The House of Kennedy

I have read a lot of books on the Kennedy clan because of their story of endless characters and intrigue is pure Americana and part folklore. No exception here, and James Patterson delivers on why he is such a popular author as he puts forth a page turning real life drama.

The Kennedy's are the ultimate American family that became so entwined with our political system. By design of course because after accumulating his enormous wealth through questionable means it was patriarch Joe's mission to take the mantle of political power and install his sons as a kind of quasi-monarchy. But tragedy intervenes time and again to thwart this quest despite attaining the pinnacle with of course JFK. So here is the story of that amazing saga that has show more left its stamp indelibly on the American Psyche.

Each episode, each life profiled is a story unique in its own but shared in its characteristics that so dominated the family. The one in particular that surfaces again and again is tragedy. But in drilling down often we find in this book it goes hand in hand, arm in arm, with risky behavior. Certainly the assassinations of John and Robert were not of this but circumstantial to their vulnerability on the political stage. But so many of the other stories are clearly linked to the risk and recklessness of the players on this stage and their identity of being a Kennedy.

The book concludes with John Jr. and his tragic plane crash. There was much new information here I had not known particularly surrounding the relationship with his wife and the mind boggling series of missteps taken that almost guaranteed the crash. And so ends almost a final chapter with the man that would be king. And forever ends the fairy tale of Jackie's creation of Camelot.

But wait there are more Kennedy's in the pipeline. However the lesser knowns now seem to be fading a bit in particular the rather surprising defeat of Joe III in a recent senate race that had never been lost before by this family. So maybe the final chapters of this family are upon us. But the story will never fade completely and this book reminds us why. So many for so long that forever impacted our political landscape. show less

I'm a huge James Patterson fan and a big fan of Kennedy lore... however, I found much of this book rather dry and depressing. Not surprising as much of the Kennedy family tales end in tragedy do I can't fault them for the depressing tone. It did at times read like a textbook. It is made up for by parts that are very moving in tributes and remembrances. I did like the variety of people referenced... many I've never seen quoted in other Kennedy works.

Because of my age, I remember the history of the Kennedy family. I was in middle school when JFK was assassinated and in high school when Bobby was killed. Like many people, I cried and felt that both were the end of an era. This book stirred up all of those memories. I didn't have as much knowledge of the next two generations of the family so I found much of that information to be interesting and a bit like national enquirer in the way it was presented. Overall, this would be an interesting book for someone who knew very little about the Kennedy family - if there is anyone like that. For me, it was a trip down memory lane with very little information. Much of this book read like fiction and in my opinion, James Patterson should stick show more to fiction where he excels. show less

The Kennedy clan is an intricate part of American history and their record of public service is unparalleled. Their extreme cases of bad luck are also unparalleled. The Kennedy family has had some of the most unfortunate accidents to ever happen to any family. Some of these include the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the sudden death of JFK Jr. This book goes through Kennedy's history and then breaks down each Kennedy child's rough times.

This book did not contain any new information, although it was interesting to hear the Kennedy perspective on events that made the news such as Ted Kennedy's drinking issues and Jackie O's marriage to Aristotle Onassis. The narrator had an interesting way of performing women's voices and show more his Boston accent was forced but all in all, he did a great job. I have never been a Kennedy fan and this book just confirmed for me that my feelings about the family were right. show less

This is a look back at the Kennedy family from Joseph and Rose Kennedy to their children and grandchildren. It was a wonderful look back at John, Robert and Edward's public service, despite the issues all had. The author also examines the lives of various grandchildren, including John Jr., who had so many issues. It was informative and entertaining all at once, but it did remind me of a time when political rhetoric sought to unite our country, as opposed to divide it like today. It was a time when we had a greater purpose other than ourselves, be it defeat communism or be the first to land on the moon. It was nice to look back at this time on the Fourth of July.

This audio book was a pleasant enough "read".... the narrator did mainly a good job, but he had a horrible habit of making all female voices sound weird and annoying.
That said, the information about the MALE Kennedys was quite detailed. What bothered me the most (and cost the ratings 2 stars) was the almost total skimming over the FEMALE members of the family. Yes, Jackie got her (sort of) own chapter, but almost nothing was said about the Kennedy sisters... Even Caroline Kennedy only warranted occasionally snippets, including that she wanted to learn how to fly a plane. The fact that she ended up being an Ambassador (like one of her aunts) doesn't even exist in this book!

I learned a lot from the book. I've always been fascinated by JFK. It's hard not to believe that there wasn't a "Kennedy Curse" with all the tragedy the family endured.