Carl Sferrazza Anthony

This has got to be the definitive biography of the early years of Jacqueline Kennedy. Everything is meticulously researched. The photographs do justice to the subject. The author takes full advantage of newly uncovered interviews and research to give us an even better picture of the "Camera Girl". The author does such a good job that I think a trilogy is warranted: the early years, the Kennedy years, and the Onassis years. This book takes us from Jackie's birth to her marriage to JFK.

Absolutely required reading for any fan of Jackie.… (mais)

I must be fascinated with Jackie Kennedy as this is the third book I’ve read about her this year. And there are others I have my eye on, too.

I thought the first third of this book was a bit too journalistic, dry, and factual. But it became much more interesting and readable about 150 pages in. And maybe that’s because the first third covered information I had already read elsewhere that was presented more entertainingly and which I really enjoyed in two other books. "Jacqueline in Paris" by Ann Mah is historical fiction but based on the same research this author accessed. Then "One Special Summer" covered Jackie’s and her sister Lee’s three-month trip to Europe. I highly recommend both of these books.

But back to what I think of this newly published biography of Jackie, which covers her life from May 1949 through September 1953, when she is in her early twenties. The subtitle “Coming of Age” explains the emphasis of this well-researched book. There is much detail about her dysfunctional family and how she was treated by her parents (who divorced when Jackie was 10 years old). Lots of photos of family and important people in Jackie’s life, including JFK. But Jack Kennedy is only introduced in the last quarter or so of the book, during which it primarily focuses on the blossoming of the Kennedy/Bouvier relationship. There is relatively little politics mentioned, although their joint goal (even before they are married) appears to be Kennedy winning the presidency.

I wonder how difficult it was for the author to write objectively about this formative time in Jackie’s life, especially when she meets Jack Kennedy, because we all know what the future brings. And that makes this biography bittersweet, though nonetheless fascinating. And yes, it contains an index, a bibliography, and extensive notes.

I appreciated that the author presented Jackie as intelligent, complex, and deeply thoughtful while she was growing into an influential, independent woman and developing a strong sense of self. One new-to-me fact was that she appeared to enter into her marriage to JFK with her eyes open as far as his infidelity and health issues. Overall, this is a fascinating portrait of a little known and relatively short period in the life of an amazing person who is still considered an American icon.… (mais)

Thank you to Goodreads, the publisher and the author.

Rounding it up to 3.5 stars.

As I probably mentioned in a few of my other reviews, I'm not a big reader of politics, first ladies, or history. However, I wanted to read this because and don't know much about her early years starting with college since I really didn't follow her or read other books about her and only know the basics I guess you can call it about her life. I enjoyed the alternating chapters between her being in college in the beginning and about her family. Starting from her college years and continuing to her marriage to JFK, this book was detailed in every word.

I have one complaint and it may not matter to other readers, but the small print and the font was sort of hard to read. Not sure if the publisher, author, or whoever made this decision, did this to cram more words on a page or what. The book was really shy of 300 pages (100 pages of 400 were reference notes, acknowledgments, etc.). It was very well researched with quotes from other biographers, friends, family, and co-workers etc.… (mais)