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. ( )

Great insight to the Bouvier sisters' young lives. ( )