Sons of Camelot: The Fate of an American Dynasty [Hardcover]

Laurence Leamer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2004

From the renowned biographer and national bestselling author of The Kennedy Women and The Kennedy Men comes the third volume in the epic multigenerational history of America's first family.

Sons of Camelot is the compelling story of the Kennedy sons and grandsons in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It is the most intimate biography ever written about the Kennedys, with the cooperation of family and friends at a moment when they are ready to talk with insight and depth about their lives. Among the many stunning portraits in the book is the definitive account of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s life, including interviews with his ten closest friends, none of whom has ever talked to an author before.

Based on five years of rigorous research and unprecedented cooperation from the five surviving sons of Robert Kennedy, the four Shriver sons, Maria Shriver, and other Kennedys, Sons of Camelot is not only the most authoritative account, it is by far the most revealing book ever written about these lives. Falling far short of the great ambitions their patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy, envisioned for his family, the lives of his youthful progeny are instead characterized by overwhelming drama full of exalted aspirations, notable achievements, and the most spectacular mishaps, excesses, and tragedies. Yet among them are those whose remarkable accomplishments have led to better lives for all Americans and for others around the world.

Heartbreaking and inspiring, Sons of Camelot is a spellbinding history of individuals and a family, a journey of character through time told by a brilliant, masterful writer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Picking up where his previous two bestsellers about the Kennedys left off, Leamer traces the clan's supposed downward spiral in the 40 years since John F. Kennedy's assassination. Early chapters concentrate on JFK's surviving brothers, but after Bobby's death and Ted's drive off the bridge at Chappaquiddick, the book eagerly delves into the sordid stories of the next generation. The title describes the book's focus exactly; though readers slog through detailed accounts of Robert Jr.'s environmental activism, no mention is made, for instance, of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg's legal scholarship (and there will apparently be no Daughters of Camelot). The women's absence leaves more room to describe how messed up the men were. Leamer dwells endlessly on addiction and self-destructive behavior, invoking sometimes dubious psychological theories about generational dynamics and genetic predispositions (does it matter if the Kennedys carry D4Dr, the "novelty-seeking" gene?). As one might expect, John Jr. disproportionately dominates the second half of the story. The tale, touching glancingly on matters covered in Edward Klein's recent exposé, is buttressed by interviews with several close friends who have never spoken about John Jr. for attribution before, though one wonders if even they could have the embarrassingly intimate familiarity with his sex life that Leamer professes. The prose is workmanlike, with occasional slips into mawkishness, but nobody will read this book for its style, and Leamer has wisely loaded it with more than enough scandal to satisfy audience expectations. 32 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

He has written about show-business celebrities including Ingrid Bergman and Johnny Carson, but Leamer has built his career around the Kennedys. His two joint biographies--Kennedy Women (1994) and Kennedy Men (2001)--remain among the most readable works on the ever-growing Kennedy shelves. Here he deals with the grandsons of Joe Kennedy--men who have had more than their share of difficulties wearing the family mantle. Three of the grandsons have died violently--John Kennedy Jr., of course, is the best known--and many of them have struggled with alcohol and drugs. It is clear, as Leamer tells their stories, that the research he has done for previous books--and, just as important, the contacts he has made over the years--gives his work an insider status rarely found in the Kennedy oeuvre. There are interviews here with some of the principals, including Robert Kennedy Jr., and although Leamer did not speak to JFK Jr., many of his close friends did, including CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour. Yet, as Leamer notes in his afterword, he did not barter away his objectivity in exchange for access to intimates. For instance, he makes it a point to note the inherent dishonesty evident in the eulogies of Michael Kennedy, who had an affair with his baby-sitter before dying in an accident on the ski slopes. Kennedy watchers, who continue to be legion, will find this a fascinating chapter in the never-ending story. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006620965X
• ISBN-13: 978-0066209654
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > Kennedy, John F.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good read, August 27, 2004

By 

C. Creed (north carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sons of Camelot: The Fate of an American Dynasty (Hardcover)

This is a comprehensive, non sensationalized account of the lives of the younger Kennedys. The book manages to be interesting without becoming tabloidish in tone (as some of the other books have). The author appears to have made an effort to be thorough and fair in his reporting of events.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should have been the Sons and DAUGHTERS of Camelot, November 5, 2004

By 

Michael K. Beusch (San Mateo, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sons of Camelot: The Fate of an American Dynasty (Hardcover)

Here is the next generation of the Kennedys, warts and all. If you idolize the Kennedys, you won't be happy and if you hate the Kennedys, you won't be happy. But if you want a fairly well rounded account of the younger generation of Kennedys, Laurence Leamer's book does a good job. The sordid (the liberal use of drugs among the next generation, death of David Kennedy, the scandalous life of Michael Kennedy, etc.) and the positive (JFK Jr.'s loyalty to his friends, RFK Jr.'s rehabilitation into a leading environmentalist, Tim Shriver's teaching career helping disadvantaged children, etc.) are both discussed here. It deals in scandal, of course, but all in all is pretty even handed.

However, Leamer does not discuss some of the outstanding female members of the next generation, including Kathleen Kennedy, Lt. Governor of Maryland, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver. Joseph Kennedy promoted his sons in public life while virtually ignoring his daughters (even old Joe admitted that if daughter Eunice "had b*lls, she'd be president."), but several of the female members of the next generation have made their mark. It's too bad that Leamer brings his book down a notch by ignoring the Kennedy women -- they deserve some mention as well.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tasty appeteaser, May 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sons of Camelot: The Fate of an American Dynasty (Hardcover)

Mr. Leamer has done a wonderful job of introducing the new generation of Kennedy sons. I just completed the book; and felt I wanted to learn even more. There are apparently too many Kennedy sons to focus on in one book. I had the feeling they all merited their own individual biographies.

While the author did offer up new information on the family; he sometimes held back in a very agonizing way. For example, he spends most of the book focusing on JFK, Jr. At the end of bk; as he describes John's last days -- he states that John had many complications in his life, espcially marriage, family and business. He briefly noted that John did not get along with Caroline Kennedy's husband, Mr. Schlossberg. He didn't give a hint of what was going on, yet many people are intrigued by Ms. Kennedy's mysterious Jewish husband. It left this reader wondering what was going on. The author knew, and he didn't care to share.

Since he did include Ted Kennedy in this volume; it would have been interesting to hear about how he and his second wife got married -- and how she interacts with the family.

The Lawford branch was given very short shift, and you can't tell me those kids don't have good stories to tell!

This book was long, but it was only an introduction. The Kennedy fans will enjoy it, but they will close the book hungry for more!