hippiechick56's review

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4.0

Offers an interesting in depth behind the scenes what if to a story everyone knows.

marbooks88's review

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4.0

This story takes you into life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. All the love, heart-ache, and tragedy that made up the life of the iconic Jackie.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for my honest review.

jeryan033's review against another edition

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5.0

Just phenomenal. While everyone knows the story, reading from Jackie's perspective through the assassination and other tragedies was heartbreaking but beautiful nonetheless. A great read for any lover of history.

chelsbethbaute's review

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5.0

Saying I love the Kennedy family is an understatement. My affection for them started with Bobby and quickly worked its way through the whole family. When I stumbled upon “And They Called It Camelot” by @stephaniemariethornton ( same author of that spectacular Alice Roosevelt novel) I dropped everything to read it. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. It did a phenomenal job at depicting her life in a believable way, not straying much from factual events. Jackie is portrayed a a strong, poised woman who understood her role in history. I want to talk about this book with everyone. It was so lovely.

cubsfan3410reads's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.5

msnyderk's review

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5.0

Fantastic and utterly engrossing read. I didn’t want to put it down. I always knew bits of Jackie’s life but this book really just made me feel as though I was with her. I could’ve read more. Highly recommend.

brooke_review's review

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5.0

Although Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis lived an extraordinary, privileged life, it was not one without intense amounts of heartache and strife, as evidenced in Stephanie Marie Thornton's new novel And They Called it Camelot. "Camelot" chronicles Jacqueline's life from the early days of her and John F. Kennedy's storied relationship through her marriage to shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Thornton's novel about the sensationalized life of Jackie O is compelling, well-researched, and heartfelt, and is a must-read for lovers of biographical and historical fiction.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is the stuff of legend. Arguably the best known and most popular First Lady of all the time, Jacqueline's eventful life was both a dream and a nightmare. Married to the handsome JFK, 35th President of the United States, Jacqueline experienced both storybook romance and heartache throughout their time together. A known womanizer, Kennedy purportedly cheated on Jackie often, and combined with several miscarriages and a stillbirth, Jackie's life with the enigmatic JFK was anything but tranquil. But we all know there was something much worse waiting in the wings for this young couple - the assassination of JFK as he sat alongside Jacqueline in a Dallas motorcade. As Jacqueline feels her way through grief after the death of her husband, she eventually takes comfort in the arms of her brother-in-law Bobby Kennedy, who several years later would meet the same untimely fate as his older brother JFK. After suffering two great losses, Jacqueline eventually finds herself pursued by one of the wealthiest men in the world - Aristotle Onassis - although their relationship and her subsequent marriage to him was anything but a fairytale. Yes, Jacqueline Kennedy may have experienced more opportunity than most throughout her life, but she has also endured her share of grief.

And They Called it Camelot, named for a comment made by Jacqueline after JFK's assassination in which she likened the Kennedy presidency to Camelot, is a revealing glimpse into the life of a woman that many may have believed to have known, but few actually did. Thornton pulls the curtain away from Jacqueline's life, showing us a side of her that was often not reported in the press. Thornton deftly writes on love and heartache, showing Jacqueline to be a complex woman who put the lives of those she loved before her own. For those who have ever been mystified by the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, And They Called it Camelot is not one to be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

linwearcamenel's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

jenniferlwatson's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

ashleereadsbooks692's review

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Super slow and boring. I also couldn’t get over the historical inaccuracies