Customer Reviews

Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book really turned me around on how much both Princess Di and Jackie Onassis accomplished in a substantive way with their lives. I always thought, "oh they were like Barbie dollls, attractive but not worth much more than a pretty photograph." Boy was I wrong. They each really worked hard at the things they loved, and it was really interesting to see the parallels in their two lives...how much they were alike and, more telling, how much they differed.

Jackie was stronger, more self assured, but Diana was more compelling and vibrant. They both made great contributions to the world and this book does an excellent job of making the case that each woman deserves to be taken seriously as a female role model and icon.

There are dozens of vapid biographies of both Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana out there, but this book manages to do the work of two: It has vapid info on both of them! What a thrill! Jay Mulvaney strains to produce some sort of substantial comparison and contrast, but the result is less than satisfying. (Considering that his only other books are about Kennedys and clothing, I wasn't expecting anything too earth-shattering)

Using the trio of "naiden, mother, myth" (instead of "maiden, mother, crone"), he examines the lives of both Di and Jackie -- their childhoods, their marriages, the two children each of them had, their husbands, and their lives after their husbands (in Di's case, post-divorce; in both of Jackie's cases, in widowhood).

One of the biggest problems with this book is the superficiality. The book makes a great deal out of similarities that just don't mean much -- divorced parents, philandering husbands, overbearing in-laws, out-of-control weddings, and so on. But the fact is that though there are some similarities (both of them became irrational focuses for the masses), there isn't a lot of similarity under the surface.

Yes, both of them had divorced parents, but WHY they divorced is drastically different. Yes, both of their husbands cheated on them, but they had drastically different personas. Those husbands were a shy, spoiled aristocrat and an outgoing, charismatic elected leader; one actually NEEDED a wife to uphold his image in order to get his position, while the other just wanted one. Despite what Mulvaney says, Diana was not close to Jackie's level intellectually (by her own admission, no less). And their own personalities were at different ends of the scale -- outgoing and sensitive, versus private and almost snobby. The superficiality of things like divorced parents, pretty clothes, crazy weddings and obnoxious in-laws are clearly shown.

Moreover, Mulvaney seems to be one of those biographers who dreads speaking ill of anyone. He claims it would be "harsh" to refer to Rose Kennedy or Queen Elizabeth II as a bad mom. Well, Charles and Jack were quite harsh, then. Bad personality traits are watered down, obnoxious tendencies are diminished. The worst thing he says about Rose is that her memoirs are full of "half truths and evasions." (Mulvaney has an evasion of his own: Rose disliked Jackie)

In short, this book can be summarized as: "Jackie and Di had some similarities." It doesn't even provide interesting pictures or any new information whatsoever; everything in this book is gleaned from previous material. All the "intertwining" that Mulvaney can manage is to start many of the paragraphs with, "Like Diana..." or "Like Jackie..."

Basically, this book feels like an attempt to draw in Di and Jackie enthusiasts all at once. It could just as easily have been about Diana and Grace Kelly, or Jackie and Hillary Clinton. A quick'n'dirty, very generic read about the Windsors and Kennedys, and there ain't nothing new here.

What an interesting book! Mulvaney takes the lives of the two most chronicled, photographed women of the 20th century and puts them in a fascinating new context. While there is little new here in terms of facts or photos, it's the writer's interpretation of this oft-told tales that make the book worth reading. (For example, I never realized how similar Jackie's and Diana's realtionships with their mothers-in-law were.) By contrasting the way these two world famous women played the roles most women are expected to play -- maiden, wife and mother -- he makes their extraordinary lives more relatable. Most fascinating of all to me was the cross-cultural note: It was Jackie, enigmatic to the end, who kept her private life private and maintained an almost-English "stiff upper lip;" it was Diana who openly, impusively shared her life with world in a more typically American fashion. And it remains Jackie's sense of mystery and Diana's vulnerabiity that continue to fascinate us, years after they're gone.

