I. Loved this book! It was extremely well written and easy kept my attention! I am so glad I read this book!

Wow! If anyone has read a book about Jackie O, I have read five, maybe six, you have definitely heard the name Radziwill. Jackie's sister, Lee, was married to a Radziwill, there was some royal connection there, and the Kennedy's were close friends with their in-laws. Every event that is described in the "Jackie" books mentions the Radziwills - Jacks 40th birthday and cruises with Onassis come to mind. When I came across this memoir I was confused for a bit and then it hit me. Of course! John and Anthony Radziwill are first cousins and it makes sense that they were close. The writer was married to Anthony Radziwill and was friends with John Kennedy and Caroline Bessette Kennedy. Makes sense. What I didn't anticipate was the powerful and intimate story Carole Radziwill would tell. The players are famous, yes, but the tale is unerringly human. The story begins the night of the doomed flight John Kennedy Jr would make with his wife of 3 years, Carolyn Bessette and her sister, Lauren. At that time, her husband, Anthony Radziwill, was dying from cancer suffered over five years. The author pivots back in time and tells of her upbringing (I would love the ask the author what ever happened to the twin, Caroline Garritano), her career and meeting Radziwill. The relationship with Radziwill and cancer (the cancer was present from the beginnings of their marriage) is described in painstaking and riveting detail. The author does a fantastic job here and the prose is deliberate, heartbreaking and honest. Kudos to her for sharing it with us. The juxtaposition of both her husband's final weeks and the Kennedy tragedy is particularly poignant. This is one of those books that stays with you. Days later, I am still thinking about it. ((spoiler alert, but not really)) You have a foursome, a group of friends, all dreading the death of one of them and yet, tragically, the ones fullest of life are plucked away in an instant. What the heck? And then, the one survivor, suffers the loss of her friends and her husband? How much can one person take? And Why? What was John F Kennedy thinking when he took that flight? What does this tragic example tell us about life and its fragility and cruelty? You got me but I am glad for the questions.

Going into this, I knew it would be a sad book. But, as sad as it was, it was also very honest, real and interesting. I feel fortunate for Carole sharing this rare opportunity to get a close, personal look at the life of JFK Jr. and their close family. Little details she shared, were fun and interesting to learn. I thought to myself many times, "wow, JFK eats oatmeal and blueberries, too?" Etc. This tragic story was well written, and I very much enjoyed reading it. Her relationship with JFK Jr.'s wife was very cute, and reminded me of my best friend. I'm glad to have gotten to know more about his life than I would have otherwise known. Definitely would recommend it! Sad, but never lacking beauty. Also- I cried several times! Very heartfelt and well written.

Oh my goodness Carole!! Such an amazing read. Perfect for the pool or beach but also get ready to cry. Even if you aren’t a fan of Real Housewives and are not familiar with Carole and her story you will be after this. It’s heart wrenching and real and gives a behind the scenes look into a woman losing her spouse way too young and how she dealt with his fight with cancer and ultimately losing him and 2 really good famous friends all around the same time. So much emotion and loss and pain but also finding out what remains…

I overlooked this book originally because I'm definitely not a "real housewives" fan. The few times I have watched the show, I've wanted the 60 minutes back so I can do something constructive with my life. I was more interested from the Carolyn Bessette Kennedy angle. Plus I am Carole Radziwill's age and I grew up with a mother who idolized Jackie Kennedy. I hardly ever write reviews but this book was so moving that I felt compelled to do so. Anyone who has lost someone suddenly or fought cancer will appreciate this book. But there's so much more to this book. It's a story of love and loss, working hard and fighting hard. This is why I like this book: 1. It's a Cinderella story, and who doesn't love Cinderella stories? The bride was not unattractive, but by her own admission, she was not model material. As with most Cinderellas, she had no pedigree and her family was solidly middle-class. But unlike most formulaic Cinderella stories, it appears there was no Grand Recognition when they met for the first time while they worked on a project together for ABC. Carole even dubbed them most likely to not do anything together in the future and noted their many differences: neat night owl versus messy morning person, for instance. But over time he fell in love with her brains and personality, which was another reason to cheer her on and to love the story. The respect he had for her smarts --he trusted her with his life and she handled every aspect of his medical treatment-- is evident in their story. 2. I understand biographies are self-centered by nature, but I generally find most "celebrity" stories, whether in book or interview form, tiresome to read. There's much humble-bragging about their "problems." to which most of the human race cannot relate, interspersed with a constant thread of I'm-so-wonderful. ( Gwyneth and Julia, anyone?) Carole's writing style is self-effacing and honest. She weaves a story of how fortune, both good and bad, has worked in her life and in the lives of others. 3. I left this book with complete admiration of her writing. The story itself is heartbreaking. Over a very short time period she endured unimaginable losses. Her closest friend and her husband's closest friend died in a plane crash. Her husband's death from cancer followed three weeks later . Her husband's death was somewhat expected, but losing Carolyn and John Kennedy was not. How one would experience it, let alone write about it, I can't imagine, yet she does it in a way that is neither self-aggrandizing nor self-pitying. (And there is plenty of reason for self-pity, IMO.) She candidly recounts how illness and cancer strained her and her husband to their limits. She presents their struggles with illness and death in a realistically heart-breaking way. It kept my attention. 4. Plenty has been written about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy as a coke-addled, brainless bimbo fashionista. In Carole's story, we see another side of CBK. Carole makes the case convincingly that Carolyn was a funny, delightful and loyal friend. 5. The timeline is logical. Flashbacks should only be done if one is a skilled writer or has a skilled ghost writer. Christina Haag's novel jumped between time periods and it wasn't well done and I found it distracting. In addition, Haag's book was a yawner and I didn't finish it. Carole's novel starts with a dispassionate discussion of the plane crash, then to her Cinderella wedding. She goes back to spend a little time on her childhood and her close Italian family, then she discusses how her life intersected with Anthony and where they went from there. The book ends with a return to the plane crash, but by this time you've gone full circle and you see the emotional impact: she and Anthony were the second people to know John's plane had not arrived at the destination; she had to put the pieces together; she was the one who notified the Coast Guard and started the notification process to the family. Anyone who's had one of those calls late at night can relate to the anguish she and her husband must have been feeling. As an aside, I had a neutral/no opinion of the Kennedys prior to this book, but my opinion of them was not improved after reading this book. After John junior's sudden death, they circled the wagons and treated anyone who wasn't a blood relation callously. Two days after the crash Carole planned to go to a meeting with the Kennedys to discuss what to do about a funeral. She was going at the behest of Carolyn Bessette's mother. (Carole's husband Anthony was presumably too sick to attend.) Carole writes it was "gently explained" by the Kennedys that she, Carole, was not welcome to attend. She ultimately did not make the meeting due to a late plane, but she learned the Kennedys first wanted to bury John alone in the family plot and not include his wife Carolyn. (All three, Carolyn, John and Lauren Bessette, were ultimately buried at sea.) And while Caroline Kennedy, John Junior's sister, was close to Anthony, this hospitality was not extended to his wife. tldr: If you are interested in the Radziwills/Kennedys, you'll want to read this book. It's moving and well done.