Rosemary

The Hidden Kennedy Daughter

By: Kate Clifford Larson

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

They were the most prominent American family of the 20th century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.

Joe and Rose Kennedy's strikingly beautiful daughter, Rosemary, attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet Rosemary was intellectually disabled - a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.

Major new sources - Rose Kennedy's diaries and correspondence, school and doctors' letters, and exclusive family interviews - bring Rosemary to life as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then, as the family's standing reached an apex, the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early 20s. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age 23 and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.

Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly 20 years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

This Sad Story Bruised My Heart

I don't know what I expected, as I knew about the ultimate lobotomy before I began listening. I knew it was not going to be a joyful, fun listen, but I never suspected I would have experienced such sadness, anger and disgust from a biography of one of the Kennedy clan. It was an important book but oh-so-sad and so difficult to comprehend all that was done to destroy a perfectly healthy baby and a delightful young woman of not quite normal intelligence and capabilities.

Despite your political and religious affiliations, I don't know how you could come away from this story without cursing Joe and Rose Kennedy under your breath as two of the most selfish and loathe-some people you have ever heard about.

Roses fixation on her children's weight, her denial of Rosemary's disability, her ignoring adult Rosemary for decades . . . Joe's womanizing, his selfishness when it came to his career, his role in lobotomizing his daughter to keep her docile, his keeping the reality of his secret decision and its terrible outcome from his family for so long . . . .

Yes, ultimately some good came from the the outrageous treatment of the beautiful and innocent girl, thanks to Eunice's instigation. She seemed to be one of the really genuine and caring people this family produced, and I did appreciated learning about her role in improving the lot of disabled persons world-wide.

Very good narration that took just a bit of time to get comfortable with.

Read at your own risk!

Awesome book

This book is amazing. The author details the many unbelievable decisions Rose and Joe Kennedy made throughout their lives, impacting their children especially Rosemary. The author reveals secrets that were kept for decades. She reveals thoughts and feelings. The narration was excellent. The book was easy and fun to listen to.

Great Book, disappointed in narrator

This was a very interesting book on the Kennedy family. I was disappointed in the narration. It sounded as if it had been pieced together at times. Listening, I would hear the author end a sentence, or so it seemed, only to find there wasn't a period and then continue as if it were a new sentence. Often, it seemed as if the audio had skipped.

Not the book I had in Mind

This book spent far too much time covering well worn Kennedy info and not concentrating on the title character. It did enlighten to show what a “Mommy Dearest “ Rose Kennedy really was, so Old Joe wasn’t the only villain in the family. I was really hoping for a better book about Rosemary herself. Another time maybe.

Rosemary's Contribution

The book is difficult to listen to, I recommend listening to it for a very long drive/trip rather than on and off. The title is also misleading, since it's more about how the Kennedys handled Rosemary and her incapacities, given the the era and how little was known. The end makes it worth the long listen, with the remaining brother and sisters as well as the nieces and nephews continuing to contribute to special needs programs, research, funding, and therapy that all started because of a wonderful woman named Rosemary.

A Beautiful Lady!

The author's research is very good. I so admire Eunice Kennedy Shriver. I love how Rosemary 's mother and Eunice acknowledged the many gifts that Rosemary brought to their lives.

intriguing idea but a little long winded

it was interesting but a little long winded. I was glad to read all the details of this tragedy that could have, should have been avoided.

This book is most likely ten times more interesting if you actually read it

Overall, this was an interesting story, and I learned a lot. I think because of the topic of this book and how it is written (i.e. historical), it would be SO much more interesting/attention-grabbing actually reading this book rather than listening to it. Especially with the narrator’s somewhat monotone and soothing voice, there are some sections (multiple, to be honest) that are downright boring and make it unbearably hard to focus on. If you’re interested in this subject at all, I do recommend you give it a go, but pass the audiobook version.

ANOTHER Kennedy "curse."

Reading this account of the life of Rosemary Kennedy sensitized me to the fact that WEALTH and VALUE are widely divergent. The Kennedys bore Rosemary's condition as a political liability, as well as a financial emotional one.

Rosemary: A thoughtful perspective

This was an interesting detailed reading about Rosemary, the Kennedy who made a silent contribution to American history. Through her sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s advocacy for the rights of those with intellectual disabilities in honor of Rosemary. I believe through this reflection of Rosemary’s story, we see God’s version of perfect comes in many different ways. Desperately trying to fit the mold of a perfect ambitious Kennedy. Joe and Rose Kennedy failure to meet Rosemary at her level of perfection caused irreversible brain damage to this beautiful duty daughter who only wanted love.