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Grace and Power

The Private World of the Kennedy White House

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Grace and Power

By: Sally Bedell Smith
Narrated by: Lee Adams
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About this listen

In Grace & Power: The Private World of The Kennedy White House, New York Times best-selling author Sally Bedell Smith takes us inside the Kennedy White House with unparalleled access and insight.

Having interviewed scores of Kennedy intimates, including many who have never spoken before, and drawing on letters and personal papers made available for the first time, Smith paints a richly detailed picture of the personal relationships behind the high purpose and poiltical drama of the 20th century's most storied presidency.

At the dawn of the 1960s, a 43-year-old president and his 31-year-old first lady - the youngest couple ever to occupy the White House - captivated the world with their easy elegance and their cool conviction that anything was possible. Jack and Jackie Kennedy gathered around them an intensely loyal and brilliant coterie of intellectuals, journalists, diplomats, international jet-setters and artists. Perhaps as never before, Washington was sharply divided between the “ins” and the “outs.”

In his public life, JFK created a New Frontier, stared down the Soviets, and devoted himself to his wife and children. As first lady, Jackie mesmerized foreign leaders and the American people with her style and sophistication, creating a White House renowned for its beauty and culture. Smith brilliantly recreates the glamorous pageant of the Kennedy years, as well as the daily texture of the Kennedys’ marriage, friendships, political associations, and, in Jack’s case, multiple love affairs.

Smith’s striking revelations include new information about what drew Jack to his numerous mistresses - and what effects the relationships ultimately had on the women; about the rivalries and resentments among Kennedy’s advisers; and about the poignant days before and after Kennedy’s assassination.Smith has fashioned a vivid and nuanced portrait not only of two extraordinary individuals but of a new age that sprang to life around them. Shimmering with intelligence and detail, Grace and Power is history at its finest.

©2004 Sally Bedell Smith (P)2004 Books on Tape
20th Century Historical Marriage & Long-Term Partnerships Political Science Politicians Presidents & Heads of State United States First Lady Marriage Vietnam War Richard Nixon Imperialism Franklin D Roosevelt

Critic Reviews

"What Ms. Smith has done is to write the first substantial narrative that captures what daily life was really like in the inner sanctum of the White House during the Kennedy years, with Jack and Jackie appropriately cast as the lead actors in the intriguing drama." (The New York Times)
"Eloquently rendered social history....Highly readable account of the White House milieu shaped by John and Jackie Kennedy..." (Publishers Weekly)

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Can’t wait to listen again!

Rich with detail, Bedell Smith explains the Kennedy solar system. JFK the radiating sun, Jackie his earth and the constellation of Washington figures around them. Through her accounts, Bedell Smith perfectly captures what a cold world it was when the sunshine was extinguished. Some flowers never bloomed again. I loved this book. There’s so much detail, I want to listen all over again.

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Great story of the Kennedy family

Loved the book a great read, it took me back to when our school got to line the street when President Kennedy was in our town and I actually caught a glimpse of him through the window of his limousine it made my day. The book also brought back where I was and what I was doing and the outpouring of sadness I felt when I heard President Kennedy had been assassinated.

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