And They Called It Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton

 

  And They Called It Camelot was like reading Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis' own diary. 

Ms. Thornton creates a view of one woman who fell in love with an extremely rich, handsome, and charismatic man. Like many men of his era, he was a philanderer when it came to women. This could've broken the average woman. The thing is that Jackie was not the average woman. She was stronger than evenJohn F. Kennedy who everyone saw as the "golden one". Her second husband, Aristotle Onassis was the complete opposite of John F. Kennedy. He was universally despised, harsh, crude, and didn't care what others thought of him. He too taught Jackie a few really great lessons: Don't marry someone you don't love; If you don't need a man, don't marry one just for his money when you have lost your best friend and brother-in-law whom you love, and last but not least: when it is time to run away from an abusive husband run before you can't take it anymore- especially if that man's children hate you! 

I don't care if you thought she was weak because she "stood by her man" or if she sold herself out for fame, Jacqueline Kennedy was no sell-out, didn't like the fame, and loved her husband just like so many other women of her day. She withstood the loss of two children, clung to the children she was blest to raise. She was grace, strength, and smarts. 

 Although there are a plethora of books out there about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis And They Called It Camelot is a great book to read because we get a side of Jackie and Jack's romance that we wouldn't get in a Non-Fiction book. I even learned a few things even though I had read Mrs. Kennedy And Me by her Secret Service Agent, Clint Hill. 

The writing was easy, lyrical, and showed a side of a woman, that like the novel says, no one knew when the real Jackie showed up, or if she was there the whole time. 

I loved reading And They Called It Camelot. 

Thank you Berkely Press, Edelweiss, and Stephanie Marie Thornton for the opportunity to read this book in honor of my honest review