Jacqueline Kennedy OnassisRecensioni

I really enjoyed reading the transcripts of these conversations and I'm so glad the interviews were unedited. Started to listen to the CDs but it was faster to read. It was a walk through a time capsule. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only 34 years old and her husband had been killed just four months earlier. She was remarkably composed. I found it so interesting to hear her views on JFK and the political scene and characters of the 1960s and the footnotes were wonderful in clarifying the people and situations she was referring to. It was funny in a shocking way to hear her views on male/female relationships and feminism. Mostly I loved the history both the good and the bad .... one item that jumped out was Ike's appointment (Lyman Lemnitzer) as Chairman of Joint Chiefs who approved a classified plan for the US government to commit acts of terrorism against Miami and other US cities and blame those acts on Castro. Thankfully JFK rejected it. JFK said he thought it a disgrace that there were less than 100 people in Washington working on disarmament ... and he was upset there was no proper award for civilian achievement while there were many for military achievements so he created the Medal of Freedom. Also interesting, he had no chief of staff so ideas didn't get filtered and each cabinet head had access to him. Lots of good stuff and makes me wonder how the world might have been different had he finished his term. Depressing to compare it all to political "leaders" of today.

I recently read the historical fiction novel "Jacqueline in Paris" by Ann Mah as well as Clint Hill’s memoir "My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy" - (I rated them both 5 stars) - so when I discovered this short book written by both Jackie (Bouvier Kennedy Onassis) and her sister Lee (Bouvier Radziwill) documenting their “special summer” in Europe of 1951, there was no question I had to read it as well.

Originally published in 1974, this was a journal/scrapbook of their trip that was a gift for their mother, created in appreciation for allowing the sisters to embark on their first trip to Europe by themselves. Lee says, “It was an ode to discovery, youth, and adventure by one very young.” Lee was 18 and Jackie was 22 during this special summer.

A combination of colored drawings, illustrations, photos, handwritten anecdotes, and poems captures the carefree attitude and witty sense of humor, or as Lee says, “a state of joy and laughter, which was our mood throughout the trip.”

The book is a time capsule of a different time period, and a different lifestyle – of the privileged upper class. At that time traveling to Europe was usually undertaken on an ocean liner, not a plane. Manners and protocol were more rigid (white gloves worn in the afternoon), but the fun-loving sisters took advantage of this trip to have a memorable adventure. We are fortunate that they documented it so cleverly, and that Lee discovered it years later in her mother’s attic and decided to publish it for us.

Lending

"In the Russian Style" is a remarkable book. The genuinely stunning content refocuses on the extravagance and grandeur of Tsarist Russia, Faberge, Palaces, and fur-piled Troikas. My most personal memory is that the Editor's position was the first 9-5 job Mrs.Onassis had taken after relocating to NYC from Washington, DC. At that time, she began to re-enter the public forum from which she had removed herself after all the tragedies that she and her family had to endure.

I struggled with giving this 3 or 4 stars. I think it lands somewhere in between. 4 because of historical significance but 3 because of how it's presented. I think it may have been to soon and Jackie doesn't come across well at times. It also didn't really add much if you know anything about JFK or the time period.

Recording this just 4 months after the assassination. Incredible. Mrs Kennedy is a national treasure.

Really fascinating. Hard to put down. Very grateful for the heavy annotation. Wonderful inside look.

Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, interviews by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

★ ★ ★ ★

These interviews took place only months after the assassination of JFK. But you won't hear about the assassination in these interviews (the interviewer chose to steer away from that since she was also doing the Manchester interviews at the same time which did focus on the assassinations. The interviewer had no urge to make her relive the horrific day more than once). Instead, you'll get a candid, very intimate and personal look into the lives of Jacqueline and John Kennedy. Everything from their marriage, to political policies, to kids, to the little things (such JFK's sensitive stomach and napping habits). So beautiful in so many ways.

