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Rating: 
Summary: FASCINATING
Review: A clear account of Jackie O. One of the best of the Jackie books. Highly recommended!!!! FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HPOE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Report on an American Icon
Review: A WOMAN NAMED JACKIE is the definitive biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, a woman who shaped her time every bit as much as she symbolized it.For those who remember well the 1960's, author C. David Heymann does a remarkable job of reporting the memorable moments. And those who do not remember the 60's will be well-informed by this book, not only about the woman who is its focus, but also about her impact on that era of expectation and optimism. As much as any single person, she created the energy of a decade which we now realize in hindsight was a watershed in modern life. The influence of Mrs. Onassis lasted long after that tragic day in 1963. Today, the very name of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is symbolic that all that is fine, and her memory reminds us of that very special time that she, herself, referred to as "Camelot." A WOMAN NAMED JACKIE is her definitive biography.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Provocative
Review: I picked up this book as part of a research project. I did not realize just how rounded a person Jackie really was. Prior to this point, I thought she comformed to all of the ideal notions about the pre-feminist woman. Boy was I mistaken Amist all of the controvery about Hillary Rodham Clinton and her role in thbe adminstration, it is important to remember that Jackie also played an important policy role. Unlike several of her sisters in law, she was more insistent about getting to the all male sanctum of policy making. The whitehouse renovation was only ythe most public of Jackie's involvement. I personally think she would have been happier and had less contradictions if she were of a later generation and did not have to "look" the part of the fawning wife (then prefered by the media) She seemed bored by the press conferences that soley wanted to focus on family and fashion and really would have been a dyamo in the office today. It is difficult to say what JFK might have done had the limosune been domed, but it appears as if they might have settled down together and enjoyed life. For the first time, we really understood why she was so upset that November. She and her husband were actually falling in love with each other when tragedy tore them appart. This chapters is written so well, I cried reading it. I was also impressed with how she raised her children. The tabloids are littered with the stories of famous children, to Jackie's credit, she insistilled an unbreakable moral compass that kept them from intentionally self destructing. Not many parents, public or private can claim that accheivement.
Rating: 
Summary: More than I wanted to know
Review: I was in high school during JFK's presidency, and have lived with the myth of Camelot and the dashing young man and his family since then. This book has revealed the seamy side of both Jack and Jackie, and has been an eye-opener. While an intimate portrait of Jackie has been painted, I think much of the book focused more on JFK's sex life and was a constant barrage of negatives and sensationalism. Obviously, neither one of these people were paragons of virtue but I know that regardless of their vices, they did leave some positive legacies and were bigger than life - which fooled us all in the days when Americans were impressed with wealth, high society and waste. Thank goodness, the information age has enabled the exchange of ideas, communication and the folly of worshiping not so perfect people because they are rich or have power. The integrity of Americans come from real people - and the book showed how unreal the lives of shallow people are, and how money and power can certainly bring out the worst in us. After reading this book, I will always see JFK and Jackie through different eyes; and while I'm sorry for the loss of my innocence in remembering history, am glad to have been given a glimpse of reality, so that hopefully history does not have to be repeated.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but somewhat slanted
Review: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is as fixed as an American landmark, as the beautiful and refined wife of one of the most inexplicably popular presidents of all time. But how much of "Jackie" did the public see, and how much was real? We travel from the beginning of Jackie's life to near its end (though the biography stops short of her death, or that of her son): a girl raised between the ultra-womanizer Black Jack Bouvier, and ruthless social-climber Janet Lee Bouvier Auchincloss. Jackie became accomplished, admired, beautiful, and eventually married into the politically ambitious Kennedy family, a now legendary marriage. It chronicles her time in the White House, the death of her husband, her loyal campaigning for Robert Kennedy, her marriage to the wealthy Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis, her second widowhood, her career as a publishing editor, and the early adult lives of her two children. Heymann avoids some of the pitfalls of many Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis biographies, such as excessive fawning on Jackie herself, and excessive speculation on her inner state. He doesn't avoid all of them; there is a great deal of information on not only Jack's raunchy extramarital affairs, but those of Jackie's father, Joe Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Ari Onassis. He does, however, provide equal information about relevent "supporting players," such as Jackie's sister Lee Radziwell and Onassis's tragic daughter Christina. Fans of Jackie might not like this book; Heymann does not gloss over Jackie's many flaws, and utilizes many testimonies to back himself up. Jackie is revealed as a shopaholic who spent money without restraint, was quite manipulative, and often acted in a very cold, unfeeling manner. Yet he also emphasized her very real sorrow when Jack died, and how it affected her for a long time after. Readers will find themselves unable to sympathize at all with Jack, given the behavior chronicled in here. In fact, Heymann seems to be either showing the harsh, brutal truth about both of them, or is slanted away in sympathy. However, he uses the same treatment for every person, ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Frank Sinatra. Readers will have to judge for themselves what is the correct portrayal. Heymann does a very good job chronicling other people's opinions of Jackie in this book, from prominent people such as Gore Vidal down to Grecian store clerks. Rather than painting a picture, he puts together a mosaic of very small pieces, interview snippets, sightings, and so forth. His writing style is pleasant and well-ordered, not stiff or difficult at all. Heymann's biography is a nice gossipy read, if you don't mind reading a few very long chapters on Jack's extramarital activities. Pleasantly written, well-researched, with either a dislike of the subject or a very impartial eye. You be the judge.
