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Rating: 
Summary: A truly well-balanced account of an extraordinary person
Review: "America's Queen" was an interesting read. The first chapter on her family tree was complicated and hard to follow due to the introduction of so many names. However, as the book began to tell the story of how Jackie came to be was great because of the many different point of views that were presented by those who knew Jackie.
Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying, if not particularly sympathetic
Review: As biographies of this type go, I quite enjoyed this one. It is long - fine print and well over 400 pages - but although I found the early chapters a bit slow, it was reasonably easy to read. I know a bit about the story, the politics of the Kennedy era, and the subsequent history of the family, so it was probably easier for me to read a book of this length and detail than most. Other well-known people (of all nationalities) wander in and out of the story with regularity, offering little insights and reminders which add to the appeal of the book. The author doesn't appear to be particularly sympathetic to, or critical of, Jackie Kennedy, which may suggest that the biography is about as unbiased as you are going to get. However I did not end up feeling any real sympathy for, or empathy with, Jackie Kennedy - I probably expected to (having invested so much time in reading about the many and varied aspects of her life), given the tragedies and difficulties she experienced. Certainly there were moments where my heart went out to her, but on balance, I was left with more of a feeling of someone just a bit too arrogant and self-centred, and out-of-touch with the real world, to deserve much sympathy.
Rating: 
Summary: Have read better regarding this remarkable woman.
Review: I have read right many books regarding Jackie, and I just didn't like this book. It was scattered and didn't always concentrate on her story. The whole book seemed to make her out as a money hungry thoughtless woman. I didn't like how it portrayed her at all. Very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Jackie Kennedy
Review: I highly recommend this biography of Jackie. It is, by far, the best I've read. Bradford shows us a real woman, not a myth, and there are so many stunning details. The personality of Jackie's mother particularly shocked me. How did Jackie survive the terrible, manipulative environment of her childhood? This biography highlighted such salient details, such as: - her mother's prevention of her being escorted down the aisle by her father on her wedding day; - Jackie and her sister Lee taking a back seat in the Auchincloss step family; - Jackie's unique contribution to American history through her championing of the arts (redecorating the White House, securing the Egyptian exhibit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving the Grand Central Station in NYC, and so much else) - Most of all, the strength of her marriage to JFK. Bradford did a better job than any other biographer, of explaining the complex and developing relationship between the two. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Americas Queen
Review: I plowed through this thick paperback fairly quickly. Here and there the author gets bogged down with such details as to the addresses of people that are involved with Jackie. The beginning section that deals with Jackie's childhood reveals not only her knowledge in dealing with such men as her father, but explains how she survived the behavior of JFK. The part of the book that takes place just prior to the assasination brings to the reader a bittersweet explanation of how they had finally found a closeness with each other that was enjoyed all too briefly. Jackie was criticized by the press, plagued by photographers and misunderstood by the Kennedy family. With her unique personality, she manages to rise above it all and give some semblance of normalcy to her life and that of her children. After reading the book, while I understand her better, I can't say for sure that I would have enjoyed being her friend. Her emotions seemed a bit too volatile for comfort. I give the book high marks. Clearly there has been intensive research done here. Except in one of the photos of Jackie leaving for the Inaugural Gala. That was the night of Jan. 19th, not the 20th. This one is going on my bookshelf to stay with the rest of my first lady collection.
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: 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: So, So
Review: This is my first time reading a book on Jackie so I did not come in with certain expectations. I felt it was interesting to get a background on the woman, but I feel that there has to be better out there. My first complaint would have to be the constant name dropping. I didn't need to know who was on every cruise and vacation. Early on there are hints of problems between Jackie and her mother Janet yet the depth of the problems are not reached. The book was also disappoining in the sense that because it spent more than 3/4 of the content discussing her famous marriages, one would think there would be more than the superficial detail. For example, we are told that there are these various love letters but the content is kept under wraps. In the case of her second husband, Onassis is described as being insulting and cold towards her after a certain point in the marriage but any idea as to why is left up to the reader's imagination. Most importantly, her children are mentioned scarcely beyond their births when this is a woman who took great pride in being a mother. The picture just looked incomplete from many sides. Yes, Jackie was a private person but no one is an island. I do appreciate the care in which the author took to structure the book so that even the slow beginning was readable.
Rating:
Summary: the most wonderful book
Review: This is my ultimate favorite book. I have read it a million times just because it's so fun and exciting to read.
What a glamorous life one had! She also led the most complex and interesting life with Jack Kennedy and Onassis. Sadly she had to face too many deaths of her loved ones during her life time, but she endured it with dignity and class.
I honestly think there is no one one can compare with Jackie Kennedy concerning elegance and feminism. She truely is a symbol of intelligence, wealth, fortune. That's one reason I like her so much- not only was she beautiful but also intelligent and smart.
Sarah Bradford is one of my favorite writers. Her writing is simply elegant and honest and so detailed. It's unlike any other book I have read. I often wonder how she gathered all this information and how she managed to get these rare interviews from all these people who were very close with Jackie. Sometimes I think it's more of her writing that interests me more than Jackie's actual life.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone. It's fast paced and simply too good not to read.
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