The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

by Christopher Andersen

Narrated by Robertson Dean

Unabridged — 11 hours, 52 minutes

The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

by Christopher Andersen

Narrated by Robertson Dean

Unabridged — 11 hours, 52 minutes

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Overview

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Day John Died delivers another dramatic installment in the lives of the Kennedys-including new details about JFK Jr., his relationship with his mother, his many girlfriends, and the night of his tragic death.

Critically acclaimed author Christopher Andersen is a master of celebrity biographies-boasting sixteen bestsellers, among them These Few Precious Days, Mick, and William and Kate. Now in his latest thrilling book, untold details of the life and death of JFK Jr. come to light, released in time for the fifteen-year marker of the tragic plane crash on July 16, 1999.

At the heart of The Good Son is the most important relationship in JFK Jr.'s life: that with his mother, the beautiful and mysterious Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Andersen explores his reactions to his mother's post-Dallas suicidal depression and growing dependence on prescription drugs (as well as men); how Jackie felt about the women in her son's life, from Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker, to Daryl Hannah and Carolyn Bessette, to his turbulent marriage; the senseless plane crash that took his life; the aftermath of shock, loss, grief, and confusion; and much more. Offering new insights into the intense, tender, and often stormy relationship between this iconic mother and son, The Good Son is a riveting, bittersweet biography for lovers of all things Kennedy.


Editorial Reviews

The Chicago Tribune

"Andersen has an ear for the telling anecdote and writes in a lively, gossipy style...Andersen cuts to the quick, vividly...the book really, truly, focuses on what the jacket calls "the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child" both of whom led lives "tested by history and tragedy."

Kirkus Reviews

2014-09-28
Best-selling biographer Andersen (These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie, 2013, etc.) chronicles John F. Kennedy Jr.'s too-brief life and the complex relationship he shared with his beautiful, enigmatic mother, Jacqueline. As the only son of John and Jackie Kennedy, the most "glamorous couple" of their generation, JFK Jr. came into the world burdened by expectations. JFK hoped his son would one day enter politics; at the same time, though, he also expressed a desire that John Jr. "would do whatever [made] him happy." Ultimately, though, it would be his widow, Jackie, who influenced their son the most. She, too, wanted him to forge his own path. But she also had a keen sense of herself as the keeper of her husband's legacy and that John Jr. would one day become the Kennedy family standard-bearer. A devoted mother, Jackie fought to protect both her children from the media attention that followed them into their lives as private citizens. She also did everything she could to keep JFK's memory alive in her son. In the meantime, Jr. developed a passion for the stage. But under pressure from Jackie, he abandoned his dream to study acting. Still, he never left the spotlight and went on to have high-profile affairs—of which his mother wholeheartedly disapproved—with celebrities like Madonna and Daryl Hannah. He struggled to find his political identity and fulfill his mother's wishes for him through ventures like the short-lived pop-political magazine George. In the end, though, he never quite found his career footing. Three years before his tragic death at age 38, John Jr. married Carolyn Bessette, who mirrored Jackie in her patrician bearing, stylishness and need for control. Sensitive and astute, Andersen's book offers an intriguing look at a fraught mother-son dynamic that, years after the deaths of both Jackie and John Jr., still has the power to mesmerize. An intimate and compelling look at "the most brilliant star in the Kennedy firmament."

Product Details

BN ID: 2940169662108
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date: 10/28/2014
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 897,919
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