Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter

Description

Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was the incandescent life-force of the Kennedy family. The daughter of the American ambassador to the Court of St. James's, Kick swept into Britain's aristocracy like a fresh wind on a sweltering summer day. Kick was the girl whom all the boys fell in love with, the girl who remained painfully out of reach for most of them. To Kick, everything about this life was fun and amusing-until suddenly it was not. For this is also a story of how a girl like Kick, a girl who seemed made for happiness, confronted crushing sadness. Willing to pay the price for choosing the love she wanted, she would have to face the consequences of forsaking much that was dear to her. Bestselling and award-winning biographer Barbara Leaming draws on her unique access to firsthand accounts, extensive conversations with many of the key players, and previously-unseen sources to transport us to a world of immense wealth, arcane rituals and rules, glamour and tragedy that has now disappeared forever. This is the coming-of-age story of the female star of the Kennedy family, and ultimately a tragic, romantic story that will break your heart.

Barbara Leaming is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, most recently Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Leaming's previous book, Churchill Defiant, received The Emery Reves Award from the International Churchill Centre, and she is also the author of the groundbreaking biography, Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman. Her articles have appeared in the NY Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, the Times of London and other periodicals. She lives in Connecticut.

"Strikingly original." --The Wall Street Journal "Evokes the luminous spirit of Kick Kennedy." --Vanity Fair "Candidly demystifies the life of one of the least-known Kennedys and vividly illuminates the complex world of British aristocracy." --Booklist