I received an e-galley of Jackie from the publisher to review for Library Journal. Please read my review in the May 2024 issue of Library Journal. Thank you to Library Journal, the publisher, and NetGalley for making this book available to me for review.

A wonderful work of historical fiction that reads more like literary fiction. I really didn’t know much about Jackie O and really couldn’t tell you if this reflects exactly upon her character but it was a nice way to envision her life. From pre jfk to the married years to a disaster of a husband, through the ensuing tragedies. I was torn up at Bobby’s death even knowing it was coming. Can’t help but wonder the path our country would have taken had jfk, milk, Bobby or even John John had lived.

WOW! What a wonderful historical fiction book about the life of Jackie O. It's a big book but the style of writing is so unique (it's written more of a journal than a traditional) so I flew by!

I love how personal this book felt.

Jackie by Dawn Tripp is a throughly researched and brilliantly written fictionalized story of the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis told in her voice.

Jackie’s story starts from the time she was a young woman first dating John Kennedy, a Senator who would become President, and continues throughout her life as a wife, mother, First Lady, and widow. Then there is her second marriage, its end, her career as a book editor, her time with her longtime companion and her health challenges with cancer that ultimately ended her life.

Her voice in this novel is a strong and candid voice that ultimately rings true with history.

It is a book not to be missed.

Wow! This one was an absolutely amazing read. It had me in a hold from the prologue which follows immediately after the assassination of JFK. From there on out I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t know much about Jackie O before I read this but this read had me feeling all the feels for her.

This book spans and touches on all of Jackie’s life from and young age up until the end of her life. While this book is written in in first person from Jackie’s POV, there are a couple chapters from JFKs view as well).

I am amazed by how Dawn brought Jackie’s story to life and had me feeling all the feels. While this is considered an historical fiction it doesn’t read that way. And I absolutely recommend this one.

I absolutely loved this emotionally searing tale about one of our most well-known first ladies, Jackie Kennedy. Told over the course of her distinguished life, Tripp uncovers the woman behind the myth, the real life behind the facade of Camelot. From her work as an intrepid reporter in her pre-marriage years to the tumultuous White House events, her life was lived in the spotlight much to her dismay. But did the public ever get to see the real Jackie, the woman who loved books, art, history, and horses? The mother who was fiercely protective of her children? The wife who overlooked the worst her husband could do to see only the potential for greatness? The reader gets to know Jackie in an intimate way as only can be done through historical fiction to see through the history to her heart. It’s a must-read for any first lady history buff!

This was a wonderful historical fiction novel about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Onassis. I learned a lot about her life that I didn’t know. I was always intrigued by her life. Of course I remember the tragic events of the assassination of JFK. I was only 13 and vividly remember I was glued to the TV watching the coverage. I couldn’t believe that someone shot the president of the United States.
This is a beautifully written story, how Jackie met and fell in love with JFK. Her life with him her inner thoughts as her marriage was tested. What she felt as her husband was shot. Could she have done something different that would’ve saved his life.
She was a loving mother, and tried to protect her children at all costs. She was a lover of books. She endured many tragedies and challenges in her lifetime.
I loved how this book was written in in Jackie’s voice. You could feel her emotions of what she was what she was going through. It was like a memoir.
This was a very well researched book with many poetic quotes throughout. It is a captivating story.
Thank you from Random House for providing this advanced readers copy through NetGalley.

This is a fantastic book! I loved the amount of detail and research that the author put into this book. I always had a feeling that Jackie had been through a lot however I did not know what all she dealt with living in the spotlight as the First Lady let alone before. For all that she went through she carried herself with such elegance and grace. A true role model for females everywhere!

I read this novel as an ARC provided by the author, the publisher Random House and NetGalley!

