Customer Reviews

The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An American Saga

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Given that the Kennedy family history has been chronicled by hundreds of writers over the years, I was somewhat surprised to find this text remarkably unbiased. Although it was evident that the author had a tremendous respect and admiration for Rose (Fitzgerald) Kennedy, and an equally strong distaste for Joseph Kennedy, the book provided an excellent biographical history of the two families that combined to shape America's most enduring dynasty. The text was well researched, and comprehensive without being tedious to read. Ms. Goodwin's book should be required reading for every high school or college course in twentieth century American history.

OK, so much negative stuff has been written about the Kennedys that this somehwat romanticized perspective could be viewed as a welcome balance. Though it smacks of Horatio Alger at times, it is indeed interesting and fun and stimulates interest to dig deeper. THe best parts of this book are the history of the US.

Unfortunately, when you do dig deeper than she did, what you find is not very pretty: a genius in business, Joe Kennedy was a tough SOB who would fleece anyone to get richer. Even Kearns has to mention, for example, that he ripped off investors when he got out of Hollywood - ruining many poor people who believed in him - and that his father, a local banker and businessman, burned his account books when he died so that his son would not pursue small debtors he wanted to help out. The Kennedy kids were thrust into power as instruments of his ambition, and it cost many of them their lives, as we know. There was a lot of good in them, but they were bred to become powerful, and what they represented in politics had less to do with conviction than as a means of ascent.

I learned a great deal from this book, so recommend it. But it is also sentimental and ignores too much evidence that contradicts her fawning vision of this elite family of voracious appetites. I suspect the Kennedys recognized Kearns' predilection for nice people and charmed her into willing submission. Afterall, they are true pols, so they used her.

This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone fascinated by the Kennedy family saga. This was the most illuminating account of the family that I had ever read. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in telling the Kennedy and Fitzgerald story, gives a voice to the Boston Irish and immigrants struggling to survive and make their names. Ms. Goodwin is my favorite author; I recommend all of her work.

Dr. Goodwin writes wonderfully about American politics, the Irish Catholic immigration and integration into the polical landscape of Boston, and two families, both with terrific strengths and well noted weaknesses. The writing on Rose Fitzgerald and Joe Kennedy, Sr are particularly good. One gets a visceral feel of destiny as the desire to succeed, almost at any cost, throughout her well researched and written work. Much has been written about "plagarism" or a lack of proper footnoting (corrected in the paperback edition). I would encourage all potential readers to not allow such an unfortunate circumstance in her many years of teaching and writing to get in the way of reading this important piece of U.S. history. This book is a well researched and incredibly well written and readable account of immigration, politics and the rise of 19th Century immigrant families to economic, social and political prominence.

American popular history at its best in this history of both sides of the Kennedy family (Rose Kennedy was the daughter of Mayor John Fitzgerald of Boston) beginning in late 19th century tenement poverty in Boston and ending, 800+ pages later, at the inauguration of JFK as President. Countless things here I did not fully know. The book is quite capable of being critical of certain aspects of both families, but its overall impact is to leave one even more amazed by the accomplishments and tragedies of the Kennedy family.

I was thoroughly enthralled, gripped and engaged in this story of three generations of the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. The story begins in 1863 with the baptism of John Francis Fitzgerald in Boston and concludes almost 100 years later with the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The families' roots are traced back to the great immigration following the Irish potato famine in the 1840's. From immigration to becoming the American royal family in just three generations is a remarkable achievement that is chronicled in fascinating detail in this comprehensive, definitive narrative.

Even though it is more than 800 pages, the book is not a dry history text, but rather an intriguing glimpse into the lives of the charmed and sometimes tragic lives of this huge Irish Catholic clan. Nothing is omitted, from the affairs of Joseph Kennedy, to the flirtations of Kathleen, the appalling lobotomy of Rosemary, and the sexual antics of John F. Kennedy. The political shenanigans of the elder Fitzgerald provide an interesting examination of Boston politics in the early 1900's...rife with graft and insider manipulation.

The author's writing style is rich, powerful and mesmerizing. For instance, to describe the ascent of JFK into the limelight of American politics, she writes: "For his capacity to arouse the questing imagination of his fellow citizens, and of much of the world beyond America's borders, was to elevate the family saga past the borders of mythology. By the beginning of the fifties he already contained all the elements which his leadership was to be compounded, forged in tumultuous experience, anchored and given direction by his often resented but always unbreakable links to his extraordinary family."

