The Other Man: A Love Story

Rating:
Summary: The Other Man
Review: This is a wonderful, truthful book that explores the depths of true love. I found myself wanting more...No matter how famous or powerful someone is they still fall prey to "real emotions" that the average person experiences. I think this book is a wonderful book and story that makes you feel and experience the joy and the pain of the relationship between Michael and Carolyn Bessette. I saw the interview on A & E and my heart was absolutely breaking for Michael. I am happy to learn he is happily married with a beautiful family. I respect him for coming forward and clearing Carloyn's name. I hate to hear some of the things that have been said...and he had wonderful things to say about her...when he talks about her he just glowed. I think he is very genuine.

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Summary: Shameless Exploitation
Review: I really wanted to give Michael Bergin a fighting chance as I started this book but by Page 12 he was done for. Even if you try to overlook the fact that Carolyn Bissette is no longer around to speak for herself, the campy writing and ridiculous scenarios that Mr. Bergin recalls are worse than anything on "Lifetime." For example, he tells us over and over that he and Carolyn would fight and scream and then make love. To get back at Carolyn for going out with John Kennedy Jr, Mr. Bergin picks up an actress and "has wild sex for seven days." Adding to this toxic mess are numerous modeling photos of Mr Bergin in various stages of undress. Yes he is handsome and buffed and chisled but the photos are overkill - almost as if he is ambulance chasing for a modeling job. But this book is'nt just poorly written, it's poison-pen journalism at its worst. The last and perhaps greatest insult to Carolyn occurs on the last page where Mr. Bergin had the gall to include a photograph of Carolyn and John Kennedy with the words "Rest In Peace." Indeed !

Rating:
Summary: Cheesy
Review: This is no more than another example of cheap opportunism and self-aggrandizement masquerading as a "tell all" confession. It is not particularly well-written and tells the reader a whole lot more about the writer than he would likely want us to know. He's mainly interested in exploiting his l5 minutes of fame. I borrowed this book from a houseguest, and found it to be just another piece of sleazy junk that I was unable to finish. Don't buy this thing - it's trash.

Rating:
Summary: The Other Man
Review: I loved the book. I thought it was honest and lovely I enjoyed reading it. It's ok Michael I feel you told the truth. Enjoy your family, I'm sure Carolyn is smiling down at you for the choices you made for both of you.

Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: If Bergin was so proud of his relationship with Caroline, why not write the book while she was still alive? Money, that's why. He's making much more with her dead, and that is just terrible. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this book is poorly written gossip about someone not alive to contradict him or defend herself. Bergin should be ashamed.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money....
Review: Frankly, I so regret having spent that much money for this book! If Carolyn Bessette wouldn't have married John Kennedy Jr. we would have never heard about her "love story" with Michael Bergen, right? Clearly, the book has been written for money, nothing else. Theirs was a relationship based on sex and nothing more. Carolyn was mentally unstable and also very superficial, not the main ingredients for a great love story... I had the impression of wasting my time reading that book, it's only banalities IMHO.

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Summary: These reviews are funny
Review: This is not a review but a complaint, how could you people give this book one star, because it's the truth? Are you people really mad just because he might have ruined your poor little carolyns reputation? When love does not work out it sparks a creative side, bergin is simply putting his memories on paper for some closure. I recently had a heartbreak and lately I have been writing my memories and things down, am I trying to get exposure, no. I see no reason why this book should be rated so low, the only reason that I've seen is because it seems to hurt everyones feelings cause he talked about her faults. The truth always set you free, did you expect him to lie? that's the way she was, deal with it. We are all humans.

Rating:
Summary: The Other Man
Review: What this man did lacks class and reveals his shallow nature. If he honestly cared for Carolyn he would never have dishonored her in the wake of her tragic death...and profit from this shameful book. I can only imagine how she would feel about the writing of this book. Ironic how this books juxtaposes chivalry in the shaming of a "son of Camelot"...Camelot where chivalry was the honor of the day.

Rating:
Summary: Painfully honest
Review: I always was fascinated with JFK, Jr. and his wife, Carolyn. There was something that was so intriguing about them and I always wanted to learn more. If either of their pictures were on the cover of a magazine, then I would buy it so I could learn more about them.

When I saw the interview of Michael Bergin with Paula Zahn on CNN, it was clearly obvious to me that it was going to be an honest book, whether or not any of the Kennedy/Bessette families liked it. It really bothered me that Paula Zahn was so ready to attack Michael Bergin for writing this book, as if he's the first person to ever expose a high-profile person's "other side".