I am usually content with either the audio version or the paper edition of a book. This is one of the few times I must say that having both is a must. The paper book is much easier to sift through and the pictures are amazing. The book is made to make it easier to read so all the “uh, ah”, mumbling, background noises (planes, walking, etc) and interruptions are obvious taken out. Also, a lot of people are mentioned in the audio version – and are actually explained as footnotes in the book on who they are (and unless you are extremely knowledgeable in 1950s and 60s politics, there will be questions of who these people are) . However, listening to the actual recording of, what I think, is one of the greatest women ever was absolutely awe-inspiring. And when John Jr. walks in, hearing his 4 year old voice saying he knows his dad “has gone to Heaven” was so heart crushing. The emotions and the voices are something the book can't hold.

My only complaint is I wish Jackie would have delved a little more into their personal life and her own. There was a lot on JFK's political policies and how he and Jackie felt about every political person of the period. But given that John Kennedy was a politician, it seems logical. And I've heard people complain that Jackie's thoughts on marriage and the role of the wife is dated. Well..obviously people. It was an interview by a woman born in the 1920s and married in the 1950s. Putting today's thoughts and standards on history's thoughts just doesn't work. I enjoyed the book but it wasn't one I could sit down and go through in one sitting. I could only handle a little bit at a time.

Imperial Russia emerged as a Great Power 1700-1900. The six sovereigns of the period were exuberant on a scale that surpasses "extravagance". Edited by Onassis with attention to the lives of women of all classes, although the subject tends to the achievements and transgressions of the lords. Many quotations and materials drawn from literature, artists, writers. Abundant photographs, être en noir et blanc, with descriptions.

Mme de Stael is quoted, noting: "The boldness, the imagination of the Russians knows no bounds; with them everything is colossal rather than proportionate; daring rather than deliberate; and if the target is not hit, it is because it has been overshot."

Onassis collected this material from public and private collections, and her research included visits to the great museums and palaces while the Soviet Union was still in power.

I have read various biographies of John F. Kennedy, both for and against, whitewash and mud-raking, but could somehow never bear to have his widow submitted to the same unauthorised coverage. Instead of the usual anecdotes from so-called 'friends', this collection of interviews recorded in 1964 by Arthur Schlesinger is perhaps the closest there is to an actual autobiography of Jacqueline Kennedy, released and edited by her daughter Caroline.

Speaking less than a year after the assassination, Jackie is obviously still devastated and filled with bitterness, but her love for her husband really shines through. The personal details are what stand out for me, not the political opinions that Schlesinger is pressing for (Jackie's interview was part of an oral history project to record JFK's term of office for posterity). Why he keeps asking her what she thought of this man, or what she remembers of that event, I'm not sure, because while Jackie is certainly more clued up that she lets on, her standard answer is usually 'Oh, I was in hospital/home sick/don't know'. Yet when she talks about her home life with Jack and the children, she sounds much more thoughtful and animated.

While I appreciate Caroline Kennedy's decision to transcribe her mother's oral history recordings almost verbatim, the print format is hard to follow in places - perhaps listening to the audiobook would be easier. And again, Schlesinger's political questions seem like a wasted opportunity with hindsight. He hardly lets her talk about herself, and his questions about Jack mostly concern his political career. After William Manchester's book, however, and her controversial interview with Theodore White after the assassination, this remains one of the very few honest and expressive accounts that Jackie gave of that time, so every word counts. I was touched by the flashes of genuine love and grief in and amongst the politicians and presidential crises.

This is a collection of interviews made in 1964 by author and White House historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. with Jacqueline Kennedy. It consists of mainly questions asked of Mrs. Kennedy regarding a few political incidents and many persons who played an important role in the history of the Kennedy administration. They were published by daughter Caroline Kennedy in 2011 after consideration and consultation with other family members.

