Jackie

By: J. Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer

Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times bestselling author of Jackie, Janet & Lee comes a fresh and often startling look at the life of the legendary former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Based on hundreds of interviews with friends, family, and lovers over a thirty-year period—as well as previously unreleased material from the JFK Library—Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an unforgettable new portrait of a woman whose flaws and contradictions only serve to make her even more iconic. “I have three lives,” Jackie told a former lover, “public, private and secret.” In this revealing biography, listeners will become intimately familiar with all three.

New insights include:
· Jackie’s cold feet before her wedding to Jack Kennedy and her secret plan to avoid moving into the White House with him.
· Jackie's plan to meet with the woman with whom her husband, Aristotle Onassis, was again having an affair, Maria Callas…and why, in the end, she decided against it.
· The truth about the nude photos of Jackie which scandalized her in the 1970s…and which family member had betrayed her by selling them.
· Her unusual relationship with Maurice Templesman, which was never what outsiders believed it to be.
· The never-before-reported, last-ditch efforts to save Jackie’s life with experimental cancer treatments, and the doctor who wouldn’t risk jail time in order to treat her.

Twenty-nine years after her death and sixty years after the assassination of President Kennedy, Jackie delivers the last word on one of the most famous women in the world.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Taraborrelli’s nearly 25 years of research and interviewing sheds new light on every phase of Jacqueline Bouvier’s life . . . An absorbing and comprehensive account of one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Readable and deeply researched, [Jackie] is a refreshingly complex portrait of a woman too often defined by her relationships with men. Readers who enjoyed the author’s other Kennedy biographies will not be able to put this down.”—Publishers Weekly

Very thorough!

This is the deepest dive I think any author could possibly take on Jackie. It was very compelling and I felt like I knew her by the end. At 17 hours I was afraid I would be bored but I finished the book and was sad it was over. The narration is really well done as well which makes a world of difference! Great read! I highly recommend 👍🏻

Jackie was such a diverse and interesting person as much as she was beautiful.

Liked the book very much. Touched on John Kennedy’s assassination and how it impacted her entire life. Her relationships, her career. An in-depth look at a fascinating woman.

Captivating

Amazing story of an amazing woman who WAS able to work through the unbelievable trauma she experienced in Dallas. Trauma is not ever healed. Just managed. She succeeded. Inspiring to those of us who continue to manage ours.

One of the best books on Jackie

Well done! Very interesting book which provided details about Jackie’s life and relationships that were new, or had been under the media radar. Loved her self reflections at the end about her life,

Deep and meaningful!

The narrator chosen for this book was absolute perfection. While Jackie was a notoriously, private woman, I think, even she would have appreciated the narrator. This book offers insight that has been heard before, however, never told like this. If one wants an accurate portrayal of history through Jackie’s life, this book is for you! 

Interesting Read

Lots of insight into America’s First Lady. Wish there had been an epilogue. I enjoyed all the parts the public never knew.

A First Lady Indeed

The bravery, compassion, strength, perseverance and love, which Jackie maintain throughout her life is an absolute amazing story. I’m so glad that I read this book. This book was very well done. Thank you.

Very Good Book

I think this book is very well written, narrated perfectly and was clearly researched extensively. I see nothing tabloid like about it. Jackie was a strong woman, but a woman of her times as well. For those that don’t remember the dutiful wife expectations of those years, try to imagine the nerve it takes to break the mold and she did. One step at a time. The stories show Jackie acting immature, spoiled, angry, and strong, loving and leading a nation through a devastating time in our history. I found the public, private and secret all included in this biography.

I was sad when it ended

This bio is very well done! I was genuinely sad when the book ended because I wanted more! Such an intriguing woman

Broadest and most comprehensive study of JBKO

I like the writer’s style of writing and presentation of facts. His portrayal of JBKO was perhaps the best I have read. He states things that I have long suspected and that I can use as a source for research for a historical/philosophical dissertation I am writing. I am a fan and will listen to his other books. Thank you, Mr. Taraborrelli.