Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot

I was entranced by Andersen's account of Caroline Kennedy and realize that as a former editor of People Magazine that he has had access to mountains of information/misinformation on the Kennedy family. I found his treatment of Caroline's story to be sweet, as in the title, but not saccharine. And the admiration I already had for her has been upped by this biography. I feel sure that this is purely unauthorized. But it does not scandalize Caroline. And, although I am certain it further violates her privacy, I feel that Andersen's work ennobles Caroline as the lone survivor of the Camelot family.Perhaps it is because I am an inveterate reader of People that I found Andersen's style so readable. But I really did want to keep reading. And not all biographies are so enticing. Of course, there is the lure of trying find out another scoop on one of the chosen Kennedy clan. But I honestly find this volume on Caroline to be uplifting, although I know that there are things yet to be known about her. Time will tell about the rest of her life, yet a young life in the scheme of things. One just hopes that she not only survives her family's tragedies, but that she and her spouse and children and their progeny prosper and continue to use their wealth to enrich not only themselves, but this nation. Brava!

It can't be an easy thing, writing a biography of someone who's still alive. If, as is the case with singer Johnny Mathis, the author has to go through paid spin doctors who try to control what is and isn't told, getting a book together that's sensitive to the subject yet doesn't back down from the truth can be darn near impossible.I read a third of this book while browsing in Target, and it was evident Mr. Andersen had exceptional access to confidantes and other sources to put this book together. I found it a very readable, fascinating view of a privileged little girl who adored her father and her little brother and had to absorb so much at a very young age. But this isn't a children's book; there's enough real life in this story to give even the hardened biography reader pause. I appreciate a biography of a living public figure that isn't all fluff and dander.I appreciate what the author had to go through to put a book like this together, and I highly recommend it.

I love biographies! I must have read a dozen about Elizabeth the First, and several about Abraham Lincoln. I always expect to find the same basic information, but there is usually another perspective or additional information in each of them. And so I genuinely appreciate Christopher Andersen's work on today's icons. The information is obviously fresh, and from direct sources. And all the Kennedy books seem to complete a picture of this family of which some of us may never get our fill. The Caroline book was a surprise and a delight to me: I actually never expected to find out so much about the life of this secret princess. I'll keep this one, along with all the others, for my grandchildren.

Caroline's my favorite Kennedy and I think this book did her some justice. There has never been a book written solely on Caroline and I thought it was about time that one was done on her. I don't think any Caroline Kennedy fan could ask for a better one.Some people thought Caroline was a snob for apparently snubbing First Lady Laura Bush at the April 2001 Jackie costume exhibit at the Met. What they don't realize is that this "snub" was played up in the media. After all, Laura Bush had only been First Lady at the time for 3 months whereas Hillary Clinton had 8 years under her belt. This is just an example of how sometimes Caroline's actions get misinterpreted by the press. I think how well she handles the onslaught of attention and being in the public eye is another reason to admire the woman, along with the fact that she has endured so many personal tragedies and has risen above them to carry on the legacies of her parents and brother.

I just finished reading "Sweet Caroline". Even if you're familiar with the Kennedy family saga, Christopher Andersen's gracefully written and meticulously researched book provides new and often heartbreaking insights into the life of Camelot's soul survivor. From the book's opening scene when Caroline is told that her brother John's plane is missing ("I should feel him, but I can't," she says when someone suggets that hemay turn up alive) you're reminded that Caroline has suffered one devastating loss after another, always with courage and dignity. I found "Sweet Caroline" to be a touching and fitting tribute to its subject.