Customer Reviews

What Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This book isn't about trying to BE Jackie; it's about living your own best, most elegant life, and doing it with dignity and style.

The authors are clearly Jackie fans (though they don't hesitate to point out her shortcomings and bad habits), and they respectfully apply a sort of "Jackie-meter" to all sorts of topics, such as: grooming, style, makeup, lifestyle, money, men, etc.

They also include some personal tidbits about Jackie's life, which, at least to this reader, were interesting.

I didn't find the book at all "gossipy" (as one of the editorial reviews called it), but rather, I found it a respectful tribute to an icon who was obviously admired by the women who wrote this guide.

Having grown up slightly too young for all the Jackie hype, I have always been curious to know what was behind it all. This book is a great way to learn about all the mystique behind the woman (while also learning how to bring that mystique into your own life). It has an easy-to-read colloquial style that is engaging and funny. I recommend it to anyone wondering about the faux-pas in your own life, or curious about Jackie's.

The authors keep this book very entertaining while providing valuable insight into Jackie's life and helpful ideas to make our own lives more intriguing. The book is a fun read that you won't want to put down. It offers a whole new perspective on Jackie and tells the reader how they can add more elegance and diplomacy into their own lives. It is a definate must read for anyone who likes Jackie but also for anyone wants to add a little pizazz into their lives. Enjoy!

It is wise advice that the best way to improve one's sense of etiquette and polish is to identify someone you admire and learn by their example. In the world of savoir faire and diplomacy, Jackie was known for her style and grace. A saint she was not but in pure terms of manners ... she was known for them. So in the manners department she is one to watch, along with Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Noor of Jordan, and modern class acts such as Natalie Portman and Kiera Knightley. Jackie belongs to an era where manners were held in much higher esteem and counted for something. Sometimes the old school is worth keeping current.

WWJD has some good advice here and there: a little mystery and privacy is more intriguing than telling all, it's not all about you, practice noblesse oblige. At the same time, a woman can't let herself be treated like a doormat. All are sound principles.

The book even has a chapter on investing. But with what? An average gal--even many above-average gals--can't afford the Brahmin lifestyle Jackie led and that the authors seem to take for granted. Solution: marry a wealthy man (even if he's a philanderer), "not a dentist from New Jersey." One has to wonder what a man would think of a woman who loved this book.

Jackie apparently knew when to tone down the appearance of great wealth: she wore simple clothing at her publishing job, for example. The authors don't seem to know when to quit going on about money and things, though. The topic permeates every paragraph. They may point out that money won't buy class, but the idea they get across is that it will make most of the payments on it.

For etiquette advice, I prefer "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior" by Judith Martin.

This highly readable, and very enjoyable book, gives us insight into what made Jackie Kennedy Onnasis so pleasureable to watch throughout her lifetime. While breeding might account for some of her class, it was more in the way she treated those with little power. She remembered her long-time employees' names, their children and spouses' names, treated them with respect, and as consequence, none so far, as I know, have written any nasty tell-all books about her.
If we all followed the advice in this book, the world would be a better place to live in. Jackie embraced life, and the world is a little darker with out her in it.
Robin Landry author When I Dream

First tule: don't take this all too seriously. The title should tell us something: irreverence is in order. From the offence taken in some of the reviews I suggest a visit to the dictionary. Look up irony, and effacing humor. The best way to enjoy this book is smorgasbord style. If the gossip offends, skip to great tips for decorating your mantle (carefully cut birch twigs in oversized ginger jars? why didn't we all think of this?).

Jackie hovers on the periphery, she left her mark, and we all wonder if we measure up. I found the book lots of fun, and, sometimes quite useful.

When I heard the title, I couldn't wait to open the book. I expected further insight into one of the most fascinating people of the last century. I got that and much more. Thanks to the witty and charming portrayal offered up by the authors, I discovered new shades of Jackie's appeal.

It was a fun read that delivered the Jackie I really wanted to know. A woman of style and substance who speaks to real life issues of people today through the playful and savvy intrepration of the authors.

I laughed out loud, took notes too -- and this coming from a guy.

Far more than a how-to, this book also paints a portrait of an extraordinary woman. Jackie lived the most public of lives, and she did so with grace. She never lost sight of what was really important: friendship, loyalty, intellectual curiosity, generosity. If she was also a product of her times--if she believed that a man was a necessary accessory--she chose those men carefully, for maximum impact. The authors distill Jackie's methods while keeping sight of their ethical underpinnings. A breezy, engaging read.

This book is nothing but gossip-fueled speculation and is insulting not only to Jackie but to anyone who truly admired her. The, ahem, "authors," claiming to know what her modis operandi would have been in any given situation, are sadly mistaken and deserve to be right where they are in life - writing about other peoples' greatness, although not very well.