Once Upon A Time – The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
“Carolyn’s criteria for friendship were kindness and humor. You had to be able to laugh, and even better if you could make her laugh. Yuma loved Carolyn’s bubbling, infectious laugh so much that she was willing to risk getting in trouble to hear it. “I was sitting next to her, our desks side by side. I remember wanting to make her laugh all the time because it was so fun, so nice to hear that distinct laugh,” she said. “So I did an impression of another kid who had complained that the classroom floor was dirty. Carolyn’s giggle bubbled up and out into a belly laugh. I’d do whatever I could to hear that. Carolyn fit in nicely. She wasn’t at all prissy”
Recently, I had the pleasure of reading Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy by Elizabeth Beller, and I found it to be an incredibly compelling and enlightening biography on quite an interesting woman. The book is a hidden gem to say the least. Honestly, I’ve been having some amazing luck in finding incredible books lately. This will be one of four books I have finished in the past month. They all have been top tier reads deserving of five stars in my opinion.
From the moment I started Once Upon A Time, I was one-hundred percent completely absorbed in the narrative from the first sentence, and I think anyone with an interest in the Kennedys or the negative impact of the media and paparazzi on the personal lives of those in the spotlight would feel the same way. Beller’s writing is so very engaging and immersive. Readers are pulled right into Carolyn’s world. What strikes me the most about this book is how well crafted it was.
The biography is rich with first-hand accounts which I believe is the book’s greatest strength. Every significant moment in Carolyn’s and John’s lives is backed up by stories from those who knew them personally. This approach lends a level of authenticity and depth to the book that is often missing in other celebrity biographies. I cannot rave about this enough!
In truth, I didn’t know a whole ton about Carolyn Kennedy when I started reading. That is probably the biggest factor in why I picked it up. The only thing I knew were the basics, she married John Kennedy Jr and died in a plane crash along with her sister. That was the level of my knowledge. John had run a magazine called George, was fairly well-liked, and loved riding a bicycle. Most of that information is something I got from a late-night television movie about him years ago.
With no real expectations set and just a slight mild interest, I hadn’t planned on being so sucked into their lives. They were fascinating. In truth, the main reason I bothered to read Beller’s book was because I wanted to try something new. I’ve been reading so much Tudor literature lately. One of my main goals is to always diversify what I’m reading. My plan was to find something with a bit of modern history to shake things up and keep my mind fresh. I will be forever glad for this book!
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy is often portrayed in such a negative light by the media, and this book does a fantastic job of setting the record straight. The injustice she faced from the paparazzi for marrying “America’s prince” is astounding and appalling. The experience she goes through truly reminds me of Prince Harry’s memoir. The situations ring very similar.
Reading about the relentless harassment Carolyn faced every time she dared to step outside her door from the paparazzi was quite heartbreaking. Beller doesn’t shy away from discussing the negative impact this had on Carolyn’s life to remind readers of the darker side of fame by providing an all too sobering look at how the media’s obsession contributed to the growing paranoia she felt and her desire for a quiet life. The media was so vicious, cruel, and criminal in their treatment.
Carolyn, still forced to run the gaunlet of photographers every time she left their apartment , again became bored and withdrawn. She still couldn’t go into the George offices, because everything had gotten tense at the struggling magazine, and the paparazzi had gotten into the habit of not merely swarming her when she walked down the street, but also calling her vile names. “They called her a Wh*re,” said one friend, “and they called her C*nt” … An unhealthy feedback loop developed.”
As I mentioned above, Carolyn Kennedy’s story really reminded me a lot of Prince Harry and his wife. There are a lot of glaring similarities between the two couples. John Kennedy Jr., at a very young age, lost a parent to a tragic event as the world watched. His father was assassinated in Texas, and Harry lost his mother Princess Diana as a child in a fatal car crash in Paris, both men grew up being beloved by the media, and then wound up having their wives vilified for no reason.
I know this isn’t on topic, but as I read the biography, I couldn’t help but think how the comparison doesn’t stop. Prince Harry/JFK Jr. and Meghan/Carolyn are the same people, just different generations. They lived the same life experiences, had the same type of personality, were given the same privileges, had a ton of wealth, and received the same level of fame. I don’t know. It’s just uncanny, so I felt like pointing it out. There will be a full post on these thoughts later…
Anyways, that was something I pondered as I read about Carolyn’s life. The book provided all sorts of amazing details about their early years, career, and marriage. There was so much I didn’t know! Carolyn was a fiercely independent woman who was intelligent and driven. Her professional rise at Calvin Klein during the high-stake fashion world of the 1990s is something to be applauded. Carolyn was a trend-setter who never missed when it came to classic understated clothing.
