Jackie Stories: 2 A Rival at Work & 3 A Waspish Novelist

Jackie Stories 2-3 is a continuation of Jackie Stories 1 and is contained within the book Jackie Stories. Jackie Stories contains information about interviews and the relationship between the author and 8 others who were close to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The author’s goal was to help those of us who are infatuated by Jackie’s glamour and class to understand her better through interviews with work colleagues, friends, and in one story, an adversary. Book 2-3 contains observations and anecdotes with Nan Talese, one of the most important people in American publishing and Lous Auchincloss, a novelist of Manhattan’s elite. It is an interesting mission. However, the book is rather dry with excruciatingly presented details about the interviewees that do not add to a deeper understanding of Jackie: “He was wearing a brown suit. He asked me to come in.” I suppose that I have a better understanding of the struggles Jackie experienced as a celebrity and a woman and that she was not always cognizant of how her needs affected others, but I think that knowledge could have been gleaned with fewer words and unrelated details.

Jackie Stories 2-3 was a quick story that I listened to while getting ready during our family’s spring break vacation. It was the perfect thing to pop on while putting on my makeup, setting my mind onto the publishing world of yesteryear and thoughts of Jackie, someone I’ve always admired and secretly wanted to emulate. It was pretty cool getting a glimpse of the behind the scenes thoughts and notes from the author’s research for his novel “Reading Jackie.”

These are two stories from two people who were in Jackie’s life, Nan Talese, one of Jackie’s longtime colleagues, and Louis Auchincloss, a distant cousin and someone who knew Jackie early in her adult life. It was so neat getting to hear stories that I have never heard before about a woman that I greatly admire, helping me to see a side of her I did not know before.

Adding to the tone of the stories was the narrator’s soothing voice, though it did tend to throw me, as the author is male, and the narrator is female, but I still enjoyed the listen nonetheless. I have several other Jackie Stories that I am currently listening to and really love this series.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.

Interesting stories, good book to listen to. Only wish a man had narrated it, as the author is male. Enjoyed this!

This one is much like the first one to me. Its not that it has bad information, its just that there really isn't much too it to actually paint a portrait of Jacky.