A Woman Named Jackie

"I have been through a lot and I have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments as well. I have come to the conclusion that we must not expect too much from life. We must give to life at least as much as we receive from it. Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love and happiness are all interwoven into one single indescribable whole that is called LIFE. You cannot separate the good from the bad. And, perhaps, there is no need to do so either."

                                                                     -Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

I watched the mini-series "The Kennedys" the other day. Very interesting. I was most interested in how the series portrayed Joe Kennedy (JFK's Dad)...his hunger for power, ambition and influence on his family. I was disappointed that a lot of the events were very fictionalized. Many technical and historical details were missing. I felt like this could have easily been a lot longer series if they included many more detailed events of the Kennedy's life...specifically regarding JFK's assassination, and it's aftermath. Also, the jumping back and forth in time is unnecessary, and breaks the momentum. The acting was superb, except Katie Holmes. She was terrible. She really lacked the charisma and spirit that I think of when I think of Jackie Kennedy.

However, I did watch the entire mini-series in one night. All 8 (almost) hour long episodes. It was enjoyable TV, but not compelling. With that said, the series peaked my interest in the Kennedys. I was thinking about purchasing a book about Jackie Kennedy on my Kindle, but my Mom pulled this one off her bookshelf for me. Yes...free!

I've only read 20 or so pages, but I can't wait to read more about her. I have read (prior to this book) that she had a miscarriage, her first baby was stillborn, and a fourth baby (Patrick) was born premature and died at only two days old-- only 5.5 weeks early, he would have easily lived today. Then, two months later, her husband was killed. That just makes my heart feel heavy.