“Carolyn was busy building her career that summer of 1992. Her promotion to the PR department finally went through in July. By the time Michelle Kessler arrived that same month, Carolyn had become director of PR for the Calvin Klein Collection — For Carolyn, PR meant she was the liaison between the women’s collection and the magazines, finding exactly what a magazine editor would need for a feature — Over time, Carolyn’s responsibilities included creative production of the catwalks: the music (matching the songs to the looks), styling the models’ hair, makeup, and the sequence in which the models walked. She and her assistant Rachel Bold moved from the eleventh- to the fifth floor PR office.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is how it handles Carolyn’s relationship with John. They were not a perfect couple by any means, and each had their own individual flaws. Nobody is perfect. The fact is they truly were humans with all the messiness that comes from that. Beller gives a very well-balanced account of their marriage. She shows the readers both the highs and lows of the inevitable challenges they faced as a couple. The point being that they fought for each other.
Given the adjustments they were making in their relatively short marriage, the portrayal is both respectful and insightful. Beller makes it perfectly clear that their relationship was deeply significant to both of them. The book does a great job of capturing that despite the issues that existed, such as John’s struggling magazine and pending political career versus Carolyn’s need to find her footing among the role of being married to a Kennedy without losing the idea of who she was.
The personal anecdotes and quotes from Carolyn’s friends and family are some of the most touching parts of the book. These first-hand accounts bring a warmth and intimacy to the story that will forever make this book stick out worthy of anyone’s time. Readers get to see the real Carolyn. A woman who was joyful, loved to laugh, and was deeply devoted to her loved ones. This portrayal is both heartwarming and heartbreaking in light of the tragic end to her life.
Reading this biography was a deeply moving experience. It was a pleasure getting to know the true Carolyn through the eyes of those who loved her rather than the distorted image presented by the media. Beller has succeeded in crafting a narrative that is as compelling as it is compassionate. A biography that provided a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman.
BOOK SYNOPSIS: The life and legacy of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., are reexamined in this captivating and effervescent biography that is perfect for fans of My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, What Remains, and Fairy Tale Interrupted.A quarter of a century after the plane crash that claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren, the magnitude of this tragedy remains fresh. Yet, Carolyn is still an enigmatic figure, a woman whose short life in the spotlight was besieged with misogyny and cruelty.
Amidst today’s cultural reckoning about the way our media treats women, Elizabeth Beller explores the real person behind the tabloid headlines and media frenzy. When she began dating America’s prince, Carolyn was increasingly thrust into an overwhelming spotlight filled with relentless paparazzi who reacted to her reserve with a campaign of harassment and vilification.To this day, she is still depicted as a privileged princess—icy, vapid, and drug-addicted. She has even been accused of being responsible for their untimely death, allegedly delaying take-off until she finished her pedicure.
A fiercely independent woman devoted to her adopted city and career, Carolyn relied on her impeccable eye and drive to fly up the ranks at Calvin Klein in the glossy, high-stakes fashion world of the 1990s. When Carolyn met her future husband, John was immediately drawn to her strong-willed personality, effortless charm, and high intelligence.
Their relationship would change her life and catapult her to dizzying fame, but it was her vibrant life before their marriage and then hidden afterwards, that is truly fascinating.Based on in-depth research and exclusive interviews with friends, family members, teachers, roommates, and colleagues, and featuring never-before-seen family photos, this comprehensive biography reveals a multi-faceted woman worthy of our attention regardless of her husband and death.
© Samantha Sebesta, Samantha James, and The Chronicles of History: Reading Into Our Past, 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Samantha Sebesta with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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I have to admit I knew nothing at all about her. Thanks for filling in the blanks, Samantha.
Best wishes, Pete. x
It was a very good book and I’m glad I read it!
oh interesting…I knew nothing about her so this was a great read. I may need to add this book to my ever growing audible list 🙂
Same. I was very surprised on how interesting she turned out to be. I’m glad I read this book. I hope the author writes many more. There is a true talent that really impressed me for making this a biography you didn’t want to put down!
Interesting review. It’s really a tragedy what happened to the Kennedy family. I hope that the vicious cycle of paparazzi, newspapers, and magazines buying the photos, and people consuming them, stops one day.
Yes. They were so young. This was a very heartfelt biography that I’m glad I read. The paparazzi are insane and it’s unfair how people get treated! I hate entities like TMZ.
I hate all those tabloids too. That industry is the worst.
Can’t wait to read this. Their story is so tragic. The level of paparazzi intrusion the pair had to endure while going about their daily private lives outside is staggering.
I’m almost finished reading this! Women, especially in the “post-feminism” 90s, were treated horrifically by the press. I like how you drew the comparison to Megan Markle (I recently did a piece on the media’s treatment of her on my blog if you would like to check it out: https://themilana.wordpress.com/2024/08/01/why-do-people-hate-meghan-markle/). This is really well organized! I’m very inspired as a beginner blogger 💖
I Think Imogen Waterhouse would be great choice as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy In “American Love Story