In Her Sister's Shadow: An Intimate Biography of Lee Radziwill [Hardcover]

Diana Dubois (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

Even before the days of Camelot, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was a difficult act to follow - and no one felt this more than her charming, pretty, younger sister. As Diana DuBois demonstrates in this unauthorized biography, the patterns of sibling competition formed in childhood would subtly influence Lee Radziwill throughout her life. Never quite as graceful in the spotlight as Jackie, Lee made up the difference with glitter and glamour, finding husbands, relationships and lovers among the international jet set. She was first married to Michael Canfield, rumoured to be the bastard child of British royalty, then to Prince Stanislas Radziwill - real royalty in exile - and finally to director Herbert Ross. From New York and London to the capitals and sun spots of Europe, Lee has lived at the pinnacle of style, with friends such as Diana Vreeland, Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol, Leslie Caron, Truman Capote, Richard Meier and, of course, the Kennedys. Perhaps most telling, Aristotle Onassis was Lee's conquest - until the day she invited her sister along for a sail on his yacht. One theme has underscored all the dazzle: Lee's jealous rivalry with her stunning sister, from childhood in East Hampton to high-profile adulthood. This book is a portrait of a woman living too close to a legend, and never quite becoming one herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lee Bouvier Radziwill's lifelong rivalry with her older sister, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was intrinsic to each woman's identity and fueled their individuality, according to this perceptive, unauthorized biography. New York-based freelance journalist DuBois portrays Radziwill as a desperately insecure, manipulative yet vulnerable woman whose descent into alcoholism multiplied her woes and left her children, Anthony and Tina, adrift and forlorn. Her recovery was assisted by third husband Herbert Ross, the Hollywood director, whom she wed in 1988 after two unhappy marriages-first to drunken homebody Michael Canfield, adopted son of publisher Cass Canfield, and next to Polish emigre prince Stanislas Radziwill, a London real estate mogul with whom, she belatedly discovered, she had little in common. DuBois traces her subject's insecurity to her divorcing parents-the alcoholic, philandering Wall Street stockbroker John Bouvier III and the ambitious, dominant Janet Norton Lee-who used their daughters as instruments of revenge in a bitter, ongoing feud. DuBois nicely sets Lee Radziwill's social whirl with Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote and Diana Vreeland against a disconcerting portrait of a "soul of bluff and illusion." Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316187534
• ISBN-13: 978-0316187534
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #734,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( O ) > Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overshadowed, July 8, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Her Sister's Shadow: An Intimate Biography of Lee Radziwill (Hardcover)

If Lee Radziwell is ever referred to, it is usually in minor passages in Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis biographies; a minor character in the overblown legend of the Kennedy dynasty. Yet "In Her Sister's Shadow" offers a new view of Lee Radziwell and the parallels to her more famous sister.

The book covers Lee Radziwell's three marriages, two children, and multiple careers ranging from an author to an interior decorator to an actress. It also covers the unspoken rivalry between her and Jacqueline Kennedy. Though Lee was often considered the prettier and more interesting of the two, her sister became an internationally beloved figure. Lee's quest for happiness, glamour and fame is the central focus of this biography.

Upon finishing this book, it is easy to see parallels between Jackie and Lee: both married powerful men, both were reputed to be difficult to get along with, both thrived in glamour and fashionable circles. Yet Lee often seems to be the more interesting of the two, simply because she did not have the "Camelot" myth and the Kennedy aura paving her way. She stumbled and fell more often than Jackie, and her repeated attempts to pick herself up make her a more real and interesting person.

The writing style is somewhat gossipy, though not as explicit as is usual in Kennedy-related biographies. When love affairs and marriages are referred to, the references are usually tasteful and discreet, except for the description of an obscene art exhibit made by Truman Capone. The photos are excellent, displaying Lee in a variety of places and settings and in the different stages of her life, as well as ones of her children and ex-husbands.

Overall this is an intriguing read about an interesting woman who has been overshadowed for years by her sister. While readers may not truly like Lee when they are finished, it is difficult not to admire her.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars How much is really true?, December 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In Her Sister's Shadow: An Intimate Biography of Lee Radziwill (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read several biographies on Jacqueline Kennedy and I was intrigued when I heard that one had been written about her sister, Lee. I read this book and enjoyed the gossipy details about the 1960s jet set and Camelot. However, this biography begins with Lee's first visit to AA in 1981 but never mentions her drinking again until more than halfway through. Then there's a brief chapter about her problem drinking and then it's dropped again. It just seemed to me that the author used the AA story line to snag the reader when that was unnecessary. Ms. Radziwill had/has a fascinating,privileged life. That is reason enough to read the book. Some of the stories were so bitchy that one must discount them at least partially. But there's enough there which rings with truth to keep you entertained.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shattering Image of the Camelot Years, May 25, 2000

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Her Sister's Shadow: An Intimate Biography of Lee Radziwill (Mass Market Paperback)

Very disturbing and scandalous book on the life of Princess Lee Radziwill (sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) will leave many wondering what went wrong in her life. From her childhood years in New York to the present day, Diana Dubois paints an unflattering picture of the second most famous Bouvier sister. With the resecent death of her son Anthony (he passed away from cancer only two weeks shortly after the death of his beloved cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash) the lives of Lee and Jackie are eerily similar. Married to powerful men, considered regal in social circles, each had a son and a daughter, etc.. Lee's life as a primadonna will leave many with negative thoughts for years to come. If you are into sensationalism, this book is for you.