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Jackie, Ethel and Joan: The Women of Camelot
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The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy
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Interesting in a tabloid way
Book you'll enjoy in a guilty pleasure sort of way!
An insightful look behind the scenes
Women and ladies
DELICIOUS DISH DELICIOUSLY READ

Jackie Ethel Joan : Women of Camelot
J. Randy Taraborrelli
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family
The Kennedys: An American Drama
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life
America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

ASIN: 0446609129

Amazon.com

What a great idea for a deep-dish tell-all! JFK's lonely, classy wife, Bobby's athletic, competitive wife, and Ted's meek, alcoholic wife, together at last between covers, soothing each other when not fighting like fishwives. Taraborrelli's breathless prose makes you a fly on the wall when formidable mother-in-law Rose Kennedy walks in on Joan commiserating with Ethel about their honeymoons: "I think Bobby was finished before I got into the room!" said Ethel. "Now what are you ladies talking about?" asked Rose. Jackie, who was present, cooed, "Oh, we were just saying how well Bobby sleeps at night." "He gets that from me," said Rose.

Ethel should never have been so catty when gentle, simple Joan joined the clan: "Goodbye wine and cheese," hissed Ethel. "Hello macaroni and cheese." And she shouldn't have mocked Jackie for being unable to compete in touch football--with the Kennedys, it was more like "claw, scratch and bite" football. And what about when she rubbed it in that she and Bobby were closer than Jackie and Jack? After all, when Lee Remick phoned Ethel to say "You're on the way out," and Ethel replied that Bobby was home in bed, Bobby was in fact (says Taraborrelli) in bed with Lee Remick.

You may have heard that JFK's dad, Joe Kennedy, offered Jackie $1 million not to divorce JFK, but did you hear Jackie's alleged reply? "The price goes up to $20 million if Jack brings home any venereal diseases." Did Ethel betray Jackie's discontent to Joe--and then go ballistic when Joe only gave Ethel $500,000? You'd think Joan would be the clinker in the group, like Zeppo Marx. She was a bit dim, but should Ted have put her down as dumb? He's the one who showed up soused with a prostitute for dinner with the king and queen of Belgium, whose priceless antique couch Ted's date ruined by wetting it.

Who knows how historians will judge this book, but it sure does a great job of making history into a Jackie Collins novel. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

Jacqueline Bouvier. Ethel Skakel. Joan Bennett. Three women who married into Americas royal family and lived in the glory and glare of politics highest echelons. The Camelot years taught markedly different life lessons to each of them: Jackies hopes became reality, but at an unfathomable cost; Ethels dream to be First Lady died along with her brutally assassinated husband; and Joans years as a Kennedy were the most confusing of her life. But whether dealing with their husbands blatant infidelities, smiling on the campaign trail, enhancing the familys legacy, or raising their children, the Kennedy wives did it all with unquestioned grace, style, and dignity. The Kennedys have consistently proven to be a bestselling topic, as evidenced by the success of recent New York Times bestsellers Jack and Jackie (Avon, 1997) and Jackie After Jack (Warner, 2/99). J. Randy Taraborrelli is the author of eight books, including: Sinatra: Behind the Legend (Birch Lane, 1997); Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness (Carol, 1991), which sold over 200,000 copies, and Call Her Miss Ross (Carol, 1989), which grossed over 250,000 copies. All three were New York Times bestsellers. J. Randy Taraborrelli is a frequent guest on national television shows, including the Today show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, and CNN Headline News. He is a reporter for the Times (London), Paris Match, and The Daily Mail (U.K.), and a contributing editor to Redbook, McCalls, and Good Housekeeping. Also available as a Time Warner AudioBook.

Download Description

Jacqueline Bouvier. Ethel Skakel. Joan Bennett. Three women who married into America's royal family and became forever linked in legend. Set against the panorama of explosive American history, this unique story offers a rarely-seen look at the relationship shared among the three women -- during the Camelot years and beyond. Whether dealing with their husbands' blatant infidelities, stumping for their many political campaigns, touring the world to promote their family's legacy, raising their children, or confronting death, the Kennedy wives did it all with grace, style and dignity.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting in a tabloid way.......2006-11-01

I really enjoyed reading this book because I am fascinated by that time in our history and with Jackie Kennedy. I found this book to have an interesting point-of-view on all three Kennedy women. Ethel seemed to be easily envious or jealous but loyal and loving of her family. Jackie seemed to be snobby with a mind of her own, but again a deep loyalty for her family especially her immediate family. Joan seemed to be sad and a 'door mat' until she grew much older. She seemed to put up with the most crap and lost the most in return. I have no idea if any of what I read was accurate or not, but I liked reading it regardless. It was fun and fast in a very tabloid sort of way. If you're interested in the Kennedy women, then you'll probably like this book. The movie that was made based on this book is also pretty good, but naturally the book is by far better with more details.

