Books › The other Mrs. Kennedy
The other Mrs. Kennedy
First published 1994 · 733 pages
A dramatic, unflinching portrait of a political dynasty's dark underbelly and the fiercely loyal woman at its center.
What it feels like
Reading this biography feels like peeling back the glittering veneer of American royalty to reveal a shadowy, gothic family drama underneath. The narrative moves at a brisk, investigative pace, propelled by hundreds of intimate interviews that expose a world of ruthless ambition, obsessive loyalty, and generational tragedy. The mood is intense and often tragic, steeped in the heartbreak of a star-crossed lineage plagued by scandal, alcoholism, and grief. Oppenheimer's prose is unflinching, capturing both the vivacious public persona and the manipulative, cunning private reality of a woman fiercely protecting her clan's legacy. It is a deeply compelling read for anyone drawn to the dark, complicated realities of political dynasties and the heavy burdens of power and devotion.
- Mood
- scandalous
- tragic
- shadowy
- intense
- Tone
- investigative
- dramatic
- intimate
- unflinching
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the burden of legacy · destructive family cycles · obsessive loyalty · the dark side of ambition · grief and devotion
- The writing
- Journalistic and revealing, weaving hundreds of interviews into a dramatic, almost gothic narrative of power and tragedy.
- The arc
- Moves from the glittering facade of political triumph into the dark, tragic depths of generational trauma and obsessive grief.
- Who it's for
- Readers fascinated by the dark underbelly of American political dynasties and the complex, ruthless women who sustain them.
Content notes
- alcoholism
- grief
- adultery
- arson
- suspected murder
- generational trauma
About the book
America possesses indelible images of Ethel Skakel Kennedy: the vivacious political partner vigorously campaigning next to her ambitious husband; an American madonna, surrounded by her brood of eleven children; most poignant, a grief-stricken wife cradling her husband's head as he lay mortally wounded.
Unlike her glamorous sister-in-law Jackie, Ethel felt a compulsive need to prove herself "more Kennedy than thou." Because of her unrelenting loyalty, she played a starring role in the clan's triumphs and tragedies, from Camelot to California, Chappaquiddick to Palm Beach.
Ethel, like the Kennedys, had a destructive streak traceable to her roots. For The Other Mrs. Kennedy also is the story of her own wealthy, star-crossed Irish Catholic family, the Skakels: a gothic tale of alcoholism, adultery, arson, and even suspected murder. The dark heritage would be passed on by Ethel to some of her children, whose lives reeled out of control, sparking even more heartbreak and controversy.
Manipulative, ruthless, and cunning where the clan's interests are concerned, Ethel has maintained a devotion to Bobby's memory that is obsessive. She is a woman with enormous clout, and her wrath has been felt at the highest levels of Washington's power elite.
Jerry Oppenheimer has conducted literally hundreds of interviews with family members, friends, and political associates to paint a very intimate portrait of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and the life she has made for herself without the man she loved, the man who might have been President.
Description from Open Library.
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