Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot

Front Cover
Grand Central Publishing, Feb 3, 2000 - Biography & Autobiography - 528 pages
New York Times bestselling biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli provides an intimate and in depth look into the lives of the Kennedy wives, Jackie, Ethel, and Joan.

Over the years there have been many books published about the Kennedy family, individually and collectively. But only this book provides a powerful and detailed look at the complex relationships shared between the three women who were not born Kennedy but who married into the family: Jackie Bouvier, Ethel Skakel, and Joan Bennett.

For each of the Kennedy wives, the Camelot years provided an entirely different experience of life lessons. These were the years when Jackie's dreams became reality, but at a hefty price. For Ethel, these were years of frustration where her dreams of being First Lady were dashed and she sank into a deep depression. For Joan, her years as a Kennedy wife were the most confusing of her life, and she is now a recovering alcoholic.

This fascinating story is set against a panorama of explosive American history, as the women cope with Jack's and Bobby's alleged affairs with Marilyn Monroe, their tragic assassinations, and other tragedies and scandals. Whether dealing with their husbands' blatant infidelities, stumping for their many political campaigns, touring the world to promote their family's legacy or raising their children, the Kennedy wives did it all with grace, style, and dignity. In the end, Jackie, Ethel, Joan is a story of redemption and great courage.
 

Contents

Long Live the Queen
1
and the Secret Service
15
The Five Inaugural Balls
30
Not One to Feel Sorry for Herself
46
Jack Proposes Marriage
61
Sisterly Advice
76
A Legacy of Infidelity
93
Joans Social Impasse
106
Aftermath
248
Lyndon Johnson Using Jackie
261
Jackie and BrandoThe Rumors
277
Jackie on the Anniversary of November 22 1963
292
The Rumor Mill
309
The Appeal to Jackie
322
The Hand of a Dead Man
337
Bobbys Funeral
347

A Tour of the White House
111
Part Three
125
At Horizon House
138
The Fourth of July in Hyannis Port 1962
145
The Kennedy Women Do Mens Work
163
JoanThe Senators Wife
182
Lee Radziwill Invites JackieinMourning
198
Getting to Know You
213
The Presidents Been Shot
220
Tea with Lady Bird
234
Ted Negotiates Jackies Nuptials
363
Ethel Pushes Jackie Too Far
373
All You Care about Is How It Looks?
389
Joan Loses the Baby
403
Ted Hurts Joan Again
417
Creating the Illusion of a Marriage
431
Not Meant to Be
444
Acknowledgments and Source Notes
465
Index
515
Copyright

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About the author (2000)

Bestselling author and news reporter J. Randy Taraborrelli was born on February 29, 1956. His biographies have focused on celebrities such as Cher, Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe. His biography called The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty, made it to the New York Times bestseller list in 2014. His latest book is Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill, published in January 2018. Taraborrelli has been a guest on television programs including Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, and CNN. He also contributes entertainment articles internationally to Hello!, The Daily Mail and Sunday Mail, and Australia's Women's Weekly.