And They Called It Camelot

A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

By: Stephanie Marie Thornton

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

An intimate portrait of the life of Jackie O...

Few of us can claim to be the authors of our fate. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy knows no other choice. With the eyes of the world watching, Jackie uses her effortless charm and keen intelligence to carve a place for herself among the men of history and weave a fairy tale for the American people, embodying a senator’s wife, a devoted mother, a First Lady - a queen in her own right.

But all reigns must come to an end. Once JFK travels to Dallas and the clock ticks down those 1,000 days of magic in Camelot, Jackie is forced to pick up the ruined fragments of her life and forge herself into a new identity that is all her own, that of an American legend.

©2020 Stephanie Marie Thornton (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"And They Called It Camelot is the book club pick of the year. Stephanie Marie Thornton brings an American icon to life: Jackie the debutante, the First Lady, the survivor who at last becomes the heroine of her own story." (Kate Quinn, New York Times best-selling author of The Huntress)

"An extraordinary profile of the courage and grace of the indomitable Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, And They Called it Camelot is impeccably researched and richly drawn. Thornton celebrates the former First Lady’s life in a sweeping account filled with poignant intimacy. Readers are instantly transported to Jackie’s version of Camelot as they immerse themselves in the fascinating and tumultuous history of the times. An unputdownable, unforgettable read." (Chanel Cleeton, New York Times best-selling author of Next Year in Havana)

"Addictive, dishy, and emotionally haunting, this novel paints an intimate portrait of a tumultuous marriage that played out on the world's stage and ended in national tragedy. Loving and losing one of history's most charismatic American presidents marks Jaqueline Kennedy's life ever after, but oh, how she rises up from the ashes. Vivid, engrossing, and utterly unforgettable, And They Called It Camelot is Thornton's best work yet." (Stephanie Dray, New York Times best-selling coauthor of America's First Daughter)

Same old, same old.

Fantastic story, beautifully written and extremely historically accurate. However, Cassandra Campbell’s narration, after listening to a few of her other recordings, is nothing special.

Her Jack Kennedy drawls like a Virginian - identical to her Thomas Jefferson/Thomas Mann Randolph voices in ‘America’s First Daughter.’ Not a trace of an exaggerated Bostonian/mid-Atlantic accent so characteristic of the Kennedy family. JFK had an extremely distinctive voice that I understand must be hard to capture effectively, but with as many books as Cassandra Campbell has narrated, she should be able to attempt one.

Her Jackie Bouvier-Kennedy-Onassis, meanwhile, is a carbon copy of her Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in ‘My Dear Hamilton.’ She seems to only do two voices competently: an intelligent but reserved society woman and a Southern gentleman.

Also, the way she says “I gasped” - which carries across several books - is extremely annoying.

I feel like I know Jackie now

Such a great book! This may very well be one that is better as audio than read because the performance is so good! This truly felt as tho Jackie herself was sharing her story and including insider details. Loved it!

Good but not accurate

I thought this was a great listen, but was disappointed to learn at the end it was not historically accurate and the author had changed things. I felt like this should have been shared at the beginning of the book. Very fascinating though!

Wonderful

This novel allows you to feel like you know and understand who Jackie Kennedy was and the life she experienced.

Great book

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator really made the story come to life.

Very well written!

I loved the descriptions of all the places, events and people. I would have liked more details on the children’s school in NY.

Loved it

I loved it... it might have been sweet, but I would love to believe Jackie adored Jack regardless of his cheating. He came back to her after all for everything. I think the story is entertaining and well written. I enjoyed it very much.

Heartfelt

I really enjoyed every minute of this book. The story was told from the heart. I could feel Jackie's pain, love, struggle and devotion thank you for this amazing story Stephanie. Cassandra, I truly admire the power of your voice, you hold our hands throughout the stories you so passionately bring to life and we feel it all. thank you for such a delightful performance. I already know it's going to be amazing when I see your name on an audiobook narration. Thank you!

Great book, incredible story

This book made me angry, happy, and also incredibly sad. I really didn’t know anything about Jacqueline Kennedy going into this novel. It’s interesting to read the authors note on the fictional and real parts of the story. I found myself listening all day long for the last two days, good thing I had lots of chores to get done after work a.k.a. mindless tasks so I could enjoy the book. I would definitely recommend And They Called It Camelot and I can’t wait to read more books written by this author!

Magical, Tragic, Wonderful

This book is not only a beautiful tribute to the strength and dignity of a one-of-a-kind woman, it’s beautifully written and spoken. Highly suggest.