Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105778 in Books
• Published on: 1996-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 960 pages

Customer Reviews

Triumph and Tragedy
This is a hefty book, but it grabs you from page one, and never lets go, every page being of the same high standard. I only read biographies, and have previously read quite a lot about the Kennedys, but this is one of the best books I have ever read, infact I was very sorry to finish it. It is a fascinating mix of social history, combined with an indepth look into lives of generations of Kennedy women, whose contributions gradually moulded the Kennedy dynasty, but to a large extent have been overlooked and probably undervalued. If there was ever a perfect example of 'the power behind the throne' this is it, but you also come to understand the price they paid as individuals.
The title says it all, this book is a mix of triumph and tragedy, leaving the reader with an amazing insight into the lives of america's first family. I cannot accurately explain how excellent this book is. You owe it to yourself to read it....I shall certainly be reading it again!!

BRAV0! BRAVO! BRILLIANTLY DONE
"For the most part Rose grandchildren observed and respected and obeyed her, tiptoeing around her life as if she were an exquisite piece of porcelain. She had led such a decorous life, blocking out the untoward, the ugly, and the unacceptable, that her eyes no longer saw the darker colours of the spectrum. "Pat drank a bottle of wine in the morning," Rose was told. "That's impossible" Rose replied, Pat doesn't drink"

I was glad that I read this book because it has helped me to understand so much more about this so much talked about family. In Mr. Leaner's book we get to know about the Kennedy women's personal thoughts and the correct stories of the daughters and daughters-in-law. Mr.Leamer has given us indept portraits of these women and my favourite is Rose Kennedy the Matriarch of the family. For Rose was a woman so strong and who suffered great disloyalty by her husband which she took all gracefully all for the sake of her family and what she supposed the public expected of them. She was a stern Catholic and gain her strength through her prayer and trust in God.
Also portrayed are Joan Kennedy; Ted wife who had a problem with alcohol. Jackie Kennedy Onnassis; the President's wife who remarried after the President's death to a Greek tycoon. Pat Lawford; married to a Hollywood star and spent most of her time in Los Angeles. Eunice Shriver, who was always working for the handicapped and underprivileged and was one of the Kennedys with great patience and common sense. Ethel Kennedy, Robert Kennedy's widow and Jean Smith.
The Kennedys pushed their tragedies to the inner recesses of their minds.They refused to let others see the negative side of their lives, and carried their problems and burdens inwardly taking pains not to show their broken hearts. To some this might seem pretentious, but they honestly had their reasons. After all they were special in the eyes of America.
Whenever tragedy struck it was not unusual for them to suddenly get physical by taking walks, riding, swimming and any form of exercise. Rosemary the eldest daughter who was mentally retarded was isolated from the public eye and sent to Wisconsin where she was looked after by those of the Sacred Order. This book has helped me to understand so much more about the choices they made and the reason they made them, though tragedy seem to follow them everywhere.

Mr. Leamer has pulled out all the stops in the brilliantly written book, and I would not hesitate to read anything by him in the future. Bravo! Bravo! Heather Marshall

filled with emotion and heartache
a tale of the rise of the kennedy family, from the first kennedy to the current kennedy generation. tells the story of the many adventures of joe sr. and jfk with their women friends, and the women who supported them. absolutely awesome, and a must-read