Biography & Autobiography.
Family & Relationships.
History.
Nonfiction.
HTML:
#1NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER • “With the benefit of hindsight and good old-fashioned maturity, [Mimi Alford] writes not just about the secret, but the corrosive effect of keeping that secret. . . . You can’t help liking her, or her elegant and thoroughly good-natured book.”—The Spectator In the summer of 1962, nineteen-year-old Mimi Beardsley arrived in Washington, D.C., to begin an internship in the White House press office. After just three days on the job, the privileged but sheltered young woman was presented to the President himself. Almost immediately, the two began an affair that would continue for the next eighteen months. Emotionally unprepared to counter the President’s charisma and power, Mimi was also ill-equipped to handle the feelings of isolation that would follow as she fell into the double life of a college student who was also the secret lover of the most powerful man in the world. After the President’s assassination in Dallas, she grieved alone, locked her secret away, and tried to start a new life, only to be blindsided by her past.
Now, no longer defined by silence or shame, Mimi Alford finally unburdens herself with this unflinchingly honest account of her life and her extremely private moments with a very public man. This paperback edition includes a special Q&A, in which the author reflects on the intense media attention surrounding the book’s initial release. Once Upon a Secret is a moving story of a woman emerging from the shadows to reclaim the truth.
“What [Alford] sacrificed in lucre she has more than recovered in credibility and dignity.”—The Washington Times “Compelling . . . a polished voice telling a credible story you can take to the bank.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer “Explosive . . . searingly candid.”—New York Post
Biography & Autobiography.
Family & Relationships.
History.
Nonfiction.
HTML:
#1NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER • “With the benefit of hindsight and good old-fashioned maturity, [Mimi Alford] writes not just about the secret, but the corrosive effect of keeping that secret. . . . You can’t help liking her, or her elegant and thoroughly good-natured book.”—The Spectator In the summer of 1962, nineteen-year-old Mimi Beardsley arrived in Washington, D.C., to begin an internship in the White House press office. After just three days on the job, the privileged but sheltered young woman was presented to the President himself. Almost immediately, the two began an affair that would continue for the next eighteen months. Emotionally unprepared to counter the President’s charisma and power, Mimi was also ill-equipped to handle the feelings of isolation that would follow as she fell into the double life of a college student who was also the secret lover of the most powerful man in the world. After the President’s assassination in Dallas, she grieved alone, locked her secret away, and tried to start a new life, only to be blindsided by her past.
Now, no longer defined by silence or shame, Mimi Alford finally unburdens herself with this unflinchingly honest account of her life and her extremely private moments with a very public man. This paperback edition includes a special Q&A, in which the author reflects on the intense media attention surrounding the book’s initial release. Once Upon a Secret is a moving story of a woman emerging from the shadows to reclaim the truth.
“What [Alford] sacrificed in lucre she has more than recovered in credibility and dignity.”—The Washington Times “Compelling . . . a polished voice telling a credible story you can take to the bank.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer “Explosive . . . searingly candid.”—New York Post
Le récit d'Alford, plus de cinquante ans après les événements, semble encore teinté de la naïveté d'une jeune femme impressionnable de 19 ans. Ses mots, ses phrases et ses commentaires m'ont souvent surprise par leur candeur... pour ne pas dire leur absurdité.
Oubliez l'histoire d'amour passionnée entre deux amants : il s'agit plutôt d'une relation peu égalitaire entre un homme de pouvoir d'âge mur et d'une jeune étudiante inexpérimentée. Le portrait qu'elle dresse du président (la partie qui nous intéresse!!) manque de profondeur et de détails, n'effleurant que la couche superficielle de cet homme mystérieux. Peut-être parce qu'elle n'a jamais su en percer la carapace...
Ce n'est toutefois pas une lecture sans intérêt puisque je l'ai fini (malgré avoir sauté quelques passages, je l'avoue). ( )