Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but it has been told before...
Review: This book essentially rehashes the story of the frequent tragedies that have befallen various members of the Kennedy family over the past century. This story has been told before in many previous books. Unfortunately, the author attributes these occurrences to some kind of mystical 'curse.' Obviously, no curse hangs over the family. Rather, it is more likely that the availability of large sums of money and a culture of risk taking contribute to the tragedies which have stricken the family. Either way, the book is interesting but the story has been told before, only this time JFK Jr. has been added.
Rating:
Summary: THERE IS NO CURSE
Review: This book is interesting from a hypothetical viewpoint. The Kennedys are a very large family - Bobby and Ethel alone had eleven kids! The larger the family base the more propensity for problems and they did suffer their share of unsolicited tragedy. But many of the Kennedy misfortunes were self induced thru bad choices and high profile politics which carries definite risk. Joe Jr. was killed in WWII but so were many other pilots. JFK and Bobby were assassinated by whackos due to the celebrity status they cultivated and lack of protection. Ted's life was torn asunder by drink and poor decisions vis a vis Chappaquidick. Michael met an untimely demise when he skiied at high speed into a tree while unwisely playing Kennedy football on the slopes. Michael Skakel (Ethel's nephew) is serving a life sentence for murdering 15 yr old Martha Moxley. John Jr. died because he was not certified to fly without gauges. There are many families who've suffered from cancer, have children who are physically or mentally challenged, and who have lost loved ones in war. These are not curses, but common trials of life which are often unavoidable. Behavior and choices, however, are controllable and therein lies the flaw with the "curse" theory.
Rating:
Summary: It's not a curse, it's bad judgment
Review: This book was disappointing. It was slim pickings compared to other books about the Kennedy clan, though it did sprinkle some interesting psychological insights throughout. The worst part about it was the author's flimsy and self-contradictory arguments as to why the Kennedys are supposedly suffering from a supernatural curse. As he so clearly shows, if the Kenedys are suffering from anything, it's bad judgment. Deluding themselves as accursed not only helps them evade responsibility from their poor judgments and the consequences, but also makes them appear all the more "special." Most people who behave the way they do are likely to be called "stupid" or "irresponsible" but not cursed. Of course, how many people would go out and buy a book called, "How the Kennedys suffer from their own bad judgment." When the Kennedys start to think before they act, they might find the "curse" disappears.
Rating: 
Summary: Ghost Written
Review: This book was not written by its so called author. It was written by a hack journalist with questionable moral values and little journalist experience in order for Klein to cash in on the over played Kennedy brand.
Rating: 
Summary: No good unless you're a Kennedy worshipper AND superstitious
Review: What can I say about a sentence like this: "The sons of these (Irish) immigrants (such as the Kennedys) were often treated worse than Negro slaves."
Geez, with such historically uninformed, Kleenix-inducing blather like that (with which professional historians AND the descendants of those slaves would disagree), what else can you say about the suck-up level of this book?
There are a few historical nuggets to be found if you can get past BOTH the hagiography AND the superstitiousness of the author believing in a literal Kennedy family curse.
But, it's really not worth that much effort, probably.
Also, the Bushes, and with far more justification, the Adamses, might object to the Kennedys being labeled America's greatest political dynasty.
Rating:
Summary: No good unless you're a Kennedy worshipper AND superstitious
Review: What can I say about a sentence like this: "The sons of these (Irish) immigrants (such as the Kennedys) were often treated worse than Negro slaves."
Geez, with such historically uninformed, Kleenix-inducing blather like that (with which professional historians AND the descendants of those slaves would disagree), what else can you say about the suck-up level of this book?
There are a few historical nuggets to be found if you can get past BOTH the hagiography AND the superstitiousness of the author believing in a literal Kennedy family curse.
But, it's really not worth that much effort, probably.
Also, the Bushes, and with far more justification, the Adamses, might object to the Kennedys being labeled America's greatest political dynasty.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but dubious
Review: While I enjoyed reading this book I felt that it was a highly fictionalized account. It was full of hyperbole,grisly details,speculation, third and fourth hand accounts and false conclusions. For example in the account of William Kennedy Smith's rape trial there is the statement that had there been a conviction that would have been the end of the Kennedy family. That is completely bogus. The section on Roosevelt and Joe Kennedy Senior is probably the best in the book but because of other errors in the book even this section is not neccesarily believable. As for the well publicized revelations about JFK Jr, one can not help but feel pain for the tragic end but also one must be skeptical of the narrative. In short while this book makes for colorful reading the details and conclusions must be taken wiith a grain of salt.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, tired subject
Review: Will there ever be a day when people just stop writing about the Kennedys? I'm not saying this because I'm a fan of the Kennedys, but because there have been thousands of books written about these people. I think everyone has said everything they need to say. There is no "curse". The Kennedys are a large family. Accidents happen (such as the many plane crashes that have claimed the lives of some Kennedys). There are logical explainations for the deaths of these people. As for all the Kennedys who bring bad publicity upon themselves: hey, for every William Kennedy Smith there is a Caroline Kennedy. A lot of the Kennedys have used their name to do good, but I guess no one will ever write a book about those people because they're just not interesting enough.
Rating:
Summary: Curse, my (expletive deleted)
Review: Yet another book for the Kennedy cult, this one examining the so-called "curse" of the toothy family. Klein's book is not without interest for all those who are obsessed with America's unoffical royal family, but his premise is wrong. With the possible exception of the assassinations of JFK and RFK, the many tragedies that have befallen the Kennedy clan can be blamed on recklessness (skiing while videotaping your misadventures, piloting a plane when you aren't really experienced enough to be trusted all alone behind the controls, etc), and, though I hate to judge, poor parenting. The powerful men in the family were too busy acquiring power to instill sound values into their kids, and we have witnessed the wreckage. Money, power, and fame can be a deadly combination for those who don't know that life is about something more tangible than that. If there is a curse, one might look to the family's patriarch, Joseph Kennedy, who built his fortune on bootlegging. The Bible says something about the sins of the father being inherited by his sons. Perhaps the devil is simply collecting on a debt that old Joe didn't repay.
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