Happy Times

You have to like, or at least be interested in Lee Radziwill in order to appreciate this book. You have to realize that it's a Lee Radziwill book, not a Jackie book, or a Kennedy book, or even a Truman Capote/ socialite circle book. Its title suits it perfectly. This book represents what we'd all like to have one day: a sparkling documentation of the happy times of our lives with no mention of, in Lee Radziwill's case, the considerable bad times. It's unfair to criticize this book for what it never was meant to be. If you've read the DuBois biography, you will recognize a lot in this book. Unfortunately the DuBois biography focuses exclusively on the negative, documenting every last derogatory comment anyone ever made about Lee Radziwill. I think Happy Times proves that Lee Radzwill is far more graceful than the world seems to think.This is a beautiful book. Great photography, creative format, interesting narrative. A real treasure!

I just love to sit and look through this book because of its beautiful, unique photographs. There are several pictures of Jackie O throughout, but it is Lee's book and Lee herself and her friends are the primary focus. All of the pictures and text are interesting, but the best part of the book is the last section where Jackie and Lee's "One Special Summer" is published...this was the "book" they wrote and illustrated after a summer vacation.

As Ms Radziwill explains in her engagingly brief introduction to this "happy" book she feels no need to add to the mountain of words already written about her family. She has instead chosen a collection of photographs and other documents that remind her of life with Jackie and others (Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Oleg Cassini...) in the 60s. It is quite beautifully done and there is a strange mystery to the sequence of images with their brief and enigmatic hand written captions. It is almost hallucinatory; or perhaps like a location shoot for a yet to be filmed movie. I like this reading of the book as something haunting, magical and poetic. Some of the pictures (the corner of a deserted terrace in Ravello or a table set with food) have the sort of quality more usually associated with art photography. Did Ms Radziwill intend to convey this quality? I don't know but I think this book will be remembered for a long time.

What a treat to see inside someone's personal scrapbook and photo album. This book gives us that rare treat. Ms. Radizwill and her family have had a life full of great triumphs and great tragedy. In this book, she chooses to share with us the triumphs, or 'happy times' as she refers to them. This is a great book for admirers of Ms. Radziwill, the Kennedys, or admires of style and beauty. Thanks Ms. Radziwill for sharing this beautiful collection so memories.

I found this book to be charming - it's like a scrapbook - very personal and offers a glimpse at this tragic and iconic family. I thought Lee Radziwill's drawings sweet - it's not meant to be some profound statement about the Kennedy's - it just captures the spirit of the moment. I think it's an unusual and highly evocative publication - worth buying despite what some other reviews have written!