Things are a little slow here in the showroom, so I decided to finish up a book that has been puzzling me recently. I've been reading What Remains by Carole Radziwill.
An award-winning journalist in her own right, Carole is the widow of Polish prince Anthony Radziwill - Anthony was the cousin of John F. and Caroline Kennedy. If you don't know who those two are, then I can't help you.
The book is a memoir of the last years of her husband's life (he battled several cancers), and the tragedy of the plane crash that took the lives of John, his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren. I know that people regard the Kennedys as an ill-fated family - American royalty. I know almost nothing about that part of our history...I have never been interested in the cultural phenomenon that is the Kennedys. I consider myself a clean slate when it comes to pre-conceived notions about the Kennedy family.
As the book came to a close, I found myself fighting back tears. You know, the way one does when their social context/environment demands that they NOT burst into tears - the painful, blocked throat, watery eyes, and the burning lungs. It is truly an amazing book, not solely for its literary and historical value, but because it tells the story of one woman's courageous fight against the tragedy and helplessness of her life.
I highly encourage you to get a copy and read it. It's like a paper copy of reality television - it takes a universal thing (death, in this case) and lets it loose in an elite world of power, money, and prestige.
An award-winning journalist in her own right, Carole is the widow of Polish prince Anthony Radziwill - Anthony was the cousin of John F. and Caroline Kennedy. If you don't know who those two are, then I can't help you.
The book is a memoir of the last years of her husband's life (he battled several cancers), and the tragedy of the plane crash that took the lives of John, his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren. I know that people regard the Kennedys as an ill-fated family - American royalty. I know almost nothing about that part of our history...I have never been interested in the cultural phenomenon that is the Kennedys. I consider myself a clean slate when it comes to pre-conceived notions about the Kennedy family.
As the book came to a close, I found myself fighting back tears. You know, the way one does when their social context/environment demands that they NOT burst into tears - the painful, blocked throat, watery eyes, and the burning lungs. It is truly an amazing book, not solely for its literary and historical value, but because it tells the story of one woman's courageous fight against the tragedy and helplessness of her life.
I highly encourage you to get a copy and read it. It's like a paper copy of reality television - it takes a universal thing (death, in this case) and lets it loose in an elite world of power, money, and prestige.
<< Home