Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth

I've always thought that Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was the most interesting of the nine children of Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy. Raised to be a pious Catholic woman like her mother, Kick refused to conform to the mold and instead fell in love with both Britain and its aristocracy while her father was Ambassador to the Court of St. James in the years just before the beginning of World War II Pretty and vivacious, she captivated the British upper classes with her effervescence and her high spirits and quickly had a stable full of beaux from the best families in England. Ultimately, she and the heir to the Duke of Devonshire, Billy Hartington, fell in love and married despite her parents' (and mostly Rose's) vehement objections.

When Billy was show more killed in 1944, along with her eldest brother, Joe, she was not sure she can go on. However, she was sure that she wanted to stay in England and become part of the political life of that country - maybe even become an MP like her mentor Nancy Astor. What happens, instead, is that she met Peter, the 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, who was as different from Billy as anyone can be - and also married. Peter wds a devil may care playboy who loves to gamble and drink, and whose family owned the largest stately country home in England. Kick was attracted to his animal magnetism and the two embarked on a passionate affair, much to the horror of her friends. For Rose Kennedy this was the last straw and she vowed to cut Kick off from the rest of the family. For Joe, however, Kick was his favorite child and he could not take that drastic a step.

Kick, felt that her father can fix things as he has done so often in the past, made arrangements for Peter and herself to meet Joe in Paris to discuss the situation. However, they never made it. The small plane they are flying in bad weather crashed in the mountains of the Cevennes in France killing everyone on board.

In the end, Kick was as reckless with her life as her favorite brother, Jack, who also lived his life recklessly and met a sad and unexpected end in 1963. show less

Another great volume in the growing number of books about Kick Kennedy, one of JFK's sisters. Kick's story is fascinating, and I'm always glad to read anything written about her. This woman lived her life on her own terms. The book is easy to read and highly engaging. Whether you're new to the Kennedy story or a seasoned Kennedy aficionado, you're sure to find exactly the right dose with this book.

Excellent.

Kick by Paula Byrne is a 2016 Harper publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Does the fascination with the Kennedy’s ever really fade?

This larger than life family, is remembered for their unprecedented success and mark on our country and our lives, but they are also remembered for the heart wrenching tragedies the family has endured. This book is about Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, the fourth Kennedy child, whose life ended abruptly, and shockingly, at such a young age.

While I have always been very curious about the Kennedy assassination, having read many books on the subject, both fiction and non-fiction, I can’t say my interest in the Kennedy family has ever show more strayed beyond that.

I confess to knowing very little about Kathleen Kennedy before starting this book, so for me it has been very enlightening, giving me a different perspective on the family.

Kathleen appears to have been a vivacious girl, smart, funny, and full of mischief. She was close to her father, but seemed to have an especially close relationship with her brother, Jack.

Despite her life being cut so tragically short, she did appear to live it with gusto, unafraid to tread into unchartered territory, break rules, and was a little scandalous, especially for the time era in which she lived, which did not always please her parents.

This accounting of her life is interesting, but, the reading could be dry at times, especially in the beginning with the requisite background on the Kennedy family dynasty. But, as ‘Kick’ grew older, her personality really shined and the book does include some personal stories and excerpts from letters she wrote, which gives the reader a little insight into the type of person she was.

I found the latter part of her short life, to be the most interesting and controversial. I think her death was taken very hard by the family, but it was also quickly hushed, as there were some aspects of Kathleen’s death the family would rather not have publicized.

While Rose Kennedy has been dubbed, “The Forgotten Kennedy”, I don’t think Kathleen’s life has been examined all that closely either. I gleaned enough information from this book to have whetted my appetite, if you will, and I would like to learn more about ‘Kick’, and perhaps other Kennedy family members, besides JFK.

I’m not sure if this book is the most comprehensive accounting of her life, but it gave me enough information and insight to get a pretty clear picture of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy.

Kathleen certainly packed a lot of living into her short life, and was ahead of her time in many ways. She is certainly an interesting figure and I am glad I took the time to learn more about her life.

