I was interested to read this biography of the Kennedy sister who died in the 1940's in a plane crash. I had read things about her in other books, but never really the story of her life.

I still don't have the story of her entire life, as this book starts with her arrival in England and doesn't deal with her childhood and growing up years except with brief references to relationships that existed when she went to London in the late 1930's.

She was quite a vibrant personality and closest to President Kennedy. But she married a Protestant who was killed in the war within 3 months of their marriage. Her life was spent for years back and forth to England in pursuit of the guy she married. After her wedding, her mother turned her back on her pretty much and thought that she deserved to be a widow for marrying out of the faith.

This is also about her friendships in England and how they changed from when she was the prospective heir Duke's wife to his widow. She ended up latching on to a somewhat cadish married nobleman, who got her killed in a plane crash (along with himself) by flying in bad weather.

The person who comes off the worst in this is Rose Kennedy. She seems to be petty and inflexible about her faith stuff. Sad to read it. There is an unwritten implication that she felt like in the end her daughter deserved to die in that plane crash. I draw that conclusion from the fact that the rich Kennedy's made no effort to return Kathleen's body for burial in the United States. Instead, her late husband's family buried her in England, where she was truly loved for a short time in her life.

the fact that Ms. Kennedy was not as admirable as the Kennedy machine would have you think. She barely noticed the war going on and had little time for her Red Cross duties when they interfered with her title climbing social life.

it is not really the story of her complete life as I was led to believe by the cover. It is the story of her life as a social climber in Great Britain when her father was Ambassador there, before he was disgraced and sent home for wanting to appease Hitler. Joseph Kennedy comes off as a big jerk in the book who hit on his daughter's sister in law at his own daughter's funeral.

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Created Apr 29, 2016 at 12:29pm • Submit your own review...