Rating: 
Summary: save your money
Review: i was very disappointed with this book. i excepted so much because of the hype. there are much better bio's of jackie, such as 'just jackie' and 'jackie after jack'. america's queen is filled with inaccuracies, her age at the time of jfk's death, and even her new york address, the book states it as 1040 park ave, when it was actually 1040 5th ave. save your money on this one and get the other bio's.
Rating:
Summary: save your money
Review: i was very disappointed with this book. i excepted so much because of the hype. there are much better bio's of jackie, such as 'just jackie' and 'jackie after jack'. america's queen is filled with inaccuracies, her age at the time of jfk's death, and even her new york address, the book states it as 1040 park ave, when it was actually 1040 5th ave. save your money on this one and get the other bio's.
Rating: 
Summary: nothing new here
Review: same old, same old... I love Jackie, but there's really nothing left to say that hasn't been said... Disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: A remarkable telling of a remarkable story...
Review: Sarah Bradford has accomplished something quite wonderful ~ the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis story told through perceptive, balanced, and caring eyes. If you thought there was little left to be said about the woman who captivated America and the world in the early 1960's, you should read this version of one of the most scrutinized life stories of the twentieth century.Bradford has done a remarkable amount of research and distilled forty years worth of previously published writing into a compelling account. She augments her research with a large and impressive array of interviews with primary sources, including, for the first time on record, Jackie's sister, Lee Radzilwell. And yet her account is riddled with nagging mistakes of tiny details, starting with the first sentance of the first chapter. Jackie was a thirty four year old widow in November 1963, not thirty five as stated. Small mistakes, yes, but God is in the details and it's a little jarring, undermining slightly her scholarly and well measured approach. Nonetheless, her take on the life of "America's Queen" is riviting in its presentation and scope. Jackie emerges as both an icon and a person, a woman with a unique hold on our cultural psyche as well as a woman of the 1950's coming into her own through the years of a fascinating life. A worthy addition to the Kennedy canon, and justifiably described as a "definative" biography.
Rating:
Summary: A Life Examined
Review: There is a historical error in the first sentence. Mrs. Kennedy was a thirty-four year old widow in November, 1963, not thirty-five. It is nitpicking, yes, but then the rest of the book seems to be built upon our taking Bradford's research as thorough. For all of that, the image of Jackie is compelling, and struck this reader as accurate. She is less than convincing describing an affair between RFK and JBK, and her relationship with Lee Radziwill could stand with a bit more fleshing out; Bradford assumes we know more about it than surely most do. She also seems to lose interest in Onassis after the death of her second husband, and the last twenty years receive short shrift. But there is something here which keeps you turning pages, so I would recommend it, though not as much as Evan Thomas' new bio of RFK.
Rating:
Summary: Take a Pass on This Book
Review: This book is nothing more than a rehash of old magazine articles and gossip about Jackie O. For anyone familiar with Jackie there is nothing new here -- a skirt-chasing, alcoholic father, an unfaithful husband, an example of grace and courage in mourning, a trophy wife, a dedicated mother -- we knew this and the author adds nothing new to the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Save your money
Review: this book is the worst book on jackie yet. no new informayion at all. this book is just plain bad
Rating: 
Summary: A truly well-balanced account of an extraordinary person
Review: This elegant biography of Mrs. Kennedy-Onassis may very well be the most insightful work to gain a hold on this elusive American legend for some time to come. Unlike the many other Jackie biographies out there, this one is neither worshipful nor excessively fault-finding with its subject. Yet, while exposing the more unpleasant sides of Jackie's character (in essence, bringing her down to earth with the rest of us), "America's Queen" takes a decidedly more sympathetic route, with numerous sentences that begin "To be fair to Jackie...", etc, that assures that her virtues are still underscored while her faults are not smoothed over. In other words, skip the Christopher Anderson/Edward Klein accounts if you opt for exhaustively researched information and intimate analyses rather than sensationalistic prose and shameless cashing-in on Jackie's fame.
I also think it is a tribute to the author as much to the subject that this book is so exceptional. I think Jackie, lover of literature that she was, would have appreciated the numerous literary passages preceding some of the chapters. Despite her distaste for exposure, I think she would have felt in fairly good hands had she known the diligence, sensitivity, and, most of all, sense of morality and balance that went into this work.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Diva
Review: This is an exceedingly well-researched life of one of this nation's greatest icons. From birth to death, this book reveals a woman who charted her own course and chose the way she wanted to live...successfully. The book reveals how Mrs. Onassis carefully planned each move in her travels through life. Sarah Bradford does her usual excellent job of relating facts through character development. Many Jackie admirers will, however, be stunned at just how complex and human she really was. For those who have chosen to view her through rose-colored glasses, the reality underneath is a lot more interesting. Far from her reputation as American perfection, this book chooses to present the real Jackie as the flawed, yet fascinating, person that she really was.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting portrait of a troubled individual
Review: This is certainly an interesting portrait of a highly narcissistic woman who was very intent on creating herself as a legend. The first part of the biograghy - up until just after Jack's death - is extremely gripping and gives the reader a very thorough, if depressing description of Jackie's life. It's as if one were reading about someone who appeared trapped in the wrong era, for Jackie was a highly intelligent woman who was gifted in areas beyond being a politician's wife (such as journalism) and yet, the times being what they were back then, she wasn't allowed to pursue those talents. The stories of her upbringing, her broken family and especially the assasination itself are described in such simple, straightforward prose making the devastation that much more resonant for the reader. However, after the Kennedy years, Jackie never did anything interesting and appeared to be an extremely cold and insecure woman - although after Bradford's exhaustive research one can see why. Jackie's one saving grace during this period was the manner in which she brought up her children. Given the circumstances under which she did this,(while ironically indulging in the life of a "star" so to speak) that alone is an amazing feat and it is unfortunate that this was only skimmed over. Maybe it was out of respect the Kennedy children's privacy but it is the one interesting facet of Jackie's life after Jack. My main complaint is that whoever edited this book seemed half asleep at the time since the typos and mistakes with historical data are too numerous too mention and there is absolutely no excuse for this sort of thing. Bradford is clearly a very good writer and did exhaustive research, yet this is like a Tiffany diamond wrapped in Kmart packaging.
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