3.5 rounded to 4 show less

It seems to be the time for books about the Kennedy sisters. Recently, Rosemary: The Hidden Daughter by Kate Clifford Lawson was published and now Paula Byrne's Kick, about Kathleen Kennedy is on the shelves.

Not much has been written about Kathleen, the fourth child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy, better known as Kick. She, Joe Jr. and Jack were thick as thieves growing up together. When Joseph Kennedy was named U.S. Ambassador to England, Kick began to blossom.

She loved their time in England and when WWII was looming over England, the Kennedy clan returned to America much to Kick's dismay. She had fallen in love with Billy Hartington, the son of the Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth.

The Kennedys were the embodiment of good Catholics and show more Billy's family were from the Church of England and historically hated Catholics. Though they were madly in love, their marriage would be problematic for all.

Kathleen returned home and got a job working at a Washington DC newspaper, and pining for Billy. She found a way back to England as a volunteer for the Red Cross, where she and Billy rekindled their love. Although she risked her mother's wrath, Kick accepted Billy's marriage proposal and married him outside of her deeply felt Catholic faith.

They were married for only a few months when Billy was killed in combat. Kick was devastated. She had lost her brother Joe in the war and her brother Jack was nearly killed when his PT-109 boat was destroyed in the Pacific theater.

She fought through the pain and eventually began a relationship with Peter Fitzwilliam, a married man. Kick and Peter were killed in a plane crash outside of Paris in 1948.

The first half of the book is filled with names, so many that it made my head spin. The book came to life for me in the second half, when Kick goes to England with the Red Cross. Byrne concentrates on Kick more, and the people around her less, and that strengthens the book for me.

Not much is known about Kick, or Rosemary, so these two books give us insight into these two ladies from America's most famous family. We see the strife between Rose and Kick over Kick's willingness to marry outside her faith, and Joseph's strong love and belief in his daughter to make her choice, though he disagreed with her.

I also liked reading about Kick's job in DC, how she made her way as a curious, intelligent young woman. Her relationship with her brother Jack was an important part of her life, and the death of his two closest siblings just a few years apart must have impacted Jack in a powerful way.

I recommend Kick for fans of the Kennedy family, as well as for anyone who likes a memoir about strong women. show less

A page-turning, thoughtful rendering of a vibrant but less well known member of the Kennedy clan, Kathleen Kennedy (second daughter), whose life was full but cut short by her death in an airplane crash aged 28. She lived much of her life in Britain.

This book was interesting (I'm obsessed with the Kennedys, to my shame) but not particularly well-written. (Sorry, Paula, but you need a better editor - Palm Springs is not synonymous with Palm Beach, for one thing, and I would have liked a carefully researched and explicated example of how Kick and Jack were, indeed, one person rather than repeating it endlessly as fact: repetition does give enlightenment.) If you're obsessed with the Kennedys, though, read on.

FROM AMAZON: Encouraged to be "winners" from a young age, Rose and Joe Kennedy's children were the embodiment of ambitious, wholesome Americanism. Yet even within this ebullient group of overachievers, the fourth Kennedy child, the irrepressible Kathleen, stood out. Lively, charismatic, extremely clever, and blessed with graceful athleticism and a sunny disposition, the alluring socialite fondly known as Kick was a firecracker who effortlessly made friends and stole hearts.

Moving across the Atlantic when her father was appointed as the ambassador to Great Britain in 1938, Kick - the "nicest Kennedy" - quickly became the family's star. Despite making little effort to fit in to British high society, she charmed everyone from the beau show more monde to Fleet Street with her unconventional attitude and easygoing humor. Growing increasingly independent, Kick would also shock and alienate her devout family by falling in love and marrying the scion of a virulently anti-Catholic family - William Cavendish, the heir apparent of the Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth. But the marriage would last only a few months; Billy was killed in combat in 1944, just four years before Kick's own unexpected death in an airplane crash at 28. show less