Rose Kennedy and Her Family: The Best and Worst of Their Lives and Times by Barbara Gibson

Rose Kennedy and Her Family: The Best and Worst of Their Lives and Times Reviews

• 
  Lisa

  #104 of 120 books pledged to read during 2018
  
  Barbara Gibson, former personal secretary to Rose Kennedy, participates in this "warts-and-all" retelling of her earlier book about Mrs. Kennedy, her husband, children and grandchildren, written while she was still alive. She says she was told to "sanitize" the earlier book by the Kennedy family lawyers; this time, with the help of the co-author Ted Schwarz, she does not. Honestly, the earlier book was a little more interesting since it mainly just stuck to describing Mrs. Kennedy's life and day-to-day existence in the 1960s and 1970s and didn't try to follow everyone else's story, which can be found in so many other sources.
• 
  Tove R.

  It is hard to rate this book. I have read many a book about the Kennedy family. It was interesting to finally read one about Rose. There are some very interesting stories, stories only someone close to the family could and would tell. Sometimes the writing was really good, but at other times it just didn't work. Repetition is another problem. The word "retard" is not appropriate to use either. I know it was a different time back then, but seriously "Eunice worked with retards"... On the other hand there were some interesting things I have never heard about the family. This book really shows that money and fame can take down everyone and anyone, even generations later. Well worth a read. Keep in mind that some things here are the authors personal thoughts, which in the end might not be the full truth, but gives her view of what happened. With some editing this book would get 4+ from me.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I read the book in Dutch, learned a lot about Mrs Rose Kennedy.
  Overall the book was very educational
• 
  Susan

  Not a very nice family, glad I had the family I did.