A rare non-fiction binge: the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography
Like a 350-page People magazine feature in its prime
Our queen.
You can read this whole book on a flight if you skip/skim through the childhood chapters (they’re just not that exciting!) All you really need to know is she was raised mostly by a single mom and not with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Do I wish this book were written like a novel? I sure do. But for that, we have Meant to Be—the JFK jr. + CBK fanfic novel.
Full review:
Once Upon A Time is full of emotional moments from Carolyn’s life that paint her as a generous, warm, flawed, compassionate person.
“Perhaps what was most remarkable about Carolyn was that she was a super empath, which on the flip side, makes one super sensitive.”
This is a juicy and tragic biography of the closest America ever got to having a People’s Princess. The author interviews people who actually knew her/JFK, so we get the read deal on the fights, the tragedies, the lore, and find out that CBK is, in fact, not the moody girlfriend she was made out to be. She was just a big-hearted, gorgeous it-girl put in an impossible situation, and she did her best! I was shocked to learn how much she actually impacted style in the 90s and the kindness she showed outsiders. A woman way ahead of her time in both fashion and principles.
Although her friends hope she’s remembered for more than her style, let’s also appreciate that for a moment!
Maggie