Oh Kick. Barbara Leaming's biography is really Kick's coming of age story and while her last name allowed her to grow up in a family full of wealth and privilege, her story is that of what happens when Kick decides she is no longer content being one of the nine Kennedy children, but wants to be one of one, just Kick, defined on her own terms. One of the things that I've discovered that I really love about ARCs is that I get to read a book without my view being (even unwittingly) skewed by the thoughts and opinions of other readers and I can judge the merit of the book on just that: it's own merit, and I can make my own decisions about how I connected with Kick's life story.

Kick Kennedy was truly an early feminist, though I'm not entirely sure she'd admit it, just like most twenty-somethings today. And like modern twenty-somethings, Kick's life goal was really quite simple: do things that bring happiness into life. The things that brought Kick happiness included debating politics and current events with both her brothers and the young aristocratic men of England, dressing up and enjoying parties, and falling in love. But unfortunately for Kick, she went from bride to widow in under six months due to the violence of the second world war. Understandably, her life changed dramatically, as did her attitude towards how she lived it.

While contemporaries of Kick may have seen her as an impulsive and naive young woman, in reality she was just doing what every young woman has tried to do since the beginning of time - figure out who she is as a daughter, sister, friend, wife and ultimately as an individual. ( )

Kennedy
Mildly interesting biography of Kathleen Kennedy of the famed JFK family. She was 4th child of Joe and Rose Kennedy and apparently the favourite daughter. Her short life was one of wealth, high society and privilege. When her father was the American ambassador to the UK, Kathleen arrived in London in 1938 with her family and immediately became a favourite of the British elite. Among her close associates were lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses. She loved the attention and the lifestyles of the rich and famous. She was pursued by several suitors but settled on Billy, Lord Harrington, who as the oldest son was destined to be the heir of the vast Chatsworth House estate. As an Anglican, Billy insisted that any children be raised in his faith rather than in her Catholic faith. This caused a rift with her mother Rose who viewed the marriage as a sin. They were married in May 1944. Soon afterwards he was sent to France where he died on the battlefield.
Kathleen lived in England and the United States for several years. She was loved and protected by Billy’s parents the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and brother Andrew. Although post war Britain saw the emergence of the the middle and lower classes, belonging to the filthy rich was where Kick wanted to be. She secretly became engaged to the still married Peter Fitzwilliam, a wealthy landowner. They were killed in a small plane crash in a thunderstorm on their way to Cannes in 1948. ( )

Kick's life story is not a happy one, but her vivaciousness and exuberance for living are a joy to read about. Arguably JFK's favorite sister, Kick Kennedy made her mark on British society. She entered into it fully, and they fully accepted her. Her love story with Billy Hartington is heartbreaking, and her search for happiness in the aftermath of WWII is equally saddening, as is her untimely death.

This is a good biography. However, the book isn't a complete history of Kick's life. Her childhood and formative years are completely left out. It's as if the author expects you to begin this book already knowing the story. I don't think this takes away from the book. It's just different.

The author had the supreme good fortune of interviewing a good number of Kick's friends and acquaintances from the London years, including the legendary Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire. Great reading. ( )

Here's captivating reading about a member of the famous Kennedy family. I recommend Barbara Leaming's work on John F. Kennedy's sister Kathleen. Entitled Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter, this book covers the World War II time period in the life of one of the children of U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James Joe Kennedy.

Kick is not one of the siblings of John F. Kennedy who readily comes to mind today. Most people probably don’t even know her name, due in part to her all too-brief life. She was only 28 when she died. Her death was among those which led to the widely held supposition that the Kennedy family is cursed. The simple hypotheses usually cites the wartime tragic air crash that killed Joe Jr., and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and brother Bobby. Sister Kick was another Kennedy who died in an airplane crash.

Leaming treats the story tastefully without withholding any important facts. Kick's husband Billy Hartington was killed by a German sniper only months into the marriage and one month after her older brother Joe was killed. Ms. Kennedy, part of a devoutly Roman Catholic family, had saved her virginity for Billy. There is no denying that Earl Fitzwilliam, the married man who died in France along with Kick in a plane crash, were having an adulterous affair. After Kennedy and Fitzwilliam died in that crash in France, her mother Rose refused to attend the funeral. She still highly resented her daughter for having married a non-Catholic.

The book is worth reading if only for the excellent non-fiction writing of this author. She is a veteran in the field of biographical works. Her other subjects have included Winston Churchill, Orson Wells, Jack Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, just to name a few. Should you decide to read the book on Kick, you could well become a Leaming fan like me.

A book about Kick Kennedy from the time she is 18 until her death. I enjoyed this book because it tells of the days when she was a young girl, and she moved to England. There she fell in love with the glamor and pageantry of the aristocrat class. A well-written book that genuinely shows how Kick starts to blossom as an individual instead of just being another Kennedy. ( )