Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE -- I was so concerned about the entire ESK/Carolyn B angle (and people questioning my veracity) that I spoke to another Kennedy Insider. One of the last people to speak to JFK Jr before he got on the plane. He scoffed and said, "Carolyn never set foot in Hickory Hill!" In fact, he said, "Ethel was kind of mean... and she and John didn't get along at all." Apparently there was a kind of a shed between John and ESK's houses at the Cape, and ESK had someone living there (of course), and it had flooded.... and Ethel wanted John to pay for it for some reason "How can they get away with writing this stuff?" my friend wondered. So read the book if you like, just wanted to let you know what I learned. From actual research. Parts of the book were quite good, but I read the entire Ethel/Carolyn Bessette thing and thought: "that's just not right." (From someone who knows all the players and has been in the room.) I feel better knowing it has been verified. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have known most of the Kennedys -- ESK, Bobby, Mary Richardson, Kerry, Kara, Ena, JFK Jr, etc etc -- for almost thirty years, lived at Hick Hill for close to a year (up on the top floor across from Ena's room), had dozens of meals with ESK alone, gone to Mass w her etc. etc. I have to cast some serious doubt as to the "Ethel" character the author portrays and, in fact, several scenes that he recreates. For starters, ESK simply doesn't talk like that. She is a lively person to hang out with but not an intellectual (on any level) so the thought of her grilling an unknown guest about gun control (or whatever) simply wouldn't happen. The author also has her speaking in these very elegant long paragraphs, giving advice like she’s Oprah. Again, no. ESK sort of stutters and gets very excited -- most of her conversation consists of "I love it!" "Oh, how funny..." "Hiya, kiddo!" Again, very enthusiastic, but nothing the author said sounds like ESK. None of it. The entire sequence where she flies CBK down to HH on a private jet and has her picked up in a limousine to go to HH to receive pointers on "being a Kennedy." Again, I laughed out loud at that one (and any Kennedy insider would). Ethel (to put it kindly) is a tight fisted person. I've seen her get in an argument with a cab driver over the cab fare from Dulles to McLean (she thought it was too much $$$ and didn't want to pay it). I've never seen her hire a private jet for herself or any member of her family. Ever. (I could give other examples that I personally saw (refusing to pay bills, etc), but don't want to be mean. So the thought of hiring a private jet and limo for someone? Hilarious.) ESK and JFK Jr were not close and did not get along. I wd describe the relationship as “prickly” — so how wd his wife POSSIBLY be hanging out with Ethel and confiding in her? GIANT RED FLAG. DID NOT HAPPEN. The entire time I knew her/was with her, he never called her on the phone or anything. For ESK to invite CBK to HH and have a heart to heart, she would have to almost jump over JFK Jr and have a confidential conversation with his wife. Just would not happen. People were honestly sort of scared of ESK, she's kind of a loose cannon (in a fun way, of course) and one wouldn't go to her for advice (whereas one might from Jackie). So that whole through line reads like something from a movie, not real life. Even the description of HH wasn't right... there were never six maids (with uniforms, no less!). Author mentions going through several mazelike rooms to get to the drawing room. No, walk in the front door, walk down the main hallway and take a left at the main staircase, it's maybe 20 feet to the drawing room. Author talks about maids dusting bookshelves in the drawing room. Again, no. The library was a room to the right as soon as you walked in the front door (where the secretary's desk was). There was a wall of books behind the couch, but I never saw ESK lift a book off the shelves, let alone read one of them. There are no bookshelves in the drawing room, and if ESK was expecting guests, she wouldn't have had people dusting them. No maid would have lit a fireplace, it would have been done first thing by the yard guy, and never would have been done in front of guests (a small thing, but still). Even little things: Author says long winding driveway of HH. Again, no, it's a short half circle that can be easily seen from the road. There used to be a cattle guard that rattled when cars came up the drive, so one could listen for visitors. All the scenes w ESK having big emotional moments with her secretaries/assistants (looking in mirror together, putting her hand on her shoulder) "We made it, didn't we?" doesn't sound like ESK AT ALL. If it matters, most of the Kara and Vicki stuff sounds about right. I have a few thoughts about all the Carolyn Bessette stuff (and the "friend" she "confides in"), but don't want to get into it here. I'll run into Bobby or Kerry or Kathleen at some point, and ask them about it. But nothing about ESK rings true -- she's just not like that... which makes me wonder about the rest of it.