Bottom line...I liked it. There is no doubt in my mind that it is all factual, especially because you can feel his emotions through his writing. He's not some up-and-coming author...this was cathartic for Mr. Bergin and for those of us who like to see that the super-stars are people too, it was a treat to read.

Being that I'm the same age as Michael, I was also able to relate to a lot of what was going on in his life. Some people may think he sold out Carolyn, but my opinion was that he got to share with us another side of Carolyn that was fascinating to read. I wish him the best.

Rating:
Summary: The interviews on TV were better, IMHO
Review: Michael Bergin sets out in this book to do something that most of the mainstream media has not or ever tried to do....that is, portray Carolyn Bessette Kennedy as a real person from behind the headlines. During the last several years of her life, she was shown as very little more (at the best) than a "glamorous" wife of someone famous who was struggling to deal the intense media attention.....and largely failing.

I usually approach these sorts of books expecting little and in this case, I was NOT disappointed.

Whether or not Bergin wrote this book for money or to extend his 15 mins. of fame was immaterial to me. Frankly I wanted to see if this book would accomplish its goal of humanizing Carolyn. In my opinion, it largely fails in this goal. Why you ask.......?

Bergin, not the most articulate person (self-confessed, not my criticism), states that Carolyn was even less communicative w/in the context of their relationship other than sexually. From the start to finish in this book, Carolyn is hardly ever portrayed (by him) as actually talking TO HIM...in fact, quite the contrary. Time and time again, she REFUSES to talk to him, even in the happiest/saddest of their shared experiences. This is the book's main failing, IMHO. How could he humanize her if one of the basic elements of human contact is MISSING, ie. communication? When one considers that the time frame of this book was between 1992-1999, it seems obvious that either Michael read too much into this relationship OR that Carolyn was neurotic/cold beyond belief. Either can be true, but if you've been involved with someone over a period of 7 years (off/on) and you know them not much better than you did when you met, perhaps there's more than a little delusion involved on someone's part. In short, this guy didn't KNOW her.....she never let him in nor did he know how to get what he wanted from her. Her reasons for keeping him emotionally and physically isolated in this relationship are anyone's guess, but since he's writing the book, he should be able to give the answers. He can't.

He constantly refers to himself as "the other man", "feeling like the mistress of a married man", etc....and yet he continues (obviously) pining for her to this day (his fiancée...and THEIR 2 kids aside). Why, one wonders, as they read this book?!

The one FEELING you walk away w/ is that he was simply a bed buddy to her, to put it kindly...a situation that firmly held until ALMOST the end of her life, if he's to be believed. (He claims that she wanted to leave JFK Jr. and run off w/ him, whom he declined) If anything, Bergin has done nothing more than highlight (and rehash) this woman's alleged personal failings w/o shedding any light on WHY she was this way. After 242 pages, one can easily conclude he didn't simply because HE COULDN'T....he never got to know the inner person. He doesn't seem to realize that either. Apparently, Carolyn DID. Whatever HER failings, one can easily see why she chose someone else.

He exposes the abortions (w/ the implication that at least one was another man's child), a "miscarriage" (tho I'm not sure if this was nothing more than his implying yet another abortion, but this time w/in the marriage to John), the drug use, her superficiality (only seeking handsome men, making him over as if he weren't good enough for her, her social climbing, using people...HIM, etc), her controlling nature, neuroses, and, ultimately, her coldness (except in the sack). In short, this was a soft sell hatchet job because he says little that most people would consider positive about her.... basically, the same thing he accused Klein of doing. (He DOES give her credit for not tearing down his dreams or self-esteem and encouraging him, but in the greater part of his portrayal implies that she ultimately did all of these things) However, he also (unwittingly?) exposes himself to these same criticisms. He exposed his irresponsible sex life while claiming to be a romantic (he "falls into bed" w/ women constantly, but only pines for Carolyn.... apparently has unprotected sex as standard practice, gets more than one woman pregnant, etc....), he exposes his self-pity, narcissism, his drug/alcohol use, and (thinly veiled) anger towards this woman. In short, he shows his immaturity and it gets VERY tedious.

At the end of the day, his father WAS right. This book doesn't accomplish its goal (or did it?) wrt Carolyn and did him no justice either. (John hardly figures in at all, BTW.....his face is simply on the cover to sell more books, IMHO) All one walks away w/ is more questions than answers and a feeling that both of these people were/are destined for unhappy endings (tho I DO hope the best for Michael and his family). What he DOES succeed in doing is portraying them both as too self-absorbed to really be capable of adult love (as opposed to lust). Sadly, this book is a testament to the saying that "silence is golden". Unlike Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Michael Bergin will have to live w/ his words....I hope he comes to realize this.