Book you'll enjoy in a guilty pleasure sort of way!.......2006-03-07

Heard the cassette version of JACKIE, ETHEL, JOAN: WOMEN OF
CAMELOT by. J. Randy Taraborrelli and enjoyed it--in a guilty pleasure
sort of way.

It is a tell-it-all about the three Kenney wives and listening to it
helped me relive some days of my younger days when John, Robert
and Ted Kenney were alive and running for various political offices.

For some reason, I never followed too closely the dirt behind
their respective careers . . . yet this book more than made up for
anything I may have missed.

If everything in it is to be believed, I now know that Joe Kennedy
offered Jackie $1 million not to divorce JFK and Jackie allegedly
replied, "The price goes to $20 million if Jack brings home any
venereal diseases." . . . also, that Bobby had an affair with
actress Lee Remick who actually called Ethel to tell her that they
were sleeping together--only to be told by Ethel that he was
home in bed (when he was actually with Remick) . . . and that
Ted once showed up for drunk with a prostitute for dinner with
the king and queen of Belgium, whose priceless antique coach
Ted's date ruined by wetting it.

Overall, the book left me feeling sorry for the Kennedy women . . . although
they appeared so glorious from afar, how they were forced to live
their lives because of the constant spotlight made life anything
but easy for them.

An insightful look behind the scenes.......2005-05-03

I found this to be a very intrigueing read, but the reader should have a working knowledge of the history, events and relationships that shaped the Kennedy dynasty because they are not going to be detailed in this book. In fact, some will be glossed over or entirely omitted. What you will read about is the experiences of those intimately involved in the events and tragedies: their personal thoughts, conversations and feelings, wrapped up in fierce political ambition and family loyalty.
Even though I'm sure the conversations and personal information, albeit based on substantial research, has been "developed", anyone who has experienced a family death or misfortune will easily relate to the Kennedys' amazing ordeals, struggles and fortitude.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Women and ladies.......2005-03-28

Dozens of books have been written about Jacqueline Kennedy, the stylish wife of the late president. At least this one has some new information -- J. Randy Taraborrelli also explores the other Kennedy wives in "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot." The problem is Taraborrelli's talent for making stuff up.

Jackie was a confident debutante who impressed (or irritated) people with her charm and refined sensibiltiies. Ethel a religious, exuberant gal who fit in with the rough'n'tumble Kennedy family. And Joan was a fragile, confidence-free waif who was troubled by alcoholism and her perpetually philandering husband Ted.

Taraborrelli explores their childhoods, early relationships, marriages and lives with their husbands, which peaked in the glory years of the so-called "Camelot." Then everything went downhill: Jackie and Ethel's husbands were assassinated, Joan's was permanently disgraced, and the three women went through nightmares of publicity, family deaths, miscarriages, remarriages and alcoholism.

The Jackie stuff in here is nothing new, nor does Taraborrelli have any new spins on it. In fact, she seems a bit dull beside the vibrant Ethel and tragic Joan, both of whom are revealed in all their tarnished glory. In fact, it's the information about those two ladies that keep this book from being a total loss.

Unlike prior biographers have done, Taraborrelli seems interested in the many facets of Ethel and Joan's personalities: Ethel was both ruthless and compassionate, utterly loving and very rough. Rather than portraying the forceful woman as a harpy, as others have done, Taraborrelli focuses on her complexity. And Joan is shown as a sweet, almost ideal girl who succumbed to a family disease as she was humilated in front of the entire world.

So long as he sticks to the facts, Taraborrelli is a capable biographer. Unfortunately, he launches into obviously fictional anecdotes and conversations, scuppering much of his credibility, and often fiddles with the facts to make the Kennedys seem like one big happy family, despite all the cheating and infighting. Since when was everyone so fond of the prudish, cold Rose?

The information about Ethel and Joan Kennedy is outstanding, and actually makes these underrated ladies seem more interesting than their legendary sister-in-law. But Taraborrelli's little "conversations" should have been saved for a novel.

DELICIOUS DISH DELICIOUSLY READ.......2004-02-18

Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Kennedy clan Taraborrelli proves we didn't. Of course, much of what we now discover reads like a tabloid tell-all.

These women had nothing in common save for their last name - soignee Jackie wasn't about to get on a touch football field with athletic Ethel. Shy, later alcoholic Joan, was sandwiched between the two of them.

History? No. Tawdry tattled tales? Yes. If gossip is your meat, it doesn't get any juicier than this - deliciously read by Beth Fowler.

Jackie Ethel Joan, Women of Camelot (Hardcover - Large Print)

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Jackie Ethel Joan, Women of Camelot (Hardcover - Large Print)

Manufacturer: Warner Books/Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 073940797X

Product Description

Large print edition hardcover.

Average customer rating:

Jackie, Ethel, Joan--Women of Camelot
J. Randy Taraborelli
Manufacturer: Warner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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