The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis: Portrait of a Rider (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Official Middleburg Life Cookbook..." (more)
Key Phrases: horse show, horse country, White House, First Lady, East Hampton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It could be argued that every aspect of Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s life has been examined ad nauseum, but Moon appears to have struck upon an overlooked treasure in this tribute to the former First Lady’s lifelong love of horses. Moon, the author and founder, editor and publisher of The Middleburg Life (a newspaper for Virginia horse country), tells the story of Jackie’s passion for horses from age five through the end of her life. Jackie began riding very young and by the age of five participated in the East Hampton Horse Show. The photos of Jackie with her mother and father, Janet and Jack Bouvier, and on her beloved Chestnut mare, Danseuse, hint at the beauty and poise that would become her trademarks. Like her mother, Jackie grew into an accomplished equestrian. And Moon argues that riding brought the First Lady the solace and solitude that she craved; she would return to her horses again and again at moments of joy and sorrow. While her husband listened to Marilyn Monroe sing her breathy rendition of Happy Birthday at Madison Square Garden in New York, Jackie was at a horse show. After his assassination, horseback riding became "a significant part of her recuperative routine." Divided into short sections, the writing here is easy to read and conversational rather than historical, and the abundant photos speak volumes: Jackie riding with her children, Caroline and John; ponies on the White House Lawn with John F. Kennedy and the Secret Service; Jackie carefree in formal horse attire. Moon has constructed a must-have for horse lovers but also a touching tribute to Onassis; one of the few that the very private woman might have enjoyed herself.
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Product Description

In The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Vicky Moon illuminates just how vital a role horses played throughout Jackie's often tumultuous life. Jackie's mother propped her up on a horse when she was just a year old, and throughout her childhood Jackie turned to her pony Buddy to distract her from the stress of her parents' precarious marriage. As a woman struggling under the intense pressures of her role as First Lady, riding a horse through the countryside was a much-needed tonic. And later in her life, as a mourning widow and then a reluctant celebrity, riding offered Jackie peace and privacy. Whether cantering up and down the emerald hills of Ireland, galloping through the woods in New Jersey, racing cross-country, or taking long, quiet rides with her children down the dirt trails of Virginia's hunt country, Jackie's lifelong passion for horses was a mainstay during difficult years, a refuge from a life in the limelight, and a constant source of joy.

Now, in addition to the elegant, stunning images from every stage of her life -- photographs taken while out riding to the hounds, at the steeplechase with Jack, with Caroline on her pony -- Jackie's story unfolds through Moon's fresh and engaging narrative, sprinkled with anecdotes and memories from those who knew Jackie not only as one of the most admired women in the world, but simply as a graceful and talented horsewoman.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Collins Design (April 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060524111
• ISBN-13: 978-0060524111
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #190,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jackie as seen through Horse Lover's Eyes, August 7, 2005

By	Joy Gatewood Fulton "Joyrenee" (Centreville, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used to hear stories from a hairdresser in Atoka, VA that she remembered Jackie and her family and how they used to come out to Middleburg all the time and were not at all snooty.

So when I saw this book displayed prominently in a Middleburg, VA bookstore - and saw that it had been written by a Middleburg resident, Vicky Moon, who had heard many of the local residents talk of how they had known Jackie and her family, and how they admired Jackie's horsemanship and her devotion to her horses - I just had to buy it.

This is a big coffee table book, with wonderful photos that take you through Jackie's horseriding childhood, to a pony (Macaroni) at the White House, the private retreat and the horses they had in Middleburg (at Glen-Ora), to the solace the Kennedy family took in horses when they moved to New York.

I don't agree at all with the negative comments made by other reviewers about the quality of the writing in the book. The writing is fine! The book is a collection of photos, in chronological order, and the author's narration is an excellent companion piece to each photo - not too much and not too little. I also appreciated how each photo was placed near the accompanying text - many books frustrate the reader by placing illustrations or photos far away from the text referring to it.

This book opened a magical door to a side of Jackie Kennedy I never knew. Horse lovers and Jackie fans will love this book. The photographs are wonderful and take you back to a time and place that I wish I could go back to. I loved this book when I bought it, and I have looked through it several times since then. It is worth the money.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Information About First Lady Jackie, June 21, 2005

By	Lois B. Lindstrom (Pompano Beach, FL, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Vicky Moon's latest book, THE PRIVATE PASSION OF JACKIE KENNEDY ONASSIS: PORTRAIT OF A RIDER, features not only lovely photographs of the former First Lady, but new and interesting biographical information about the famous Jackie "O." Stretching from the time Jackie's mother first propped her on a horse at the tender age of one in 1930, until her death in 1994, Jackie Kennedy's love of horse become factors which molded her into the woman that she became. What I found intriguing about this book, besides the great photographs, was learning how emotionally difficult Jackie's early life had been due to her parent's unhappy marriage, and her obsession with horses which seemed to stem from her desperately unhappy home life. Her horses, throughout her life, offered a much-cherished diversion, even when the sport's association with elitism and exclusivity in the minds of many Americans, caused concern in the White House when her husband was President.

THE PRIVATE PASSION OF JACKIE KENNEDY ONASSIS is written in a style that will always hold the reader's interest. I recommend this book, not only for those who are already familiar with Jackie's life, but those who desire to develop a deeper understanding of her character. How can you discuss a famous subject without taking a very close look at her family, her social life and her true passion....in this case, her adoration of horses. It's enjoyable reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivki Moon's "Portrait of a Rider" is excellent., August 31, 2005

By	Dorothy C. Kelly - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author did an exceptional job describing Jackie's love of horses. The pictures are wonderful showing Jackie riding for pleasure and in competition in horse shows and hunt meets.
The indepth history of Jackie's family all involved in equestrian riding is also remarkable.

I truly enjoyed the book.