Not what I had hoped for.

What did you like best about Kick Kennedy? What did you like least?

I have read other books about her in the past. This one portrayed her as fairly self-centered as well as self-absorbed.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Not much.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator was awful. Each mispronounced word made me cringe. One in particular was the word "clique" which she repeatedly pronounced as "clack". I can't even write down the way she destroyed the work "apocalypse" - it was bizarre!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

6 people found this helpful

Interesting Bittersweet Story. Worth The Listen

If you could sum up Kick Kennedy in three words, what would they be?

Interesting. Bittersweet. Tragic

Who was your favorite character and why?

Billy Hartington

What about Eliza Foss’s performance did you like?

The dulcet ebb and flow of her voice kept the story moving and continuingly interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I listened to it while power walking over several days.

Any additional comments?

A great listen despite already knowing the tragic ending.

4 people found this helpful

Heretofore

One more mention of hence, heretofore, or another marchioness would have put me over the proverbial edge. This repetitive slight story was obviously written to capitalize on the mystique of the Kennedy name. Don't waste your time.

6 people found this helpful

Touching story & great history lesson

Would you listen to Kick Kennedy again? Why?

Yes. I learned so much about the hx of WWII and the politics. I also love to read about the Kennedy's, one of my families.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Kick Kennedy?

Her times with her brothers.

Have you listened to any of Eliza Foss’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard her before but will be looking for other books she reads.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I couldn't wait to go to work and come home from work to listen in the car.. both laughing and crying.

2 people found this helpful

Poorly Produced

What disappointed you about Kick Kennedy?

Mispronounced so many names and places. Reader obviously does not know anything about Britain then or now.

Has Kick Kennedy turned you off from other books in this genre?

No not at all.

Would you be willing to try another one of Eliza Foss’s performances?

Probably not.

Any additional comments?

Kik Kennedy was not a very appealing person. Rather shallow and not that interesting.

2 people found this helpful

A bright light, extinguished long before her death!

Well written, thoroughly enjoyed listening! I must say, I’m left saddened and disillusioned by the cold, calculating relationship of Rose Kennedy especially and to some extent Joe Sr. with not only Kick, but what appears to be a general theme with in the family unit. Kick, it’s evident, was a bright star whose emotional light was continually extinguished by a narcissist mother who enjoyed the adoration and loyalty of Kick but cared little for her daughter to reach her own fullest potential if that deviated in any way from Roses well scripted illusion of the perfect Roman Catholic family. This well researched and richly detailed book,has left me thirsty for more about this storied family? Well done!

1 person found this helpful

History drawn from first-hand accounts

I hesitated to purchase this book after reading some of the less favorable reviews. I'm glad I decided to make up my own mind.

One reviewer thought the book portrayed her as self-centered and self-absorbed. I thought she sounded like a fairly typical young, single woman. Maybe a little entitled because of the money and prestige she was born into, but I don't feel we should form a definitive opinion of someone long gone from this earth based on a book. Yes, the author interviewed those who knew her and that lends itself to some credibility, but hindsight is 20-20 and memories can be colored.

As for her marriage and affair, the truth is we can never know with any certainty what happens behind closed doors. Because so much is public about a celebrity's life, people tend to think they know the person. Probably not. I've been on a Kennedy reading quest and I've learned enough not to be too envious.

Kick was raised in a family where the parents don't appear to have been in the same house at the same time for any length of time, yet she had values regarding religion and premarital sex that she appeared to stick with until the death of her husband.

As for mispronunciations, I caught a few, but can't speak to all of the mistakes that someone from England would notice. That is disappointing (English locations) as I like to think I can learn pronunciations from listening to books that I can't get from reading print. I'll be careful to get those elsewhere so I don't make the same mistakes myself.

1 person found this helpful

A true-life Jane Austen story

Eliza Foss' narration makes the story interesting, and it was exciting to hear the history of Chatsworth, it's lineage and also its similarity to Jane Austen's book, Pride and Prejudice, as Chatsworth (Pemberly), the Fitzwilliam dynasty, and the name "Georgiana" are part of both stories. The 2008 version of Pride and Prejudice will it's special features will be viewed with more interest now.

3 people found this helpful

The Predictable Ending of a Selfish Golddigger

I hadn’t expected to come away detesting the oldest daughter of Joe Kennedy. I hadn’t know much about her except that she had died in a plane crash in France. The story that unfolded was that of an incredibly egotistical & self centered woman who, by accident of birth, lived a delusional life trying to create a life for herself that would show up the Kennedy clan & the Cavandish family. Wick wanted the biggest & the best, the richest & most powerful. She defied her parents & her faith & died the way she had lived…a wreck. If her husband had not died in WWII, she would have cheated on him with his best friend, if that friend could have offered more.
MORE was all she thought about. The Cavandishes dodged a big bullet, by her death. She would have disgraced both families even more had she lived.

Disappointing

Read in an affected, annoying manner. Words mispronounced. Book title While Europe Slept incorrectly cited as Why Europe Slept.