The Other Mrs. Kennedy: An Intimate and Reevaling Look at the Hidden Life of Ethel Skakel Kennedy

by Jerry Oppenheimer

Book Overview

A portrait of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, reveals a driven woman with a tragic family history and with great political influence.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312956002
• ISBN13: 9780312956004
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 733 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

ethel kennedy-a true survivor!!!

i don't think the author means to portray mrs. kennedy as good or bad,i just feel he put all of the facts out there and lets the reader take it all in...i was amazed by this woman and i still am! what she endured is incredible! i ask you,if you were left alone with 11 children would you not suffer? having lost your parents,brother,husband and later two children-wouldn't you lose your faith? well,she never did and if you ask me,she is 100 more times interesting than jackie 0. her devotion to her husbands memory is testament to who she is!!!!

A princess in her own mind...

Today's newspaper carried the news that Hickory Hill, the McLean, Virginia, home of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, has just been placed on the market for $25 million. I hope to heaven that the prospective buyers read this book before putting down a contract...Jerry Oppenheimer does a masterful job at detailing the life of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, daughter of a shrewd, self-made millionaire father and a mother who was both a compulsive spender and an extremely devout Catholic, a faith she passed on to her daughter Ethel. Neither Skakel parent expressed any boundaries and limits over the children's out-of-control behavior, which led to tragic results later in life.A number of family insiders trusted Oppenheimer enough sufficiently to open up to him for some startlingly frank interviews. Ethel comes across as a mass of contradictions: devout and rowdy, self-congratulatory about her parenting skills as well as blind to her children's unmet needs, arrogant and surprisingly insecure.According to Oppenheimer, Ethel Kennedy was forced to curtail her spending severely after her husband's death, and yet she did not. At one point, her sister-in-law Jackie Onassis bought a new roof for Hickory Hill--again, I hope whoever buys this famous American home has deep, deep pockets!A fascinating story of a woman who essentially isn't all that interesting herself.

Eye opener!!!!!!

Slapping maids? Calling them niggers? Spending thousands on the same belt in different colors? Driving cars into pools? I've always wondered about Ethel Kennedy and now I think I know all there is to know. Including the fact that she was a spoiled, uninterested, racist who was obsessed with her husband, and turned a blind eye towards his affairs. Any glamour I had attached to her is now gone and I'm utterly disappointed. Of all the Kennedy brothers I held Bobby in highest esteem because he was a tenacious man who fought hard to rid this country of many injustices. Now in light of his having married Ethel I question that. How could he love and marry a woman like that? She was reckless and had no respect for personal boundaries erected by others. She was a poor mother and left the day-to-day raising of her children to nannies, dogs, horses, friends, and whoever else happened to be hanging around Hickory Hill on a given day. I could appreciate to a certain extent, her love and devotion to Bobby. However, she was on the brink of being obsessed. She was horribly jealous of both Jackie and Joan and would make rude comments at their expense. In short she could dish it out, but was hard pressed to take it. It seemed as though she believed everyone was put here on earth to serve her. In light of her "I'm a princess" attitude and her strong religious beliefs, I cannot fully understand WHY she tolerated Bobby's infidelities. All in all, this book was disappointing as it revealed a side of Ethel I would have preferred not to see.

A REAL TREASURE

This portrait of Ethel Kennedy is a true jewel. I think it is worth reading about a woman who was so strong and unique. Entertaining. FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great insight into Ethel and her offspring's ways!

This is a great book about the Skakel and Kennedy families. The Skakel's were far wealthier and a much more livelier and crazy family than the Kennedy clan. One gets the feeling you would have more fun and laughs hanging out with a Skakel than a Kennedy. Provides insights to people who believe they do not have to follow the rules of the rest of society in this country.