Once upon a time : the captivating life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Once upon a time The captivating life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Elizabeth Beller

Book - 2024

"The life and legacy of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., are reexamined in this captivating and effervescent biography that is perfect for fans of My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, What Remains, and Fairy Tale Interrupted. A quarter of a century after the plane crash that claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and sister-in-law Lauren, the magnitude of this tragedy remains fresh. Yet, Carolyn is still an enigmatic figure, a woman whose short life in the spotlight was besieged with misogyny and cruelty. Amidst today's cultural reckoning about the way our media treats women, Elizabeth Beller explores the real person behind the tabloid headlines and media frenzy. When she began dating America�...39;s prince, Carolyn was increasingly thrust into an overwhelming spotlight filled with relentless paparazzi who reacted to her reserve with a campaign of harassment and vilification. To this day, she is still depicted as a privileged princess-icy, vapid, and drug-addicted. She has even been accused of being responsible for their untimely death, allegedly delaying take-off until she finished her pedicure. But now, she is revealed as never before. A fiercely independent woman devoted to her adopted city and career, Carolyn relied on her impeccable eye and drive to fly up the ranks at Calvin Klein in the glossy, high-stakes fashion world of the 1990s. When Carolyn met her future husband, John was immediately drawn to her strong-willed personality, effortless charm, and high intelligence. Their relationship would change her life and catapult her to dizzying fame, but it was her vibrant life before their marriage and then hidden afterwards, that is truly fascinating. Based on in-depth research and exclusive interviews with friends, family members, teachers, roommates, and colleagues, this comprehensive biography reveals a multi-faceted woman worthy of our attention regardless of her husband and untimely death"--

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Subjects
Kennedy, Carolyn Bessette, > 1966-1999.
Kennedy, John F., > Jr., > 1960-1999 > Marriage.
Kennedy, Carolyn Bessette, > 1966-1999
Kennedy, John F., > Jr., > 1960-1999
Calvin Klein, Inc.
Press agents > United States > Biography.
Aircraft accidents > Massachusetts > Martha's Vineyard.
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General.
Aircraft accidents
Marriage
Press agents
Massachusetts > Martha's Vineyard
United States
Biographies
Biographies.
Genres
Biographies
Published
New York : Gallery Books 2024.
Language
English
Main Author
Elizabeth Beller (author)
Edition
First Gallery Books hardcover edition
Physical Description
xvii, 329 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [315]-317) and index.
ISBN
9781982178963
  • Author's Note
  • Chapter 1. Last Night: July 16, 1999
  • Chapter 2. Westchester: 1966-1977
  • Chapter 3. Greenwich Time: 1977-1983
  • Chapter 4. Boston Uncommon: 1983-1989
  • Chapter 5. Champagne Supernovas: Spring 1989-Spring 1992
  • Chapter 6. Ann's Girl, Jackie's Boy: Spring 1992-Fall 1992
  • Chapter 7. Much Ado: Spring 1993-Spring 1994
  • Chapter 8. Working Girl: Summer 1994-Fall 1994
  • Chapter 9. Meet the Family: Fall 1994-Fall 1995
  • Chapter 10. Sunday in the Park With George: February 1996-March 1996
  • Chapter 11. Sprezzatura: April 1996
  • Chapter 12. Back to Work: Spring 1996-Summer 1996
  • Chapter 13. The Wedding: September 1996
  • Chapter 14. Days of Wine and Roses: September 1996-November 1996
  • Chapter 15. Friends and Foes: November 1996-January 1997
  • Chapter 16. Help Wanted: February 1997-April 1997
  • Chapter 17. Cruel Summer: May 1997-August 1997
  • Chapter 18. Burning at Both Ends: September 1997-December 1997
  • Chapter 19. Mrs. Kennedy and the Vicious Circle: January 1998-March 1998
  • Chapter 20. The Rumor Mill: April 1998-August 1998
  • Chapter 21. All the World's a Stage: September 1998-December 1998
  • Chapter 22. Grey Gardens in Manhattan: January 1999-March 1999
  • Chapter 23. Present Tense: April 1999-June 1999
  • Chapter 24. Reference Points: July 1, 1999-July 16, 1999
  • Chapter 25. The Other Side: July 16, 1999-July 24, 1999
  • Epilogue
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Review by Kirkus Book Review

The pursuit of an American princess. Editor and arts journalist Beller makes her book debut with a sympathetic biography of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (1966-1999), the wife of John Kennedy Jr., who was killed with him when their small plane crashed in 1999. As soon as Carolyn appeared in the public eye, writes the author, she was unfairly demonized as icy and "bitchy," a characterization that Beller successfully refutes, drawing on much firsthand testimony. Because she was stunningly beautiful and a fashion icon, the media decided, "then she also must be a vapid clotheshorse." The author clearly admires the woman she portrays as possessing "an inimitably original, wildly engrossing brand of magnetism that held those around her spellbound." Throughout, she describes Carolyn's stunning outfits (and lipstick and hair color) in reverential detail. Aware that people were "primed to judge her" negatively because she was so beautiful, Carolyn "went out of her way to be kind," one friend attested, "and to make people comfortable." An education major in college, she loved children, but she loved fashion, too, and decided to pursue that field rather than teaching. Beller recounts Carolyn's successful career at Calvin Klein, where she first met John, who had come in for a menswear fitting. An on-again, off-again relationship culminated in their engagement, which incited a media frenzy; they married in September 1996, and "by January 1997, Carolyn could hardly do anything without intense scrutiny and its subsequent criticism." Feeling "pursued as prey," she refused to smile and wave. "What the tabloids often described as Carolyn's cold demeanor can now more accurately be understood as fear," writes the author. At the time of the crash, their marriage was strained, and Carolyn had descended into a "spiral of worry and anguish"; yet, Beller speculates, a thriving future lay ahead. A sensitive portrait of a misunderstood public figure. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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