What Remains

A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love

By: Carole Radziwill

Narrated by: Carole Radziwill

A stunning, tragic memoir about John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and his cousin Anthony Radziwill, by Radziwill’s widow.

What Remains is a vivid and haunting memoir about a girl from a working-class town who becomes an award-winning television producer and marries a prince, Anthony Radziwill. Carole grew up in a small suburb with a large, eccentric cast of characters. At nineteen, she struck out for New York City to find a different life. Her career at ABC News led her to the refugee camps of Cambodia, to a bunker in Tel Aviv, and to the scene of the Menendez murders. Her marriage led her into the old world of European nobility and the newer world of American aristocracy.

What Remains begins with loss and returns to loss. A small plane plunges into the ocean carrying John F. Kennedy Jr., Anthony’s cousin, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole’s closest friend. Three weeks later Anthony dies of cancer. With unflinching honesty and a journalist’s keen eye, Carole Radziwill explores the enduring ties of family, the complexities of marriage, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of self-invention. Beautifully written, What Remains “gets at the essence of what matters,” wrote Oprah Winfrey. “Friendship, compassion, destiny.”©2005 Carole Radziwill; (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division.

Critic reviews

"Carole Radziwill, a wonderful writer who married into a famous family, gets at the essence of what matters - friendship, compassion, destiny- in her stunning new memoir, "What Remains."
--Oprah Winfrey

"Love and loss, family and friends, fate and fortune: these themes pervade this beautifully-written memoir. [A] courageous and compelling work."
--Library Journal

"What Remains is a riveting and heartbreaking journey beyond the fairy tale, told with the compassion of a friend and wife, and the searing eloquence of a gifted writer."
-- Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle

"Carole Radziwill has written an unsparing, unsentimental and inspiring memoir. A spirited journalist with a novelist's eye for detail, she delivers a stunningly honest story about life's great joys and deepest pain."
-- Christiane Amanpour CNN (Chief International Correspondent)

Absolutely beautiful

The only thing I wanted more was more of Carol speaking of their love. The stories brought me to tears multiple times.

Memorable and heartfelt

i came upon this book shortly after it was written-not ever knowing anything about the author. fast forward through the years to discover her on reality TV. she seems the voice of reason, I'd wonder why she affiliated herself with some of her character challenged colleagues to be on the show. rediscovering the author differently, made me want to revisit this book again. I appreciate it so much more now. she is a thoughtful, funny, and self aware writer who tells her story with much integrity. she shares. her life altering experiences in a way that is so real. it does not ask for the listeners pity or sorrow- it does not become dramatic or maudlin. it simply invites us to listen, have information, and bear witness in what ultimately is quite inspiring. bravo!

Honest; Painful; Loving.

This is one of the better memoirs I have read. Ms Radziwill pays tribute to her deceased husband and best friends without the cloying sentimentality that often occurs when a loved one is dead. She shares her love with an honest view of the flaws of these people. They become more real because of that honesty and it allows the reader to see these iconic humans as normal. We all felt we new JFK, Jr. This book allowed me to discard my prior image of him and see him as a genuine, real man. I believe that Ms Radziwill shared her truth. I hope the writing of the story was as therapeutic for her as it was enlightening for me.

Touching Story.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This book is a personal insight to the struggle of life, love and loss. Raziwell is precise with her emotions. By the end of this book you feel more like family friend who was present for the situation.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes....bring tissue for the tears

So good, so heartfelt

This story is tragic in so many ways, but is told in a matter-of-fact, yet thoughtful and nostalgic tone. You wonder how anyone can deal with such loss, and the honesty of how Carole Radziwill dealt with it shows bravery in the midst of fear and doubt. And she’s so real about it all. She’s not the “wife of a prince” or she’s just a normal woman dealing with unimaginable loss.