Rating: 
Summary: read anything other than this
Review: There are so many other books about jackie kennedy. The best are "Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years". It gives such great insight into the marriage of Jack and Jackie Kennedy. It has many excellent interviews with white house insiders who knew both very well. Another is America's Queen. These two books do an excellent job of not focusing on simply retelling the stories of Jackie's life but examning her life and the choices she made. The books I just mentioned are not puff pieces and they are not dedicated, like this book is, to showing the "dark side" as if these two peolple were only pitiful, sad people. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was a extreemly complex person, something this book simply does not express enough.
Rating:
Summary: read anything other than this
Review: There is precisely ONE interesting chapter in this long-winded tome: the day JFK was assassinated. The rest is so trivial that it defies belief. One cannot help but wonder how a person can live such a shallow, superficial life without committing suicide out of sheer boredom.
Jacquie's entire existence was a seemingly endless round of shopping, cocktail parties, and lavish holidays. She comes across as thoroughly despicable, as a person totally consumed by acquiring every petty object she lays eyes on. It makes for very DULL reading - you keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever does because her life was meaningless. What is most outrageous, is this enduring myth that she was a great mother, devoted to her son and daughter. Infact, she shipped them off to boarding school at heartbreakingly young ages, spending what amounts to a few months out of an entire year with either of them. How she has managed to maintain this aura of respect and awe is beyond me - all she ever did was shop and take vacations. Despite her millions, she was decidedly ungenerous, contributed almost nothing to any worthy cause, and lived a self-centered, self-absorbed life. If JFK hadn't been killed, she would have gone done in history like any other rich, country-club wife of a former president. This is hands-down the most boring biography I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read, but be prepared for the ugly truth...
Review: This author may be the male version of Kitty Kelly. Basically the book is a history of Jackie Kennedy that has a good amount of scandalous details about her married life to both of the famous men she caught and a few bits after she is widowed the second time. We also get some bits about her family and JFK's family thrown in for good measure. Of course we get to learn a lot about her relationships with JFK and Onassis, but I also liked the details about her relationships with RFK and LBJ. The reason I read this book was I wanted a better understanding of her White House years, her relationship with JFK. The book does touch on these two topics, but not in the kind of depth I was looking for. To be fair I should have really found a book that just dealt with these topics solely so I can not mark this book down too far on this issue. The book did cover the Onassis relationship, which I found very interesting. They really seamed to have a marriage of convenience. It looked like an interesting game they played with each other. The other interesting relationship detailed was between her and LBJ. Overall the book was interesting if not a little on the gossipy side. It is a good overview of her life and some added info on the family's she was married into. It is easy to get through and the author does a good job with some of the less exciting topics.
Rating:
Summary: All the Gossip You Need
Review: This author may be the male version of Kitty Kelly. Basically the book is a history of Jackie Kennedy that has a good amount of scandalous details about her married life to both of the famous men she caught and a few bits after she is widowed the second time. We also get some bits about her family and JFK's family thrown in for good measure. Of course we get to learn a lot about her relationships with JFK and Onassis, but I also liked the details about her relationships with RFK and LBJ. The reason I read this book was I wanted a better understanding of her White House years, her relationship with JFK. The book does touch on these two topics, but not in the kind of depth I was looking for. To be fair I should have really found a book that just dealt with these topics solely so I can not mark this book down too far on this issue. The book did cover the Onassis relationship, which I found very interesting. They really seamed to have a marriage of convenience. It looked like an interesting game they played with each other. The other interesting relationship detailed was between her and LBJ. Overall the book was interesting if not a little on the gossipy side. It is a good overview of her life and some added info on the family's she was married into. It is easy to get through and the author does a good job with some of the less exciting topics.
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