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Rating: 
Summary: The First Neo-Conservative
Review: Beran makes an interesting case that Bobby Kennedy was the first neo-conservative politician--that he rejected liberalism in his last years due to an embrace of a new, faith-inspired politics. I never have much cared for the Kennedys, but this book made me take a good, long second look at Bobby.
Rating: 
Summary: History Buffs Need Not Apply
Review: Beran's premise is an an intriguing one - that RFK was really a conservative liberal; but, in the end, his position is unconvincing. His entire argument is hung on Kennedy's attempt to reform welfare and empower neglected communities to overcome hardship. Although Beran sees him as a conservative trying to break free of the liberal shakles that bind him, I see it as the true effort of a man to seek a lasting solution. Perhaps it is a conservative notion, but the true story is not that he was a liberal or conservative but a free thinker. Furthermore, Mr. Beran's interjection that "faith-based initiatives" are clearly the true path to urban renewal is inappropriate and a view that is not shared by this reader nor the framers of our constitution.The author further belittles Kennedy's opposition to the Vietnam war as shameless pandering for votes which is a view that I strongly disagree with. I believe that RFK "opposed the war" simply because he "opposed the war" and to suggest that he truly believed otherwise is baseless conjecture. It's as if the author is trying to recreate Kennedy into the man he wishes he could have been. Although the author's assesments of the 20th century liberal, politically active, aristocracy are astute; and, his obvious respect for the character of Mr. Kennedy is appreciated, his attempt to jam a proverbial square box into a round hole simply does not work. Beran demonstrates clearly that he is well read but does not present an argument that is in the end logical.
Rating:
Summary: RFK as Intellectual?
Review: Broadly, Last Patrician could be read in one of two ways:
1) RFK was an intellectual politician, working and growing in ways few (if any) modern ones have. Academics and historians (like Beran himself) add intellectual depth of explanation to RFK's actions, goals, and motives. RFK really did break from his class, go to the ghettos, and draw from the Greeks and philosophers. RFK and his academic supporters frame(d) his moves in an intellectual/historical context to a) add to understanding b) stimulate further ideas c) sway like-minded academics and media to RFK's plans. In short, the intellectual stuff (like Beran's) flushes out and supports RFK's intitiatives.
2) RFK was a pragmatic and calculating politician (say those who claim he rode McCarthy's wave into the 1968 race, etc). Intellectuals, including those on the payroll, rationalized RFK's moves as much more meaningful than they were. Writers (like Beran) tie RFK's career to the Greeks and philosophers to add weight to his reputation. RFK was calculating, with a copy of Bartlett's Quotations, and a (yes) very heavy/ interesting biography.
I agree more with #1. Regardless, after reading many books on RFK (Evan Thomas' is a good one... Arthur Schlessinger's overblown IMHO), Last Patrician is a breath of fresh air. It is a book of ideas with RFK as a pivot-point. Would RFK ever have explained his ideas in such philosophical ways? Likely not. But, again, Beran provides his own fresh take on RFK. If you wonder why intellectuals are smitten with RFK, Last Patrician provides a good case study. Folks read a lot into RFK, and maybe Beran does too... and he makes it interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: New book has interesting thesis but needs an editor
Review: I liked this book in general and found the arguments interesting. I have read Kennedy's speeches and have generally agreed with the author's theories. The book is also a fast read and reasonably well written/organized. However there are a couple of problems with the book. First,as was said, it needs a good editor. There are a couple of repetitions which are not needed in a book of this length. Second, how many times can one use the word Stimsonian in one sentence? 10 or 20? Maybe the author should have developed a synonym for the word. Finally, often the author makes an argument without quoting from Kennedy. Unsubstantiated arguments become just one guys opinion and not a great theory to work form. Still, a good book and an interesting thesis.
Rating: 
Summary: Compassionate Conservative
Review: Sen. Bobby Kennedy (D) (NY) 1925-1968, was a complex character; one like his sister-in-law, Jackie Bouvier-Kennedy-Onassis was so fascinating. Both so private-yet you felt and still feel like you knew or know them. We lost a lot the day Bobby died, we lost idealism and thought.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Intelligent Book
Review: The premise alone of The Last Patrician is enough to make it a must read for any serious student of, to borrow from Arthur Schlesinger, Robert Kennedy and his times. Beran, a Groton and Ivy League educated lawyer, hypothesizes that Bobby Kennedy, in his efforts to find his own identity, was in the process of shedding his favorable opinions of the welfare state when he was killed. It's a pretty controversial claim. I mean, who would think that Bobby Kennedy might have had more in common with Bill Clinton or even Ronald Reagan than he would with Franklin Roosevelt, or his own bother Edward.
He describes the political and social world in which the Kennedys were brought up, which was at the peak of what could be called "the new American aristocracy." This new patrician class stressed athletic prowess, as well as intellectual pursuits. RFK became the epitome of this class, and through it saw how the welfare state was affecting American society. When he came to the realization, according to Beran, he broke with traditional liberal thought, and was heading toward what might best be described as a compassionate conservatism, when he was killed in Los Angeles.
Beran makes his arguments convincingly, using analogies from all varieties of literature. His bibliography alone is something to marvel at, ranging from the typical RFK biographies to the diaries of Edward Gibbon and the poetry of T.S. Eliot. In the end, despite making a strong case, Beran does little convincing. The main thing that a reader can glean from this truly impressive work, as well as any others on Robert Kennedy, is a heartfelt sense of loss upon thinking of what might have been.
Rating:
Summary: Take This Book Seriously
Review: This author has done a fine job of integrating Robert Kennedy into political history that predates him. His descriptions of "Stimsonian politicians" adds a new dimension to the late Senator. Robert Kennedy was a very complex, interesting person and this author, to his credit treats him with respect. This book covers a large period spanning several decades of political ideology without being verbose. It is an excellent book for anyone seriously interested in the political make up of Robert Kennedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Claptrap
Review: This book starts well, but by the end it's a shambles. Beran invents a concept - "Stimsonianism" - as a paper tiger against which to contrast RFK. It's an interesting idea, and even an enlightening one; it shows how revolutionary RFK was in terms of the politics that came before him. But, labor mightily though he does, Beran can't sustain a whole book on this. It's notable that Beran apparently did no independent research of any kind for this book - he looked at none of RFK's papers, he interviewed none of his friends or relatives. His source material is all widely-published secondhand stuff. He also apparently has no particular credentials as a writer or historian; his bio in the book simply says that Beran is an attorney. As the book goes along, Beran begins pouring all his conservative views into into RFK. By the end, Beran is close to outright trashing the idea of communitarianism - a trashing that anyone who's read Robert Kennedy's speeches would know that RFK would have disagreed with vehemently. Beran's attempt to "reclaim" RFK as the First Neocon is ahistorical. None of RFK's family has ever suggested that RFK is even remotely as conservative as Beran tries to make him. By the end, reading this book is like listening to someone who's desparately trying to see a vision of the Virgin Mary in their dirty second-floor house window. You have to admire their passion, but wishing doesn't make it so.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This is a book best suited for academic types. It is more about the author's description of the "end of the American aristocracy" than it is about Bobby Kennedy. The writing feels overblown, using five dollar words when fifty cent words would have sufficed. And as other reveiwers here have noted, the use of the word "Stimsonian" over and over, without adequetely describing what a "Stimsonian" is(or was, or might be)got pretty annoying by the end of the book. Still, if ones interest in the Kennedy's is deep enough, the book does provide yet another take on the mystique surrounding one of America's most loved-and despised-families.
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