I recently took a much needed vacation and had the time to read Elizabeth Beller’s Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. This is the first times that the public has seen a proper Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography. This is an informal review on parts that resonated with me, namely CBK’s life before JFK Jr.
Previous books covering Carolyn
Until now, most of what the public knew about Carolyn was through biographies on her uber-famous husband, John F. Kennedy Jr. Some accountings, like Steven M. Gillon’s America’s Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr, gave a neutral or positive spin on Carolyn’s life. However, a good number of “friends” and acquaintances of John were reportedly jealous of Carolyn’s proximity to him, and thus put out more negative narratives of Carolyn. That said, according to Once Upon a Time . . ., Carolyn was known to ice out of kick people of the friend group. Understandably, many were salty on her.
As Beller notes, Carolyn’s friends and family were very protective of her, which is likely why we haven’t seen any “friend of” biographies solely about Carolyn. Part of me wonders if Once Upon a Time . . . might give others permission to share their retellings of life with Carolyn,
There are books out there about JFK Jr and Carolyn’s relationship including RoseMarie Terenzio’s Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss and Carole Radziwill’s What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love. These two books were heavily referenced in Beller’s Once Upon a Time . . . , and are basically must-reads in the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography world.
Finally, a Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography that includes her pre-JFK Jr Life!
Before Once Upon a Time . . . much of Carolyn’s early life and coming of age was relatively unknown. The public knew the basics, that she was discovered while working for Calvin Klein in Boston and went to Boston University. But, for the first time, we get a deep dive on her family and upbringing in New York and Connecticut. Beller interviewed Carolyn’s family members, childhood friends and acquaintances who provided rich insight into Carolyn as a child and teenager.
As a middle class kid of Italian-descent myself, I found Carolyn’s story very relatable. She was a product of divorce and was raised primarily by her Italian family. One detail that stood out to me was that her grandparents were artisans who worked for the scarf maker, Vera Neumann. This detail left me wondering about the impact this had on Carolyn’s interest in fashion.
In the book, we learn Carolyn always had a job, like many working and middle class teenagers and 20-somethings do. She worked and did well enough in school while also playing the field, notably dating hockey players. The book makes it seem exceptional that she always had a job, perhaps to refute the misinformation that the was from a wealthy WASP upbringing.
Yes, CBK was very good looking
One thing focused on in this Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography was her stunning good looks. Looking at photos of Carolyn as a child, yes, she is very pretty and her classmates, teachers and family members recalled how remarkably beautiful she was. So much so that she was later offered modeling gigs, but after trying it out a few times, she decided against a career in modeling, opting instead to work behind the scenes in production and public relations.
There’s a through line in the book of Carolyn’s stunning good looks and her success. It can’t be underestimated that beauty opens doors. After all, she went from working retail at Calvin Klein’s Boston storefront to becoming his righthand woman, all before the age of 28.
A Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography can only do so much in providing us a glimpse into her life and the times during which she lived. One topic touched briefly on that I found interesting was the tie between the feminist backlash of the 1990s and the downright hatred for Carolyn. Looking on 25+ years later, it’s painful to see how much she suffered and how much people really disliked her, in part due to her incredible luck and stunning looks. After all, one’s level of attractiveness can be both a blessing and a curse.
Why we are revisiting Carolyn’s story now
Ince I finished this book, I was struck by how abruptly Carolyn’s star rose and then, just like that, went out. It gives me chills to even think about. It’s unfair Carolyn, Lauren and John are gone. How truly tragic it is cannot be underestimated. And yet, we remain captivated, a quarter century after their passing.
In her epilogue, Beller touches on the renewed interest in Carolyn’s life and the tragedy that that she never got to tell her own story. From the research I’ve done, there are very few interviews with Carolyn and very few recordings of her voice. To me, this is a shame to see someone lost to the annals of time, a story left untold.
The way her life ended and the mysterious way in which she lived it leaves open the door to a lot of curiosity about CBK’s life. Many social media accounts have popped up dedicated to her (mine included) and much speculation about her life continues today.
After years of writing about and researching nostalgia, I find myself pondering the draw to her. The timing of this new Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy biography by Beller reflects, perhaps, a longing to return to different, seemingly simpler times of pay phones, New York City sidewalks and that Italian American girl who had it all.
I do highly recommend picking up Elizabeth Beller’s Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. It’s an interesting peak into recent bygone times and the story of a life that’s unlikely to be repeated.
