Kick
The True Story of Kick Kennedy, JFK’s Forgotten Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth
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- 7,99 €
Publisher Description
The remarkable life of the vivacious, clever – and forgotten – Kennedy sister, who charmed the English aristocracy and was almost erased from her family history.
The favourite child of Joe Kennedy and favourite sister of Jack, Kick Kennedy was spirited, vivacious and legendary for her charm. When the Kenndys sailed to Britain in 1938 she was presented as a debutante amid the pre-war social whirl of the British aristocracy. Here she met a shy, tall, handsome man called Billy, and, rebelling against family, faith, and country, soon married him. He was William Cavendish, heir to Chatsworth and the Duke of Devonshire, the most eligible bachelor in England. But their days of married bliss proved short, as war would bring tragedy and loss.
Uncovering her spectacular life in full for the first time, Paula Byrne depicts a remarkable woman who bewitched the Churchills, Astors and Mitfords, and yet was almost erased from Kennedy family history.
Reviews
‘Byrne conjures such a vivid portrait of her enchanting heroine that one almost feels deprived never having met her’ Daily Mail, Book of the Week
‘Byrne is engagingly smitten with her subject … Sentence by sentence, the book is a joy: a fresh take on the exceedingly well-worn theme of the Kennedy family. Byrne recounts the dramas of the end of her life with great pace and a poignancy that is all the more affecting for not being overdone’ Guardian
‘Byrne does a fine job rescuing Kick from undeserved obscurity, providing an important chapter to the story of this dazzling doomed dynasty’ The Times
‘Sparkling … fast-paced … transfixing’ Sunday Times
‘This absolutely enthralling biography is written by an expert hand… Her narrative is deceptively easy and fluid, cleverly belying the enormous weight and variety of her source materials’ Irish Independent
‘An exciting, heartbreakingly tense love story’ Kirkus Review
‘Written with panache … as engaging as its subject’ Sunday Express
‘A fun-loving American charms the English aristocracy with her wit and sangfroid, overcoming prejudice to win the heart of London’s most eligible bachelor … Paula Byrne … recaptures her brief but fascinating story’ Vogue
‘This very sad story is at the heart of Paula Byrne's excellent biography … supported by impressive research’ Financial Times
‘Sympathetic and faced-paced … Byrne’s portrait of the Kennedy’s at home is transfixing’ Sunday Times
‘A compelling biography … Byrne is to be commended for handling the formidable task with aplomb. She has produced a lively work … allowing [Kick’s] warmth, charisma and legendary vitality to shine through’ Country Life
‘Absolutely enthralling … Paula Byrne's narrative is deceptively easy and fluid cleverly belying the enormous weight and variety of her resource material’ Irish Independent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (1920 1948) was as intelligent, vivacious, and attractive as her older and better known brother, John. Unfortunately, this account from British biographer Byrne (Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice) is neither gossipy enough to be a satisfying celebrity profile nor contextual enough to work as an illuminating woman-of-the-times story. In 1938, at age 18, Kennedy became a celebrity when her father was named ambassador to Great Britain and moved the family to London. That year, she met William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, and they fell in love. Religious differences and the outbreak of WWII kept them apart for a while, though Byrne glosses over the tumultuous European events of 1938 1939. Back in the U.S., Kennedy worked as a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald until she signed on with the Red Cross in 1943 during WWII and went back to England. Kennedy and Hartington married in 1944; she became a marchioness, but her fairy tale life didn't have a happy ending. Byrne's story lacks the texture necessary to make this an absorbing read, repeatedly falling into the trap of telling rather than showing. Moreover, she hasn't convincingly demonstrated why Kennedy is worthy of a full-length biography. Illus.
