Once upon a Time

The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

De: Elizabeth Beller

Narrado por: Emily Tremaine

Duración: 14 h y 10 m

Resumen del Editor

A NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES, USA TODAY BESTSELLER

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 her sister 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’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.

©2024 Elizabeth Beller (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

An exquisite portrait

Beautifully written, poignant, supported with evidence from friends and family…. A fascinating biography of a beloved person

The real Caroline Bissett Kennedy revealed

I admit to not knowing much about this tragedy and the woman who captured JFK Junior’s heart. It was a very quick listen to it painted a picture of someone who was vilified my the press when alive but who was was the most lovely woman married to a man who could have done incredible things in the political world, and possibly prevented a lot of the tragedies that have happened to us in the choice of our political leaders. We will never know what this duo could have accomplished, but now that I better know who she was it makes this tragedy even more pointless
Narrator was very good and despite my vision, being poor and now listening to books instead of reading them, I was able to follow the story very well will search for more from this author.

Insightful

Provided more background on the elusive wife of “America’s Prince.” I can’t go but hear these stories and wish for a different ending. Heartbreaking even after 25 years. Would like to learn more about the surviving sister, Lisa. The devastation she and her mother must’ve gone through is unimaginable as well of course for JFK Jr family and friends, let alone the world.

Well Told Story

Well told story, learned much about this interesting, beautiful woman and her relationships with family, friends and her husband.

Exaggeratingly Fawning

The author incessantly wrote about how “stunningly beautiful” Carolyn was. How strangers stared in awe (insert eye roll), how she had to have early curfew due to her gorgeousness, etc etc etc.
She was attractive, but often appeared downright homely and strange looking. This unnecessary focus on her arguable astounding physical beauty distracts from the fact that her confidence, generosity and charisma were enough to draw others in and make an impact.
The book is unnecessarily overly complimentary because there are many stories and experiences that people have had with her that refute this saintly portrayal. An honest depiction of herand all her human flaws would have made a more authentic read.

Good story. Performance is grating

Story is good. A bit too hard an attempt to make her Saint Caroline by friends but a lot of information that was previously unknown.

Narrators voice is incredibly grating though. Really hard to continue so I stopped and bought the hard copy

Once Uoon a Time

Very Interesting and liked the perspective Helps to understand the people they were Liked hearing quotes from their close friends

Who Carolyn really was and that she and John John Kennedy were in love.

The fact that the media can be 'fake news' all over the world. That was and still is today unfortunate for the both of them.

Excellent book.

Excellent book but you’d think the narrator would at least be certain to know how the last names of key players should be pronounced. Bouvier is not “Bow-vwar”, it’s pronounce Boo-vee-yay”. 😆

Brought Carolyn to Life

The author dove in so thoroughly it felt like walking along side Carolyn. The guarded exterior of this iconic woman is peeled back to expose the depth of her character and experiences. I think the narrator does an excellent job making this biography immersive. And the author’s devotion to bringing her story to life is expressed in every word. You will be transported.