Mulvaney has taken two of the most famous women of the last century and compared and contrasted them in the roles all woman are cast in (Maidens, Mothers, Myths). It's a fabulous idea and makes for very entertaining reading. While there is little new in this book about the lives of either of these well-documented ladies, the parallells Mulvaney draws between them gives the familiar information a fresh spin. (In particular, I'd never considered how similar their relationships to their formidable mothers-in-law were!) The cultural comments are interesting, too. Jackie maintained her (stereotypically English) "stiff upper lip" to the very end, while Diana took the more typically American, open approach to her life and her problems. And that's why I believe these women continue to fascinate. As much as we read about Jackie, we'll never feel we knew her -- she's an enigma we keep trying to solve. And it was Diana's very openness and accessibility that made her so appealing.

If you think that these two women are lightweights, read this book. This is an interesting and highly readable accounting of two lives that fascinated many millions of people. Even the fact that they've been gone for many years hasn't dimmed our enthusiasm or interest.

Diana and Jackie does an excellent job of taking these two mega-stars and presenting them as women, well rounded, human and sympathetic characters in a really vivid story.

I admit that I knew a lot about Princess Diana but didn't know that much about Jackie. I found it fascinating to learn how similiar these two women where and could not put the book down once I started reading it. It was so well written that I felt like I was there witnessing what was happening. I am glad that I purchased this book and have it in my library. I highly reccomend it if you admired the late Jackie and or Princess Diana.

"Diana and Jackie" is perfect for light reading, but this book reveals nothing new about either lady, nor does it delve very deeply into either's personality.
While there were certain characteristics that Diana and Jackie both shared (married to powerful men; media princesses; overcoming personal tragedy; mothers to children in the spotlight) there seem to be more differences than similarities. Jackie never aired her dirty laundry in public, while Diana elevated it to an art form. Jackie was well educated and definitely a lady of the world, before marrying Jack Kennedy, while Diana never graduated beyond basic high school education and married Prince Charles before ever truly venturing out in the world on her own. Jackie was brought up to be self-reliant, while Diana depended heavily on a man for her own self-worth. (The story that Diana always felt unwanted, as she was not born a son and an heir simply don't ring true, as her brother was born when she was three years old)
True, the deaths of both ladies hit the public hard. Jackie's was expected, but didn't lessen the sadness. Diana's was unexpected and a shock. Both were stellar mothers, who brought their children up to be independent, sensitive and understanding of the massive media attention placed on them. And their children have been their greatest legacies, so far.
If you want more in-depth looks at their amazing lives, look elsewhere. But for light, easy to digest information, this isn't a bad source.

I am halfway finished with this book. And while it reveals really nothing new, I am appalled at the errors in research. Someone didn't do their homework. I plan to finish reading it only to see how many more mistakes I can find.

On page 88, there is no capitalization for the titles Duke of Windsor and Duke of York. Calling them instead the duke of York and the duke of Windsor.

Page 101 talks about the Royal train incident. It has been told in other biographies that there was no incident. There was no one on the train.

Page 129 states that MAJESTY magazine was launched in 1981 to cover stories on Diana. I did a bit of research today on that and received an email saying that the magazine started in 1980, six months before Diana appeared on the scene. They had their 20th anniversary issue in 2000.

On page 129, the author writes of the royal women who garnered various types of attention. Loved the Queen Mum and Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent. Since the author seems to be speaking of the present time, Marina is dead. The current Duchess of Kent is Kathryn.

There is alot of skipping around and in some instances, it is assumed that the reader should already know certain information.

The general idea of the book is clever, but personally I have gotten much more enjoyment from reading separate books on these two fascinating women.

I thought that this book might be a normal sort of celebrity biography, you know, a little (GARBAGE), a little flash, but DIANA AND JACKIE is much more, and much better than that. It's really a look at the lives of these two influential woman and how they impacted both the English and American cultures. There are a lot of thought provoking questions here...was Diana being a good mother when she aired her grievences regarding her marraige to the entire world? Was that a selfish act? Or a selfless one, in that millions of other women could identify with her, and feel less ashamed about themselves.

Jackie Kennedy comes across as a very sympathetic person, one who tried (successfully) to raise her children as close to normally as possible within the Kennedy whirlwind.

The parallels between their two lives are extraordinary and very telling. It's really amazing to see how these two branches of a very strong tree grew in completely different directions.

I really liked this book and would recommend it without reservation.

The premise of this book was intriguing and so promising. Sadly, the research appears to be very poor indeed....inconsistencies, light weight and superficial. I was surprised that it wasn't better.