe you never really know a person until you know their family. This book serves the same purpose as David Talbot's excellent Brothers, telling the story of the Kennedy administration through the relationship of Jack and Bobby, and is just as good.
August 16, 2018
Boy, Janet Auchincloss is of another time and place, women just aren't like this anymore. Her whole goal was to have her daughters marry well and not have to worry about money. Today, she would be a major player in the world with her intelligence and savvy and willpower, but our choices were not available to her, so everything focused on her daughters and how she was perceived in the world. That kind of world doesn't exist anymore, so it feels antiquated and an entry into vast homes and estates, parties, politics, yachts, summering in the Hamptons, homes in Georgetown, and high teas and society events. These ingredients made for complex relationships, and as much as the author says they loved each other, they all fought like cats and dogs, too. I found them all tiring, really. This book was easy to read but I could only take their drama in small doses, it took me a while to finish the book.
January 7, 2024
WHAT A READ. I learned so much about Jackie Kennedy and her family in this book. It was wildly entertaining and read like a novel. I picked this up over the summer only to read just a few pages before putting it down for the entire fall semester. I’m so glad I picked this back up after finals. It took a while to get through but it was so enjoyable and interesting. I will definitely be seeking out more books from this author!
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