The level of detail and insightful analysis into the complex characters and relationships in the family is well worth your investment of time in reading this tome. A book you won't soon forget.

Doris Kearns Goodwin provides an excellent discussion of an Irish family that made the transition into Lace Curtain Irish and beyond. The lives of both the Fitzgeralds and Kennedy families are written for the reader to obtain a more personal look into what some historians and writers have termed as "America's Royal Family". The reader is able to rejoice with the successes and grieve with the tragedies surrounding America's most politically driven family. Kearns Goodwin provides an examination of the Irish migration during the mass trans-Atlantic move during the late nineteenth century. It is an excellent addition to anyone's personal library.

I have a couple other recent books by this author, and coming upon a hardcover copy of THE FITZGERALDS AND THE KENNEDYS at the local Goodwill for .75 cents, how could I lose.

I was in high school when Jack ran for president, and as many others I was for him all the way. Too young to vote, however, and though down through the years of military and college I have continued to have memories of him (he was my commander in chief during those military years) I no longer have 'stars' in my eyes as back then. But I do still admire the practical politician he was, and think had he been allowed to finish his second term this country might be much different than it is.

This book is excellent history and politics as most reviews here will admit, however, I personally do not feel or see the Kennedy family as 'royals' as some put it. Favored family they may have been up to a point, but never royals. Where do people get this feeling? Also, Doris has been given the rap of caring or fawning too much on this family, but my feeling as a sometime writer would be, why write on any subject you dislike. A writer has to have some affinity to the subject being written about, and in many cases, as was recently said of David McCullough when writing JOHN ADAMS that he fell too much in love with his subject. I suppose that is a danger present in any biograpy, but I would rather read a sympathetic, factual bio than a hateful, factual bio. Why bother to write of some figure from history if all you are going to do is trash them due to subjective dislike.

As far as plagarism, who cares in this instance. To loosely paraphrase what Abraham Lincoln said of Grant 'he fights better drunk than my other generals who are all sober. Send him another keg'. So with Doris I say, IF she plagarised, she still writes better history than most other writers. Love her work and the subjects she picks for her work, FDR and Lincoln, especially.

Having had a mother who claimed to be Irish (now deceased) and an Irish wife (very much alive) I am glad to have this book in my home library; maybe on a lesser historical plane I can learn something of practical daily use from this large book. Hah!

Semper Fi.

As one would expect with Doris Kearns Goodwin, this is a well researched, well written book that is a wonderful read. I would normally give such a book five stars. However, the pace of the book prevents me from giving it all five stars. Certain sections of the book, especially the beginning sections on the Fitzgeralds and Joe Kennedy's Hollywood ventures, are covered in excruciating detail, and this additional attention adds little to the overall experience of the book. Such an examination would be tolerable if the sections on the Kennedy's family life were not short changed. This book does a wonderful job of covering Jack's campaigns, but the rest of the family is hardly mentioned during this period. A few paragraphs on the younger children are thrown in once in a while, but the reader is not provided with the same detail that accompanied previous sections. This is likely the unfortunate result of ending the book on the inauguration of JFK.

Overall, the book gives a relatively fair treatment to the family. Joe Kennedy might be given the benefit of the doubt in a few instances where he does not deserve it, but this does not detract from the book considering the rest of the family's relatively sound morality. Considering the scope of the book, I would highly recommend this work as an introduction to another book focusing more on the Kennedy administration or other family members. One would hope that with the death of Ted Kennedy, Ms. Goodwin might revisit this work and update it to include the totality of the accomplishments of the Kennedy family through that generation.

I am learning so much about history, families and individuals from The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. And, I am enjoying it so much. Normally, I don't tackle a book over 400 pages but this one reads like a novel. I WANT to read it. It gives me tremendous perspective on our current world for history does indeed repeat itself! One of my literary friends told me that she believes that it is the BEST book she has ever read. I agree. Doris Kearnes Goodwin has done her research - as the footnotes indicate. Yet, she writes with incredible insights. This book will continue living in my memory for decades.