Farewell, Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days

by Edward Klein

Book Overview

When she fell ill with cancer, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis faced death as she faced life? with all the bravery and grace of a woman who had long inspired the nation. In Farewell, Jackie, bestselling author Edward Klein'who knew Jackie for more than a dozen years'explores the eventful last six months of her exceptional life. From the moment she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Jackie embraced a renewed spiritual life, and embarked on her final...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670033316
• ISBN13: 9780670033317
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 212 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A Good Read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually thought Mr. Klein was a little too kind in this book. Jacqueline Kennedy was never anything other than a rich woman who happened to marry well. What did she ever really accomplish in her life that was worthwhile? Oh yeah, she had the government paying, with our tax dollars, for better arts programs during the Kennedy Administration. No seriously folks, this was a really good book, and I was surprised more dirt was not dished out about this woman. And, it's about time someone spoke about her "not so perfect" role as a mother. I give it 5 stars, no problem.

Truely Enchanting

I think that this book was a well writen portrail of Jackie's final days, with a moderate vocabulary it well conveys the beliefs of the author

A Wonderful Portrait of a Strong and Confident Woman

Edward Klein, a well-known Kennedy biographer, has marked the 10th Anniversary of the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with a new biography, FAREWELL, JACKIE, which details the final six months of her extraordinary life.FAREWELL, JACKIE begins with her fateful fall from a horse during a hunting trip that led doctors to discover that Jackie had developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer. Klein uses stories and anecdotes from many of Jackie's personal friends and coworkers to detail life after her diagnosis. Interspersed throughout the book are flashbacks revealing pieces of Jackie's life that helped define the independent woman she had become. The reader is given snapshots of her early life, including her powerful relationship with her father, her education and training that allowed her to flourish into a graceful and glamorous woman, and her passionate and tumultuous relationship with John F. Kennedy and the days of Camelot. Many of the stories found within the pages of Klein's book are familiar and have been noted in many Kennedy biographies. What this book does well is delve into Jackie's own personal exploration into the tragic fate of facing her own imminent death and how she handled it with grace, spirituality and hope.Although Jackie was a woman who fiercely guarded her privacy, Klein uses quotes and stories from close friends of Jackie's who open up about their perception of this secretive woman. There are also interviews with many of Jackie's coworkers from her days as an acquiring editor at Doubleday. She was a dedicated editor who would devote herself to her writers, going so far as to call them at all hours of the night togive advice, insight and offer help. Jackie was also very intent on keeping up her correspondence with friends and loved ones, often sending personal notes of hope and love.The book explores Jackie's powerful relationship with her children, John Jr. and Caroline. Klein goes into great detail about the wishes, fears and undying love that she had for the "children of Camelot." Jackie was a doting grandmother who had an unbreakable bond with Caroline's children. In a note that Jackie left to Caroline, she wrote, "The children have been a wonderful gift to me and I'm thankful to have once again seen our world through their eyes. They restore my faith in the family's future."The reader is also introduced to Jackie's relationship with Maurice Tempelsman and some of the private romantic details of their love affair. Tempelsman was a man who greatly loved Jackie and gave her strength and support in her final days. The enduring legacy of the Kennedys is a sentiment that has been expressed in numerous biographies, but it is handled with beautiful poignancy and intricate detail in FAREWELL, JACKIE.Klein depicts Jackie as a woman with eternal hope and a triumphant spirit. He has written a wonderful portrait of a strong and confident woman who faced the numerous tragedies of her life with grace and dignity. FAREWELL, JAC