Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie
by
by
I skimmed some of the other Goodreads reviews, and wonder if we read the same book. People were either grousing about the lack of "private" information about Jackie Kennedy, or spitting nails about Simon's "invasion" of said privacy.
We are talking about the woman who is arguably the iconic 20th century female. Why? Lots of reasons, but at least one of them is that Jacqueline Kennedy kept her secrets. No catering to an avid press, combined with an equally avid interest in personal privacy. Simon waited 25 years after her friend's death to publish this simple memoir of the relationship. So much for the charge of somehow "cashing in" on Jackie's friendship.
She tells it in a non-linear fashion. This is the way that most friendships proceed, isn't it? Two people come together and bump along, discovering what each is willing to reveal about the other in fits and starts. No true friendship --- in my experience, anyway --- is an instant data dump. Isn't that part of the fun, the frisson that comes as new details emerge through conversations that tell you, yes, I have found a kindred soul? Simon picks her way along, and shares nuggets of how she and Kennedy related to each other, starting with an awkward question about shoes and proceeding to her hilarious narration of a ghastly dinner party given by Kay Graham for Bill and Hillary. Simon attended; Jackie didn't, but reveled in the details provided by Carly in a post-disaster phone call. As one does with a friend. Jackie was a terrific audience. She loved stories (hence her work as an editor), and Simon did not disappoint. Don't we all have a friend like that? If not, find one. The laughs alone are worth it.
Look, we all know the gory details about Jackie Kennedy's life. The poverty that drove her, the intimate details of her marriages, the shopping addictions, the horrifying events of November 22, 19633, yada, yada, yada. That is the world of Kitty Kelley or A Woman Named Jackie or, God help her, the National Enquirer. This book is an antidote to all of that kvatch. Simon is a terrific writer. No surprise, given her lyrical career and Boys in the Trees. But this slim history of a close friendship is pitch perfect. And while it contains the bonus of heavy hitters as far as celebrities who appear, it really could be the story of any friendship. If you are lucky enough to be of a certain age (raises hand) with close friendships that have changed your life (raises other hand), this book is going to send you into reveries about them. No, it isn't Tolstoy or even Troyat --- Carly and Jackie referenced each of them in conversation! --- it is a damn good read.
Highly recommend.
We are talking about the woman who is arguably the iconic 20th century female. Why? Lots of reasons, but at least one of them is that Jacqueline Kennedy kept her secrets. No catering to an avid press, combined with an equally avid interest in personal privacy. Simon waited 25 years after her friend's death to publish this simple memoir of the relationship. So much for the charge of somehow "cashing in" on Jackie's friendship.
She tells it in a non-linear fashion. This is the way that most friendships proceed, isn't it? Two people come together and bump along, discovering what each is willing to reveal about the other in fits and starts. No true friendship --- in my experience, anyway --- is an instant data dump. Isn't that part of the fun, the frisson that comes as new details emerge through conversations that tell you, yes, I have found a kindred soul? Simon picks her way along, and shares nuggets of how she and Kennedy related to each other, starting with an awkward question about shoes and proceeding to her hilarious narration of a ghastly dinner party given by Kay Graham for Bill and Hillary. Simon attended; Jackie didn't, but reveled in the details provided by Carly in a post-disaster phone call. As one does with a friend. Jackie was a terrific audience. She loved stories (hence her work as an editor), and Simon did not disappoint. Don't we all have a friend like that? If not, find one. The laughs alone are worth it.
Look, we all know the gory details about Jackie Kennedy's life. The poverty that drove her, the intimate details of her marriages, the shopping addictions, the horrifying events of November 22, 19633, yada, yada, yada. That is the world of Kitty Kelley or A Woman Named Jackie or, God help her, the National Enquirer. This book is an antidote to all of that kvatch. Simon is a terrific writer. No surprise, given her lyrical career and Boys in the Trees. But this slim history of a close friendship is pitch perfect. And while it contains the bonus of heavy hitters as far as celebrities who appear, it really could be the story of any friendship. If you are lucky enough to be of a certain age (raises hand) with close friendships that have changed your life (raises other hand), this book is going to send you into reveries about them. No, it isn't Tolstoy or even Troyat --- Carly and Jackie referenced each of them in conversation! --- it is a damn good read.
Highly recommend.
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