Jackie, Janet & Lee

The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill

By: J. Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

A dazzling audiobook biography of three of the most glamorous women of the 20th century: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis; her mother, Janet Lee Auchincloss; and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill.

"Do you know what the secret to happily ever after is?" Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters, Jackie and Lee, during their tea time. "Money and Power," she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother's footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite "Black Jack" Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss.

Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy Jr., and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world-renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with both of Jackie's husbands in addition to her own three marriages - to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince, and a Hollywood director.

If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style, and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.

Jackie, Janet & Lee will drop listeners directly into the gilded, tangled web of secrets surrounding one of the most recognizable families in American history.

©2018 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Taraborrelli's gossipy narrative revels in luxurious decor, stunning outfits, and soap-operatic fights in this entertaining saga." ( Publishers Weekly)

"More gossipy than "Page Six," J. Randy Taraborrelli's latest celebrity biography, Jackie, Janet & Lee, compellingly narrated by Ann Marie Lee, bring you up close and personal with the ever fascinating, superrich and superpowerful clan of Janet Auchincloss...Though I started listening with a jaded ear, I found myself mesmerized by the intriguing, intricate details of the trials and tragedies in these women's lives." — BookPage

"Riveting. For all the sisters' dramatics, the true star of this particular show is decidedly neither the directionless Lee nor the determined Jackie. It is, in fact, the third figure in the book: Janet Bouvier Auchincloss...Taraborrelli brings her to splendid renewed life. His trick of turning incidents into highly colored tableaus threaded with dialogue makes excellent use of well-trodden material."— New York Times Book Review

Wonderful insight

I enjoyed this book a great deal. Tremendous insight to the life of these women that isn’t widely known. Excellent performer and very accurate to detail

very intense book

excellent....this family was very private in their emotions....with the exception of the assassination you never knew what they were feeling...

Interesting and insightful

Very interesting and in-depth look at a fascinating family. I really enjoyed the book. I also think the narrator did a great job

The Truth has a Lively Changing Face --Franz Kafka

Engaging, but leaves a mouthfeel like the Real Housewives of the Hamptons. Author pigeon holes the subjects into their basest qualities. Feels vitriolic, and indeed, an ostracized half brother (who later went to prison) is listed as a major source. It is no secret this book leaves leaves one with a sad feeling. I wish I hadn't listened to it, actually, yet I looked forward to finishing it. Feel it is likely the truth but merely a truth, and certainly not the whole truth.

Very interesting account of Jackie, Janet, & Lee

I think this is a,very detailed and close to reality account of the relationship between Jackie, Janet, and Lee. I found it very interesting. What was also interesting was how the book states Lee was with Jack Kennedy and later the lover of Aristole Onassis before he married Jackie, someone, Lee would have wanted for herself. The Lee and Ari affair I believe because there are pictures and reliable sources to prove it. I think there was a sibling rivalry between Jackie and Lee. It explains why Jackie left Lee out of her will. Marriage to Aristole Onassis saved Jackie Kennedy from financial ruin and being at the mercy of the Kennedy's.

Impressed

This audiobook was more interesting than I expected. I’m very impressed with it. Highly recommend.

NOT the Camelot I had hoped for!

WOW! I was so disappointed in these three women. I constantly wondered what Caroline must think about this book-although I'm sure she hasn't read it. I sort of hope not. I felt they were all tough, cold, social climbers who were so calculating and in each others business entirely too much. What a mess.

The Ultimate Tome of the Bouvier Women

Detailed and revealing . Exceptionally well-done. Insightful yet objective. I listened non-stop.

Loved the narrator. Ann Marie Lee was perfect!

An angle of Jackie and Lee that we never knew before

I enjoyed this audio book very much. The narrator did a great job and there was such a treasure trove of information never know before. This may be one of the best books on Jackie, written. I gained a great appreciation for Lee. So glad this history has been captured.

Thoroughly enjoyed the history shared in this book

Since I lived through Kennedy's assassination ,and was knowledgeable on most of aspects covered in this book, it was from an outsiders point of view.