America's Queen: A Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

This elegant biography of Mrs. Kennedy-Onassis may very well be the most insightful work to gain a hold on this elusive American legend for some time to come. Unlike the many other Jackie biographies out there, this one is neither worshipful nor excessively fault-finding with its subject. Yet, while exposing the more unpleasant sides of Jackie's character (in essence, bringing her down to earth with the rest of us), "America's Queen" takes a decidedly more sympathetic route, with numerous sentences that begin "To be fair to Jackie...", etc, that assures that her virtues are still underscored while her faults are not smoothed over. In other words, skip the Christopher Anderson/Edward Klein accounts if you opt for exhaustively researched information and intimate analyses rather than sensationalistic prose and shameless cashing-in on Jackie's fame. I also think it is a tribute to the author as much to the subject that this book is so exceptional. I think Jackie, lover of literature that she was, would have appreciated the numerous literary passages preceding some of the chapters. Despite her distaste for exposure, I think she would have felt in fairly good hands had she known the diligence, sensitivity, and, most of all, sense of morality and balance that went into this work.

This is an exceedingly well-researched life of one of this nation's greatest icons. From birth to death, this book reveals a woman who charted her own course and chose the way she wanted to live...successfully. The book reveals how Mrs. Onassis carefully planned each move in her travels through life. Sarah Bradford does her usual excellent job of relating facts through character development. Many Jackie admirers will, however, be stunned at just how complex and human she really was. For those who have chosen to view her through rose-colored glasses, the reality underneath is a lot more interesting. Far from her reputation as American perfection, this book chooses to present the real Jackie as the flawed, yet fascinating, person that she really was.

I am fascinated by Jackie; I have read every biography of her out there and been disappointed because the authors couldn't hold my interest (and if they can't hold my interest with this subject how can they call themselves writers!). The one exception is the book by Stephen Birmingham, but even that pales in comparison to Bradford's book. Finally, someone who writes a compelling narrative and has genuine insight into her subject instead of dwelling on the tabloid aspects of Jackie's life. I have a later edition of this book and I have not noticed the typos and mistakes that are frequently mentioned in other reviews (perhaps they have been corrected?). The photos are well chosen and there are many new ones. A great book and a great read too.

What a fascinating book on a fascinating subject. More than six years after she died, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis continues to hold her grip on the world's imagination. And Sarah Bradford has presented the story of the world's most famous woman in a manner rich in subtle context. While many of the anecdotes are familiar, many others are not. Of all the books I've read on Mrs. Onassis -- and I've probably read them all -- this one somehow seems to capture her various moods, her good intentions and her sometimes petty, diva-like idiosyncracies (she dropped "friends" for what seem like minor infractions, she grew "full of herself," she transformed from a normal, fun-loving young woman into an often regal "marble widow," as Bradford writes). Somehow, this book seems to capture Jackie's essence much more so than any of the previous Onassis biographies.