Fascinated with the Kennedys

I'm gearing up for a big family reunion in Canada, which means I'll be flying and driving for quite a few hours this weekend. Travel always translates into reading time for me, which- with these last busy couple of weeks- has been a rarity. To find the best stories, I turn to none other than the wonderful iPad speed reader and good friend, Eric Gonzalez. Today he's recommending to y'all a book he recommended to me on my last big travel venture. I read this baby in less than 10 hours (two flights and a couple hours here and there) because it's THAT juicy of a story. I'm full confident you'll be able to finish this book this weekend. I'll let Eric explain why!

***

G'day, bookworms!

Hope you all have enjoyed the Fifty Shades trilogy (or the first two books) and are happily hosed down and ready to move forward.

First, let me put all my cards out on the table. I have never agreed politically (and will never) with anybody from the Kennedy clan. Putting all politics aside, I love this family. They do things that you and I would never think to do, and would never in a million years get away with if we did. Their story lines are straight from Days of Our Lives (or Dallas for y’all Texans – Wednesday nights, TNT)– murders, drug abuse, affairs, suicides, everything. They are simply fascinating.

Now to the story. Mimi Alford is a well-to-do, pinky-in-the-air college student from New England. She accepts a summer internship in Washington, D.C., where she meets John Kennedy and the pieces then fall where they fall. Throw in swims in the White House pool, drinking daiquiris followed by late night trysts, a pregnancy scare, and some very ungentlemanly behavior (your jaw will drop. I can make a really good joke here... come back to this once you’re halfway through the book).

Ultimately, Mimi ends up happily married (with a hiccup or two in the road). The last few chapters are about geriatric love, and you will find yourself really cheering her on. She’s happy now, and has one helluva memoir. She is still well-to-do and pinky-in-the-air, and she makes 70 look extremely good. Google image that. Some things to think about: Do you think JFK is a sexual deviant for taking advantage of a 19-year old college student? Is Mimi naive, or does she know what she is getting herself into? Why write this now? Would you mess with the Kennedys?

My thoughts: I think this book really humanized John Kennedy. Do I think he took advantage of her? Yes and no. I think Mimi knew exactly what she was getting herself into. This isn’t your run of the mill relationship. She was drawn to his fame, she knew he was a married man, and she can now take screwing a President off of her bucket list. Do I think he is a sexual deviant? Yes, but he wasn’t pulling the wool over anybody’s eyes. Jackie knew. Everyone close to him knew. But fame and a title can mean more than a meaningful relationship. There’s plenty of blame to give, but in the end I think one blame cancels out the other. It’s a wash. As for why now, I won’t bother you with my conspiracy theory – I have one, and I’m 100% correct. Tweet me. 
 
Share your thoughts! Also, if you want to fill a Kennedy fix after reading this, check out the Kennedys Miniseries on NetFlix. It appeared on Reelz in April of 2011 and was fantastic. Katie Holmes (pre-freedom) as Jackie, Greg Kinnear as John, and Barry Pepper as Bobby (won the Golden Globe). Very, very good series, but nonetheless this is a book review. Happy reading!