To begin with, I found it a very interesting choice for Tripp to begin the book with her Author's Note regarding fact vs. fiction with Jackie (and I'm curious if she will keep it this way for actual publication). I read a lot of historical fiction that often has author's notes and historical notes at the end of the novel, and I typically sort of skim through them looking for specific plot points I'm curious about. With Tripp's note coming before the novel began, I felt compelled to read it fully, and I feel like as a result, I was immediately drawn into the story. I enjoyed Tripp's writing style - almost a stream of conscious - and found it very compelling. The drawback was that I would oftentimes feel a bit lost when I would pick back up after I had stopped reading for whatever reason, and I would have to skip back a page or so to make sure I hadn't missed anything or to regain my footing in the story. I feel like I'm now very curious to read some non-fiction on Jackie (which is out of the ordinary for me!), as I've always felt she was an intriguing person, but reading Tripp's version of her has left me truly wanting to know even more about the real Jackie.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. While I did find it rather long for my personal tastes, this book wound up making up for that with this detailed account about "Jackie", an intricately detailed and well-written book on her life. I liked the approach of this book, that Jackie was many women, depending on who she was with, what she was doing, and how she was perceived in the media and in history itself. But this book delves deeply into the various atmospheres she inhabited through her life as well, and I liked that "secondary" storyline. The author does a really good job of bringing the reader into Jackie's thoughts herself, rather than just giving an account of her life history (which most people know, at least regarding the major points and major men). Finally, this author just wrote really well - a book I would not have picked up on my own, and I am glad the publisher nudged me to do so.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I have always known the basics about Jackie Kennedy Onassis' life, I enjoyed hearing her story from her perspective and learning more of the details. The story begins around the time she first meets JFK all the way to her death. Even though this is historical fiction, the key facts of the story are accurate. There were a few times that I wish the author would have taken more liberty with the fictional side of the story versus leaving it to the reader's imagination.

Although I enjoyed the story overall, I didn't love the author's writing style - especially having Jackie's internal thoughts in italics through out the book.

If you know the basics of Jackie's story but want to know more, I think this is worth a read. If you are a Jackie aficionado, then I don't think you would enjoy this historical fiction account of her story.

Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Dawn Tripp's Jackie is a beautiful and poetic novel about Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. It emphasizes the complete person—writer, mother, First Lady, and widow. Unlike other biographies of Jackie O, Tripp's version is more insightful and not salacious.

It's told from the perspectives of Jackie and Jack, but mainly from Jackie's first-person viewpoint. Tripp gives a more intimate view of Jackie, revealing her innermost thoughts and emotions. Tripp highlights her childhood, her relationship with her father, her courtship and marriage to Jack, time in the White House, suffering through her husband’s death, fame, the cruel marriage to Onassis, her later writing career, and the importance of her children and grandchildren. However, the focus of the novel centers on the love story of Jackie and Jack.

I like how Tripp made Jackie an empathic character, an extraordinary woman yet ordinary. In explaining her life after Jack's death—"One day bleeds into the next--rise after not sleeping, smoke, coffee, wonder if the paper is safe to open, wake the children." We come to know the real Jackie in this novel—her hopes, dreams, struggles, sorrows, and relationships. I thank Net Galley for allowing me to read and review "Jackie." #NetGalley, #Jackie #biography

What a great book. Inspired by the life of Jackie Kennedy, Dawn Tripp has brought one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read. Mrs. Tripp has meticulously researched the life and and times of one of our most private but fascinating First Ladies. But what was her life really like. Finding herself as the Princess Diana of her era, married to a man she loves but finding out she was chosen as the perfect candidates wife. Did Jack love her? Could Jack be faithful to her? Those are questions she deals with. Until finally a tragedy of losing a child makes Jack see whats important. He realizes his anchor and heart belongs to Jackie. Tragically he is killed shortly after this. How does Jackie deal with all of this? How is her life effected? This book is an unputdownable glimpse into one of the most intriguing women in our nation’s history. I throughly loved it.

Dawn Tripp’s Jackie is a stunning accomplishment — a product of painstaking research, brilliant prose, and a generous and deep respect for her subject without a hint of celebrity worship, sensationalism, or salacious detail. The book follows the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from her earliest meetings with John F. Kennedy through her marriage and life with him, the devastating losses in her life (assassinations, plane crashes, the loss of two of her own children), her affair with and marriage to Aristotle Onassis (which many found inscrutable), and her return to New York and work at Doubleday. There is also, of course, her lifelong devotion to her children and later, grandchildren. But these are the events she lived through, what most of us know. What makes this book such a standout is the way Tripp weaves these events together with Jackie’s inner life — as conceived by the author, of course, but not without evidence. Moreover, Tripp’s sensitivity and gorgeous writing lend authority to a portrait of Jackie that I’ll never forget.

In her prefatory Author’s Note, Tripp makes her project clear: “There are many stellar, insightful nonfiction works written about Jackie. I believe that fiction, when it hews to the historical record, can access a different kind of truth, an experiential truth that allows us to enter the emotional heart of a story.” She notes that the historical record may always be incomplete, and truth is protean, subject to new information and changing perspectives.

Tripp asks us to ponder the place of a smart, intellectual, and passionate woman in a world shaped by and run by men. At one point, reacting to a scathing story in The Washington Post, Jackie thinks: “No one wants to know the real story—the private story—the evolution of a woman’s interior life. Rather, they tell the story of what happened to her, and in the world’s eyes, usually what happens to a woman is men.” Dawn Tripp has set out, I think, to set the record straight. Jackie was a woman with many loves, who knows that the public view of her is basically “Life with Jack Kennedy. Life with the Greek. Life as a woman who goes to work because she wants to.” She reflects that the media “continue to miss what’s right in front of them. What has always been there. I love to work. I love books. I love the sea. I love horses. Children. Art. Ideas. History. Beauty. Because beauty blows us open to wonder, and wonder is what allows us to shift and love and ache and grow and change. Even the beauty that breaks your heart.”

While this is a work of fiction, Tripp provides an exhaustive list of her sources, many of which provide insight into Jackie’s interests, intellect and insight — which Tripp used to inspire scenes in the novel and guide her portrayal of this passionate and complex woman that few have known in depth. Tripp’s thorough and careful scholarship combined her beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking, telling make this the best historical novel I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put it down and it left me breathless. It also left me wanting to explore all of those resources that Tripp consulted, but I’d never have time to read anything else!

I love this portrait of Jackie, for what she endured with grace and fortitude, for her intellect, understanding, and acceptance, for her love of books and beauty. “There’s nothing more important than books,” she tells her son. ““When people are reading, they’re thinking. That’s how change takes place.” I treasure this book. It was a joy to read and reflect on, and I feel privileged to have read it.

Heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an advanced reader copy of this wonderful book!

This is the book I didn't know that I wanted to read. I didn't know much about Jackie Kennedy Onassis and I ended up going down the google rabbit hole with this book. This is a fiction but based on true events.

This book was divided into parts and I found them all very interesting. The first part was about how Jackie meet Jack (JFK) and her feelings about him and his lifestyle. This told a story about her ambitions and what happened to put her in the path to make the choices she made. When she first meet Jack, she wasn't at first drawn to him but as she kept coming across him, she was drawn to his intellect and his charming personality. Once he won her over, their "Camelot" life that was pasted over all the media wasn't what we thought it was. I really felt her need to be happy with herself and her life. I felt like she was a lonely person and that kept me reading to see if things ever changed for her. Tripp did a tasteful job of describing how Jackie navigated a life with JFK even through the infidelities and flirtations he had with other women. Tripp made her feel and look strong even if she might have felt less than that.

Then 11/22/63 happened and her life was turned upside down. The author speculates what Jackie would have thought about the events and I really felt like I was reading Jackie's take on the events. Tripp had such a detailed description of events, that I had to google it and get the bird's eye view.

Then Bobby was killed and he was a support person for her and that broke her a little more. Bobby was the one person who helped Jackie after JFK's assassination. He was always there guiding her and helping with the kids. I personally wondered what his wife thought of all this, but Tripp didn't speculate about that.

When Jackie married Onassis, I was a bit surprised as he was over 10 years her senior. He gave her an escape when she needed one but their relationship didn't last. They spent more time apart than together. Then when he passed away, Jackie decided she needed a new purpose in life.

Thus she began her career in book editing in New York. She didn't really have formal schooling for this, but she was a long time book lover, reader, and writer (of Jack's speeches) so she did have some qualifications to start at the bottom.

I was very impressed with Jackie's grit. She got through A LOT of tough circumstances and did it with grace. Her life was about enduring tough things and she never seemed to feel bitter toward JFK. She embraced her life as a Kennedy and was a woman who tried her best. This is a love story about resilience, love, power, loss, and reinvention.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Such an incredible book! I was hesitant to start this book but am so glad I did once I started reading it I could not put it down! Was so well written and had such amazing detail you really felt like you were there with Jackie living through all the major moments of her life. I can't recommend this book enough it was pretty close to being a 5 star read for me and makes me want to read more from Dawn Tripp. This was an emotional read but so worth it. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
STRONG recommend

Wow, this was a fascinating fictionalized, but very well-researched story of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" life. Yes, I know it was fictionalized, but it gave me much insight into her life with Kennedy and Onassis.

Jackie was very artistic, creative, and cultured as we all knew. But, she was also very intuitive, bright, and read people well. Unfortunately, on many occasions, the Kennedy family did not listen to her advice which could have prevented disaster.

She had three seasons in her life - with Kennedy, with Onassis, and by herself working.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I look forward to any future works by this author as she spent a great deal of time to get this labor of love done correctly.

This is an historical fiction offering of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, with Jackie narrating her story. At just shy of 500 pages, it was quite a long road walking in Jackie's shoes. I've read at least one other quality historical fiction novel about Jackie, but felt like I learned a good deal from this one. I think the author delivered an authentic portrait of Jackie based on all her research. The Jackie I came to know from reading this book was slight in physical stature, but grounded by a steely inner strength. Like many of us, she treasured books. She truly loved her husband Jack, but was well aware of his extra-marital affairs, and drew a red line in the ground that the most important thing was that her children were protected from that potential scandal. She was extremely intelligent, well-read, had good instincts, and Jack consulted with her on many things.

The most riveting parts (like one would expect) were involving the assassination of her husband, John F. Kennedy, as she sat beside him in the open topped limousine, described in minute detail. The book begins with that experience- an obvious device to draw the reader in- then backtracks to the 50s right before she met Jack Kennedy. We're taken through her marriage to JFK, living in the White House, the assassination and funeral, second marriage to Aristotle Onassis, and her pleasant life living in New York City working as a book editor prior to her death from cancer.

One of the tropes I found tiring to read were the italicized passages of poetic meanderings about certain topics involving nature or other heartfelt observations. Jackie was a lover of poetry, so I can understand its inclusion, even though I didn't particular enjoy it. It was one of those books that were lengthy and felt like it, but still worthwhile and enjoyable. I feel as though I would like to pick up and read some other books that I've owned for some time about Jackie Kennedy Onassis- so that's a sure sign that this book inspired my further interest in the subject.

Thank you to the publisher Random House who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

This historical novel is written mostly from the perspective of the only Jackie so famous you can refer to her by just one name - Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. (There are also some interstitial chapters from John F Kennedy’s perspective.) After a prologue immediately after JFK’s assassination, the book rewinds to a young Jackie, her meeting JFK, their marriage, her time as First Lady, the assassination, her mourning, her second marriage to Aristotle Onassis, and her later life working in publishing right up to the end of her life.

It might seem audacious to write in the first person as such a famous woman, but I thought this book did it really well. Although I was not familiar with all the details of Jackie’s life, it felt impeccably researched and really made me feel like I was in Jackie’s head. Super interesting, very well written, and emotional as well. I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to discussing with my book club, and will definitely go back and read Dawn Tripp’s novel about Georgia O’Keefe as well.

I will be honest—I am not someone who reads a lot of historical fiction surrounding politicians or famous people, but this one called out to me. I have always thought that Jackie had a much more humbling, difficult life than many people could even conceptualize. Dawn Tripp created a universe where this is indeed the case, but Jackie triumphs and move forward the way many women of her era had to. They shouldered the burdens and responsibilities of the men in their lives and forged their own path. The novel puts Jackie's desires, Jackie's dreams, at the forefront. She is so much more than the sum of her parts that were compartmentalized then commodified—not just from taxpaying Americans, but people focused on her and her life all around the world. Jackie is strong, intelligent, formidable, and brave. The prose was well-crafted, the characters developed well. I only wish that the story didn't lag due to the prose in some parts!

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC!