Jack and Jackie: Portrait of an American Marriage [Paperback]

Christopher Andersen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997

Theirs was one of the great love stories of our time. John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier captured the world's imagination as perhaps no other husband and wife in modern history have. International bestselling author Christopher Andersen examines their unique partnership and the courage, grace, and humor that defined it. "Jack and Jackie" is at once a portrait of a marriage, a glittering fairy tale, a saga of triumph and tragedy, and -- above all -- a love story.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Christopher Andersen chronicles the childhoods of both Jack Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy and then examines the fabled marriage--a great American love story, as he calls it. Andersen suggests that had it not been for reasons of personal gain, the two would never have married. She would never have married him if he hadn't been rich, and he would never have married her if his father hadn't insisted for career reasons. Andersen, who has also authored books on Madonna and Mick Jagger, contends that Jackie's sheer glamour and poise helped maintain the illusion, even in the most difficult of times. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Andersen, author of unauthorized biographies of Madonna and Michael Jackson, here chronicles the relationship between Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy. He starts with brief chapters on the early forces that impinged on their later life together: in his case, his father's money, competitiveness, and philandering; in hers, her mother's coldness, her father's philandering, and her need for money. The book is based on many interviews, though those closest to the Kennedys have kept mum. Despite JFK's supposedly juicy affairs, there are few lurid details (except for a couple about father Joe), and Andersen's is a surprisingly sympathetic view of the two principals (though he uses lots of anecdotes from the venomously anti-Kennedy writer Gore Vidal). This is good gossip, but not an essential purchase; expect demand, however, given the frenzy that accompanied the Jackie O auction.?Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380730316
• ISBN-13: 978-0380730315
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good story..but a lot seems to be fiction., July 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Jack and Jackie: Portrait of an American Marriage (Paperback)

I've read tons of information and have researched into Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis' life and found Anderson's book to be almost fiction at times. He starts the book in a dialogue format and continues to use dialogue throughout the BIOGRAPHY. I found myself asking, "How does he know the exact words that Jack and Jackie said to each other when they were in private". The book is narrated many times and it just didn't seem to be authentic. It was a good story, however and it would be nice if the book was 100% accurate. I just like to know that when I'm reading a biography, I'm reading Non-fiction...not FICTION!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Interesting, Very Informative, July 24, 2000

By 

Jocelyn L. Smith "jessiegrrl" (Johnson City, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jack and Jackie: Portrait of an American Marriage (Paperback)

As someone who was born in 1977, all that I know of the "Camelot" era has come to me second and thirdhand. This book was great at setting to rest some of the myths surrounding this famous couple and also presented some information I hadn't seen anywhere else about their private lives in the White House. I discovered many things about Jackie's life growing up that I did not know previously, and how those events factored into her decision to marry JFK.

Sometimes the author's narrative style can be jarring ("'And what would be wrong with,' she asked coyly, 'that?'") but I do not find the dialogues related to be unrealistic. It was rather like reading a transcript of an extra-long episode of A & E's "Biography" television show. The book is an engaging account of a typical high-society marriage with a tragic "what might have been in this marriage" twist resulting from Mr. Kennedy's assasination so soon after the death of their baby brought the two much closer together.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at a couple millions thought they knew, July 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Jack and Jackie: Portrait of an American Marriage (Hardcover)

An intimate look at the parts of Jack and Jackie Kennedy that were not visible to the American public. Author Christopher Andersen presents a well-researched, balanced, and sensitive portrait of Jack and Jackie. This is not a mean-spirited book, but it is honest. Don't expect Camelot. A book loaded with anecdotes that you will want to share with your friends