The narrative is essentially unedited from tape transcriptions. As such, it contains interruptions, sentence fragments, stream of thought and other natural comments and reflections. Consequently, the book cannot be considered to have "been written" by anyone as an author. The insights and opinions of Mrs. Kennedy at the time are priceless history.

The sound quality was awful--but good heavens! Terrific for mid-sixties technology.

I found it very interesting to hear Jackie's memories juxtaposed with what I know of history. Her seeming naïveté concerning Kennedy's reputed affairs was sad. Her 1960s morality and understandings of women's desire to work to their full potential was often startling.

Paradoxically, she on the one hand tells of Jack's extreme dislike of Hoover (and supposedly, Hoover's imminent dismissal after the upcoming election) and how untrustworthy he was, and the draconian files he kept on innocent people and on the other tells how Bobby told her of the wiretaps (surely illegal) that Hoover had on MLK ordering up girls for an orgy. But she evidently couldn't hear the irony in her statements.½

So i finally got an audible account and this was the first book I downloaded. I felt it necessary to hear Jackie in her own voice and own words. For someone who did not live through this era, this was very interesting and somewhat boring.

I'll get the boring out of the way, and it's not much but still.... Arthur Schlesinger, Jr and Jackie talked about JFK and his legacy. There was considerable talk about certain members who were either in government or the press or just around the president. I will admit that my history knowledge is not nearly good enough to know who all of these people were. So therefore, I got a little bored. That was it. No more boring.

Hearing Jackie speaking was awesome until the times you realized what she just said (Did she really say THAT?). You could tell she was doing her best to preserve JFK's legacy, perhaps even build it up, but she was also very candid. While I'm sure JFK had flaws, although no one seems to admit it, you will not know it from these tapes. I understand what they were trying to accomplish with the tapes but I think they seem a bit....I don't know. It's tough to put my finger on.

Jackie had very candid opinions about everyone, including MLK, Jr. (Who knew he liked orgies??) and she has been blasted in the news since this book came about about being so candid. On that note, I need to say: everyone has opinions. At this point, she was removing herself from the public eye and why shouldn't she be allowed to speak her mind? Especially since these tapes were not to be released til after her death. I don't fault her for this at all. In her mind at the time, it seems she did not consider herself valuable to the public and was working on helping JFK's legacy, not her own.

This is well worth the listen, I think, if only to hear a little piece of history. I'm sure folks who lived through this time will appreciate it even more. And for the record, thank goodness Jackie's opinions on "a woman's place" changed as she got older. I cringed at some of the antiquated ideas of how a woman should be/act/live.

These six interviews were taped four months after John Kennedy's assassination and then put into a vault, not to be published until the 50th anniversary of his death.

I was 5 years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. I have powerful visual memories of my mother weeping and watching the funeral on our black and white television. As is true for most Americans I have the powerful iconic images from media of the Kennedy family, their tragedies and faux pas. Hearing Jacqueline's voice, in its strong Long Island accent, has filled out my internal images of her tremendously. She comes across as a smart, physically frail, classic 1950s wife, who seemed to adore her husband. She tells tales from their married life, which was actually fairly brief. She shares her opinions of many individuals she met over time. All of this is done while the listener hears her take a puff on her cigarette and hears the clink of ice cubes in her glass.....even hearing the occasional pitter patter of her children running through the room. She paints a picture of JFK as incredibly intelligent, hard-working, considerate, and completely dedicated individual.

It is a wonderful experience to listen to these interviews

This book really gives a sympathetic view of Kennedy through his wife's eyes. Reading her words makes me really wish I had known Jacqueline as a person. She comes through as a genuinely intelligent, generous, and kind person. You do have to get accustomed to reading the stream of consciousness that results from transcribing tapes of an interview.

I picked this up after hearing a few excerpts on various new shows. I wasn't really sure I would make it through all of it because while I am generally interested in history, the Kennedy era has never been one of my focuses. That may change, now.

