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.

Well Told Story

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

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.

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.

Never hire this reader or director again

The book is interesting enough…but if you can’t pronounce Bouvier and no one can catch it…then they should all go…

Wonderful Story

I liked that someone finally gave this poor girl her due after so many years after her death. Rest in peace dear Carolyn.

Exhaustive…and exhausting

As a gen x’er, I was always a fan of CBK and JFK Jr and remember their romance fondly. I was excited to dig into this book. It’s a very detailed retrospective - and frankly, it’s just too much. We get it, CBK was misrepresented in the press.

Kind of like, dare I say it, how Meghan Markle is today? A woman who falls for a nation’s son and is then hated and hounded by the press for it…hmm…

A woman of substance

This was a surprisingly interesting book that was hard to put down. Caroline was a unique and complex woman of supreme confidence despite her middle class origins. Her depth, kindness, charm, intellect and empathy was not apparent in Her media portrayal as an icy beauty known for minimalist fashion and stone cold expressions. I don't think their marriage would have survived had they had lived, but theirs was truly a great and passionate love story. Caroline was a private woman like her mother-in-law Jacqueline Kennedy. But Jackie learned how to navigate life in the eye of a media storm. And Caroline never did. It probably would have eventually unraveled their union, but I'm sure they would have been obsessed with each other to the end. Caroline wasn't intimidated by John's fame and fortune - and he loved that. To her he was just a regular guy and he loved that.

A new perspective on Carolyn

I was a teenager when Carolyn died, and I remember thinking - they’re finally saying nice things about her. The press was really harsh on her when she was alive, plastering her “grumpy” face all over magazines. This book gives you more insight into her world and what she was dealing with behind the scenes. The only downside to the book are the constant “she was so beautiful and kind” at the beginning of each chapter, as different people were quoted. Although I do believe she was a lovely human, you don’t have to force-feed it down our throats to convince us. All the other accounts proved it.