This name will probably strike a familiar chord with many, but if it doesn’t, this is the younger sister of John F Kennedy. She wrote a memoir about her family which I admit I would have never picked up had it not been free on kindle unlimited. It wasn’t very long and didn’t go on in great detail about mundane events or thoughts like most memoirs tend to do. Instead, taking a quick, to the point anecdotes approach.
I was taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. The focus is on their early life, very family-oriented, and made for a cosy read. We often forget that this high-profile family with golden opportunities, and at the same time, plagued by dreadful events were, at the core, just a normal family.
I must admit, their parents had a great parenting style, which she describes in great detail. They identified each child’s strengths and played to it, never putting one down to uplift another. I know their father is known to be quite a nasty person, but the kids did turn out, surprisingly, as pleasant people.
She speaks fondly and in great detail of each sibling who carried very differing personas and roles. It felt like a novel about a fictional family with many endearing anecdotes. When she mentions JFK, you forget that he’s the future president, but only speaks of him as a brother. Though, their vast age gap meant that he was hardly present in her life as much as some of the others. It’s quite fascinating to imagine them as growing characters before they become notable public figures. Their relationship with one another is very sweet, too.
One event that she describes in detail is the tragic death of her oldest brother. She says how this event really changed the family forever.
Of course, she does sugarcoat a lot of tragic events (e.g. Rosemary) that fell into the public eye, but this isn’t supposed to be a tell all, but a fond remembering. She wrote this as the last surviving member of the immediate family, and I can only imagine how bittersweet it must have be. May she rest in peace.
Has anyone else read this or would like to? I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m very fond of historical fiction.
Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, dies
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/jean-kennedy-smith-surviving-sibling-jfk-dies-71317860?cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed
