〝to many americans who had seen dozens of pictures of her during the campaign, a glimpse of the hair, sunglasses, gloves would have been enough to identify her as 'jackie'. to people who knew little else about her, that was who she was.〞

★★★.5

thank you to tantor audio and netgalley for providing me with this audiobook arc.

drawing from recently declassified top-secret material, as well as revelatory eyewitness accounts, secret service records, and jacqueline kennedy’s personal letters, bestselling biographer leaming answers the question: what was it like to be mrs. john f. kennedy during the dramatic thousand days of the kennedy presidency? leaming’s poignant and powerful chronicle illuminates the tumultuous day-to-day life of a woman who entered the white house at age thirty-one, seven years into a complex and troubled marriage, and left at thirty-four after her husband's assassination. revealing the full story of the interplay of sex and politics in washington, this book will indelibly challenge our vision of this fascinating woman, and bring a new perspective to her crucial role in the kennedy presidency.

I knew basically nothing about the kennedy's before going into this book so I found all of this immensely interesting. for a nonfiction, it was very accessible and it brought a lot of facts to light that I had no idea about. if I had read it I probably would've liked it a lot more but the audiobook was sadly lacking. the narrator was a bit too monotonous and slow even when the story itself was at it's climax. the sound level was also a bit shaky and the narrator also sounded hoarse a lot of the time. it even got so bad at times that it was hard to listen to.

if you know nothing about the kennedy's; this is a great start. I can't judge how "groundbreaking" or how much new information this includes but it was really interesting and painted the whole situation in a new light different from the minimal knowledge I had previously and the reputation they had. I would however not recommend the audiobook.

ig: @winterrainreads

In this 2001 biography of Jackie Kennedy, Barbara Leaming asserts that she is revealing an untold aspect of Jackie's story—one that emphasizes the critical role she purportedly played in the Kennedy presidency. The book has likely gained renewed attention due to a 2024 audiobook adaptation, for which I received an ARC from Tantor Audio for review.

Elizabeth Wiley narrates with the poise of a traditional newscaster, which lends the book an air of prestigious journalism. However, this impression is misleading, as the book leans more toward celebrity gossip than serious journalism. As someone who enjoys audiobooks, I appreciate the adaptation of older works, but this particular book might be better left in the past.

Now nearly a quarter-century old, the book's dated misogynistic perspective when portraying its main subject is somewhat understandable, but it doesn't excuse Leaming's near-omniscient insights into the characters' minds. The book appears well-researched, yet it often suggests a depth of knowledge that seems impossible without direct conversations with the subjects.

The book becomes engaging when it ascribes clear motivations and feelings to its characters. Were it a biographical film, creative liberties would be expected and perhaps enjoyable. But higher standards must apply to nonfiction to avoid the risk of spreading misinformation. Leaming's book is riddled with speculation and gossip, with historical facts relegated to the background, used merely as a stage for promoting her thesis of marital affairs and emotional turmoil. This approach claims to be necessary for telling Jackie's story, yet it comes off as patronizing rather than empathetic.

Leaming focuses on how John's infidelity affected Jackie, effectively making John the defining feature of her existence. The narrative feigns kindness toward Jackie, but beneath this façade lies a demeaning attitude. Jackie is reduced to the role of John's wife and mother, with her most significant achievements seemingly limited to maintaining composure under stress—a viewpoint that mirrors the outdated societal attitudes of the 1960s rather than providing a fresh perspective on her role as First Lady and beyond.

The book is narrowly concerned with a specific portrayal of Jackie's life. The final hour (of the audiobook) covers JFK's assassination, his funeral, and her remarriage before passing away in her 60s. Occasionally, Leaming touches on societal sexist standards, but only in the most evident scenarios. Despite its dated perspective, the book could have been given some leeway if it contained substance. Yet any substantive content is overshadowed by speculation, blurring the line between evidence and narrative fabrication.

Ultimately, the book is best forgotten, and I would recommend exploring other biographies. If none exist, new ones should be written. Examples of exemplary journalism on the overlooked roles of First Ladies include Susan Page's "The Matriarch" on Barbara Bush, which candidly examines Bush's complex stance on feminism while respecting her contributions, and "Lady Bird Johnson" by Julia Sweig, which, despite not resonating as strongly with me, still stands as a well crafted biography.

I feel like you cant learn enough about the first ladies of the united states. This book gave me more insight into the woman and not her title. It makes me want to know even more! Great book!

I love to read about the Kennedy's. It's almost like reading about the slowest car crash in history. JFK was a terrible husband, and this book really brought light to how bad his dalliances really were. He was a real rake. Jacqueline was intelligent and artistic, and was sold short as a great first lady.

This title seems to be an interesting take on the life and relationship of Jackie Kennedy and her husband. The narrator does not have a voice that is easy to listen to. The beginning just speaks about how Jackie avoided the public but it doesn’t feel like a clear path that is easy to understand. This one wasn’t for me. Saving this review

The audio production of this book is incredible. Five Stars for excellent diction, voices, etc. The book itself, though, was interesting and informative, but a little repetitive. I am glad I read it, though, because my knowledge of the Kennedy administration in general was lacking and this seems to give a fair and balanced view.

I knew about John F Kennedy’s presidency and his family. I also was aware that he stepped out on his marriage especially with Marilyn Monroe, but I didn’t know the impact Jackie had on the Presidency. Jackie Kennedy like Eleanor Roosevelt. Was more than just the president’s wife - in charge of decorating the White House and hosting dinner parties. This book was very insightful to not only Jackie’s accomplishments but also her heartbreaks. If you enjoy history, give this autobook a chance.

I have read so many books about Kennedy lately, but never any about Mrs Kennedy. It talks so much about all that she went through with Kennedy. I feel that all the books about JFK downplay his womanizing and how much he hurt Jackie. I never knew the extent of what he did. There is so much talked of how great he is, which I know he did great things, but he hurt alot of people.
This was a heartbreaking book. Beautifully told.
The narrator was really good at bringing you in. I liked the way they did the Kennedys voices.
I received a copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

My app has been giving me issues and downloading is the main one. Unfortunately, I didn't get this downloaded in time.

I DNF this audiobook. Narrator didn’t catch my interest and the subject wasn’t As compelling as I thought it would,be. .

I cannot imagine the hours of research that went into this book. Talk about thorough! I knew some of it, but not all! There is so much behind the scenes that this author talks about. JFK and Jackie’s relationship was not what I assumed. Well, maybe parts of it. But there is so much the author brings to light. It just makes it more understandable for someone on the outside looking in. And don’t get me started on her reason to marry Onassis. I would do it too!

Jackie Kennedy was a truly amazing woman. I have met her daughter Caroline and she is as sweet and she appears. I would have loved to have met her mother. I admire her more after reading this book.

One thing brought out in this book that I really had no idea about was the doctor approved drug use. How I missed this, I will never know.

The narrator, Elizabeth Wiley, could not have been better. She is “Matter of fact”! And I loved it!

Need a fantastic written book about a national icon…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I have read or listened to many biographies of Jackie Kennedy as well as others of the Kennedys. Leaming’s telling was very detailed, at times too detailed and repetitive BUT Leaming spells out with much detail the depression and PTSD. Informative and thought provoking

The amount of times I have said wtf or my mouth has dropped from this book is astounding. Jackie’s trials as the wife of a known adulterer, who also believed that she could do no better thanks to her mother, all while having this play out in a public stage makes you feel bad for her. She did her best with the knowledge that her husband was always going to cheat on her and made sure to try not to be around when she knew it would happen. The fact that JFK seemingly just wanted a replacement for his best friend (his sister) who he lost and not necessarily a wife makes me feel even worse for Jackie. I’m glad she was able to showcase her intelligence during his presidency and able to rebuild a life after his death. I found this book fascinating and the narration was amazing

This was fascinating and informative. It's a deep look into their marriage. I didn't realize he had do many affairs and that Javkie had such low self esteem. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

This biography focuses on Jackie Kennedy’s life during the thousand days of JFK’s presidency. So many books and biographies have been written over the decades about Jackie, JFK and the other Kennedys so it becomes a rare thing to learn something new about this American family and I found this book to be refreshing in this respect. I wasn’t aware that JFK wasn’t that well respected by some of the world’s foreign leaders and that it was Jackie that charmed these prime ministers and presidents and helped facilitate better relations between the USA and some European and Asian countries. I also wasn’t aware that due to her diplomacy and statesmanship that after Jack’s death she was offered an ambassadorship to any country that she wished – France was offered because it was well known that Jackie loved all things French but she wanted a life away from politics and decided not to pursue that route. It is really unfortunate that when you think of Jackie and JFK, one of the first things that comes to mind is his infidelity which was described in great detail in this book. It was almost hard to wrap my head around because it went beyond being unfaithful – there were so many women that it had turned into an obsession and addiction. If JFK hadn’t been assassinated, it would have been interesting to see if Jackie would have eventually left him as each liaison that she learned about had devastated her. I listened to the audio version of this book read by Elizabeth Wiley and is now available for purchase. I gave this 4/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for a review copy of this book.

I have read numerous books about the Kennedys over the years. I was very excited to read another book about my favorite Kennedy, Jackie. The book was well-researched and encompasses a wealth of information about Jackie. However, I didn't learn anything new about the book's subject.

This book had a well done audiobook. The narrator presented the book very well. She was easy to listen to.
I really didn’t have much background knowledge of Mrs. Kennedy other than she was the wife of president Kennedy. I always pictured her as a very glamorous woman who had it all together. Her life, primarily because of her marriage, was a very sad one. I was very disturbed by some of the information told about President Kennedy. Aside from that, the information regarding the historical events during his presidency was well documented.

I really liked what I listened to of this audiobook but I sadly DNF just because of the length and the amount of days I had before publish date, if I had longer I happily would have taken my time and enjoyed this in depth historical account from a lesser told perspective of this very famous time.

If you are a huge historian this book will definitely appeal to you. The details are unending. In my opinion the book should be called President and Mrs. Kennedy because there is as much time ( if not more ) spent on the President as there was on Mrs. Kennedy. His affairs are recounted over and over again. 

There are 19 hours to listen to and Elizabeth Wiley has a good voice to dispense this information. This was definitely a book to listen to, rather than read. I don't think I would have made it through it if I had read it.

This was a fascinating read. I texted my mom and told her she HAD to read it when I was around 60% of the way through. I have read and watched all sorts of histories of Mrs. Kennedy. My mom absolutely loved Jackie O. Yet I still learned quite a bit from this biography. My interest was maintained throughout by the engaging story telling. The story was very well crafted. The details, which might have been considered boring under other circumstances, were presented in such a way to keep the reader wanting more. 

     Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a fascinating person. She had an incredibly difficult life. Her story is known, to some extent, by nearly every American. Most people cannot claim knowledge of her internal feelings and moods. This book lays out many of her internal struggles, as well as her public ones. I highly recommend this book. I listened to it in an Audio ARC. The narration is very well done. I enjoyed the narrators work.