The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family [Paperback]

Laurence Leamer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1996

"A FRESH AND UNVARNISHED PORTRAIT OF A FASCINATING, TALENTED, AND DEEPLY FLAWED FAMILY."
—Boston Herald

Laurence Leamer was granted unheralded access to private Kennedy papers, and he interviewed family and old friends, many of whom had never been interviewed before, for this incredible portrait of the women in America’s "royal family." From Bridget Murphy, the foremother who touched shore at East Boston in 1849, to the intelligent, independent Kennedy women of today, Laurence Leamer tells their unforgettable stories.

Here are the private thoughts of Kathleen, the flirtatious debutante in prewar England . . . the truth behind Joe Kennedy’s insistence that his mildly retarded daughter, Rosemary, be lobotomized . . . the real story behind Joan and Ted’s whirlwind romance . . . Jackie’s desire for a divorce from JFK in the 1950s . . . Pat Lawford’s disastrous Hollywood marriage . . . how Caroline discovered her cousin David’s death by overdose, and more.

Tough enough to withstand the unimaginable, these Kennedy women soldier on in the name of their extraordinary family and what they believe is right.

"MASTERFUL . . . AN ENDLESSLY FASCINATING READ . . . A wealth of beautifully rendered social detail, at times reading like a realist novel by Edith Wharton . . . [A] page-turner from start to finish."
—The Dallas Morning News

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This intimate portrait of five generations of Kennedy women is the basis for a minidocudrama airing in October.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Another Kennedy family saga, this one focusing on the women, from Irish forebears to feminist Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert and Ethel. For Kennedy aficionados, much of the material is familiar. In 1849, immigrants Bridget Murphy and Patrick Kennedy met on the boat from Ireland. Nine years after their marriage, she was a widow with four children who worked as a domestic servant, then bought and ran a variety store. In some ways, for the women of the Kennedy family, Bridget's story is as inspiring as it gets. From Rose, who married Bridget's grandson, Joe, to some two dozen grandchildren, author Leamer (King of the Night, 1989) tells a story that is as sad as it is tragic, with Rose as its center. In the grip of the Roman Catholic Church--which saw the role of a woman as mother and moral center--Rose changed from an ambitious, lively, curious girl to a wife and mother whose emotions were rigidly controlled and whose mechanisms of denial so highly refined that she could accept her husband's lovers--notably Gloria Swanson--into her home. She passed much of that legacy on to her daughters Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Jean. Open displays of tenderness were reserved for Rosemary, the retarded child, who was lobotomized and institutionalized out of the public eye. Kathleen is captured as the American who enchanted English society until her death in a plane crash; Eunice as the most successful in building a life of her own. Pat and Jean were not so lucky. The prickly paths of the daughters-in-law--Jackie, Joan, and Ethel--are included here as well. Although the ambitions of many of Rose's granddaughters, including Maria Shriver and Caroline Kennedy, have been tempered by marriage and children, theirs is a generation that seems to have shaken off the chains of Kennedy women as victims of a moral dichotomy. By ferreting out new sources and new material and putting the familiar tales into a broader social context, Leamer gives a clearer if not always brighter picture of what it means to be a Kennedy woman. (32 pages of b&w photographs, family tree, not seen). -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st Ballantine Books Trade Pbk. Ed edition (September 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449911713
• ISBN-13: 978-0449911716
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a virtual feast for Kennedy lovers, January 12, 2002

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family (Hardcover)

For five years bestselling author, journalist & social historian Laurence Leamer researched the book, receiving unprecedented cooperation from Kennedy family members, interviewing scores of relatives & close associates, & gaining access to hundreds of personal documents. The book combines his exhaustive & superb scholarship with a gripping narrative that will forever alter our perception of America's royal family.

The Kennedy Women is a virtual feast for Kennedy lovers. The book could serve as a university course on the life of the family, chronicling five matrilineal generations in our nation's foremost political dynasty. It provides a poetic panorama of the history of American womanhood, as we are taken from the life of Bridget Murphy Kennedy, who arrived steerage class on an immigrant vessel to work as a servant in the slums of Boston, to the presentation of Joseph Kennedy's daughters to the Queen of England, to John F. Kennedy's White House, through discussions of the future Kennedy matriarchs Caroline Kennedy Scholossberg, Maria Shriver Schwartzenegger, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, & Rory Kennedy.

Wonderful, in-depth portraits with much new material are given of all the Kennedy women, particularly the ubiquitous Jackie, Ethel, & Eunice, & the mentally challenged Rosemary, whose story in all its horror & duplicity is revealed in detail.

It isn't often that one mourns coming to the end of a book. Although The Kennedy Women covers 933 pages, I was saddened to find myself on the last page.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compassionate portrait, July 15, 2000

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family (Paperback)

When the Kennedy's entered the White House, everybody assumed that they were the perfect family. Following assasinations and tabloid headlines, the men were subsequently were criticized for fast living and political decisions.

The women, once ideal images of feminity became scorned for being the "ideal helpmate". For years, the press did not want to cover the women in anything other than fashion and family. Although Jackie despised the "little wife" role, she nonetheless went with it for the sake of election.

This book does a good job reconcilling the two methods of examination. For the first time, we get a well rounded picture of America's most famous family as seen through the eyes of women. Thanks to the separate spheres approach that prevailed until the late 20th century. If JFK's sisters were political, it was under the non-threating guise of community service and volunteer work.

Although Rose Kennedy was considered a tradditional matriarch, no other book had touched her subconcious desire to enter into politics or her intial revulsion of Joe Sr's womanizing. Thus, the dislike of Jackie (many people did not realize how much policy making influence she had) becomes all of the more ironic.

Younger generations of Kennedy women such as Kathleen Kennedy Townsend have also continued this tradition, but have sought (and won) elected office in their own right. RFK's youngest daughter, Rory, is an avowed feminist activist. This book would be of interest to anybody studying political dynastys and or the Kennedy family in particular. Because it balances the positives and negatives of it's focus, the book is well balanced and easy to read. Be warry of imitators because this is the definitive work.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best I've Read in a LOOOONG Time, January 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family (Paperback)

I bought this used and have literally spent the last three days reading it. I couldn't put it down; and I attribute that to Mr. Leamer's excellent writing style and meticulous and unbiased research. I think it's amazing that almost forty years after Dallas there is still an incredible amount of drek and sensational junk journalism floating around the Kennedy family. This book seemed to be very well-researched and the highly readable prose made it a true page-turner.

I was astonished at Joe Kennedy's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized; the passages about her in later years, especailly when her mother, Rose, tried to reconnect with her, were absolutely heartbreaking. That almost hurt my heart more than the more well-known murders and untimely deaths.

I have come away with a new respect for "The Girls", Eunice in particular. What a remarkable family. And an excellent book. I recommend this very highly.