Kick Kennedy, Barbara Leaming
Kick Kennedy, Barbara Leaming
7 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

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

Author: Barbara Leaming

Narrator: Eliza Foss

Unabridged: 10 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/12/2016


Synopsis

Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy was the incandescent life-force of the fabled Kennedy family, her father’s acknowledged “favorite of all the children” and her brother Jack’s “psychological twin.” She was the Kennedy of Kennedys, sure of her privilege, magnetically charming and somehow not quite like anyone else on whatever stage she happened to grace.

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. In a decaying world where everything was based on stultifying sameness and similarity, she was gloriously, exhilaratingly different. 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 had everything, 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 another world, one of immense wealth, arcane rituals and rules, glamour and tragedy, that has now disappeared forever. It was a world of dukes and duchesses, of grand houses, of country house weekends, and of wild rich boys. But it was also a world of blood and war, and of immeasurable loss.

It was a time of complete upheaval, as reflected in the life of this most unlikely and unforgettable central character. Kick Kennedy reveals her story, that of a young girl learning about love, sex, and death--and doing it all at warp speed as the world races toward war and then reels in the war’s chaotic aftermath. 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.

About Barbara Leaming

Barbara Leaming is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including her recent book Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Leaming’s book Churchill Defiant received The Emery Reves Award from the International Churchill Centre. Her groundbreaking biography of America's 35th President, Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman was the first to detail the lifelong influence of British history and culture and especially of Winston Churchill on JFK. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, the Timesof London and other periodicals. She lives in Connecticut.

About Eliza Foss

Eliza Foss has performed in numerous theaters both in New York City and around the country.  She's performed in Ten Unknown, Natural Selection, and Angels Don't Dance, among others.  She has appeared in the films Split Ends and Chutney Popcorn as well as on television in Law & Order and The Merrow Report.  She holds a M.F.A from the New York University Graduate Acting Program. Eliza has narrated over thirty audiobooks and short stories, including The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, The Beck Diet Solution by Judith S. Beck, and Big Love by Sarah Dunn.  She was featured in AudioFile magazine as one of “audio’s hottest romance narrators.”


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jill on May 06, 2016

Barbara Leaming tends to write good biographies, but this one, "Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter", is not particularly good. Leaming begins her bio in the late 1930's when Kick has moved to London with her family. Her father, Joseph Kennedy, had been a......more

Goodreads review by Janice on August 16, 2016

A bunch of name dropping about someone who aspired to be British hierarchy and had a tragic death......more

Goodreads review by Rarity on September 11, 2016

Interesting although tedious at times account of an ambitious social climber. If there was any depth to this young woman, the author failed to give examples. It appears that Kathleen Kennedy was determined to live in one of the great houses of Britian. After the Cavendish heir was killed, she moved......more

Goodreads review by Amy on October 20, 2016

I have started and stopped with this book, more than a few times. Yesterday, I decided that this book was at the "do or die" stage for me. I either had to continue on or not read it. I ended up skimming most of it and reading the details that I found really interesting. I am not surprised that Rose a......more

Goodreads review by Paul on April 22, 2016

Before I read this book, I had no idea who Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy was, only that she was a sister of JFK who had died in her twenties. After reading the book, I found myself upset over what a loss she was to the world and what she could have done with her life. Kick Kennedy died in a plane crash in......more