It would have been interesting to read what Jacqueline Kennedy said if this were only a book. But to hear it in her own voice, with glasses tinkling, children playing and airplanes flying overhead was fascinating. It added a depth and clarity that I don't recall feeling with even any docuemntary on televeision. The fact that it was uncut, unedited and probably only loosely scripted (judging by some of the side trails the conversation took) only added to my enjoyment of this set. Listening to her voice is joyous when she laughs while relating some funny story or shared moment with her husband. Other parts are eery, not in a spooky way, but more in the same way that a visit to Gettysburg makes me feel.

Everyone in my parent's generation can tell you exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot, something that those of us born in the next decade can only relate to by comparing it to the Challenger explosion or 9/11. While I'll never be able to understand the feeling of the country's feelings for the era completely, after hearing these seven session taped so shortly after her husband's death, I can certainly understand the fascination the world had with the woman.
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I'd REALLY like to listen to the actual tapes. They have to be even more fascinating than the book. I found the book to be a poignantly intimate look at the Kennedy's life together in the White House.½

I picked this up after hearing a few excerpts on various new shows. I wasn't really sure I would make it through all of it because while I am generally interested in history, the Kennedy era has never been one of my focuses. That may change, now.

It would have been interesting to read what Jacqueline Kennedy said if this were only a book. But to hear it in her own voice, with glasses tinkling, children playing and airplanes flying overhead was fascinating. It added a depth and clarity that I don't recall feeling with even any docuemntary on televeision. The fact that it was uncut, unedited and probably only loosely scripted (judging by some of the side trails the conversation took) only added to my enjoyment of this set. Listening to her voice is joyous when she laughs while relating some funny story or shared moment with her husband. Other parts are eery, not in a spooky way, but more in the same way that a visit to Gettysburg makes me feel.

Everyone in my parent's generation can tell you exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot, something that those of us born in the next decade can only relate to by comparing it to the Challenger explosion or 9/11. While I'll never be able to understand the feeling of the country's feelings for the era completely, after hearing these seven session taped so shortly after her husband's death, I can certainly understand the fascination the world had with the woman.

I had been waiting for this to come out and I absolutely love it. This provides much needed light onto the Kennedy's in Jackie's own words. This is a great find for the history world... I know we have all been waiting for the tapes to be released.

This is a must own for anyone who is even remotely interested in JFK, Jackie Kennedy, or his presidency. This not only provides insight into Kennedy's presidency but also the type of man he was, and what his marriage was like with Jackie.

Books and audio CDs complement each other well.

These 1964 conversations between Jacqueline Kennedy and friend and historian, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. have been under lock and key until this recent publication. My set included 8 CDs of the actual recordings, paired with a volume of written translations. The book was helpful, particularly when the recording was muffled. The annotations and footnotes provided context and background. (Once Mrs. Kennedy was deriding "Ted" which was confusing until I read that she meant Ted Sorenson, and not her young brother-in-law.).

The highlights, however, were the tapes themselves. Mrs. Kennedy's voice is so expressive - joy, irritation and engagement are all palpable. Background noises - ice cubes clinking, inhaling cigarettes, planes overhead - provide such immediacy to these tapes. One can picture sitting there with Jackie and Arthur while the recorder is purring along.

Some things were prescient, such as her commentary on Cambodia and Laos. Some were more emblematic of the time, such as her statements on the role of women. (I understand she supported feminists and women's rights later in life.) Some were catty, which might explain the desire to keep the tapes sealed until most participants had died. Many things were poignant. In loving tones, she called the White House years the happiest of her marriage. I was particularly moved when young John, Jr. is heard telling of his fun visiting the airport.

Throughout, Jacqueline Kennedy speaks with grace intelligence and candor. I would think those who remember the Kennedy presidency will find this particularly interesting. Even younger readers will enjoy this insider's look into an important point into our country's history just 50 years ago.

Great insight to the Bouvier sisters' young lives.