“The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters” by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

It was during a trip to neighbouring Lithuania a few years ago that I learnt that Jackie Kennedy Onassis had a sister. One of the places I visited was a castle in small town of Birzai. Reading about its history I found out that it was built for the Radziwills, a prominent Polish-Lithuanian aristocratic family, whose descendant was married to Jackie Kennedy’s sister.

So, when I saw “The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters” by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger among the books advertised in an email from BookBub, I bought it.

Even though it is an exciting story, I couldn’t get rid of a certain dose of frustration while reading it. Life is unfair, and most of us not only know it but also experienced it first-hand at some point. Still, its unfairness differs depending on, among other factors, which family one is born into. Money alone can’t bring you love ‘till death shall you part’ or a chance to live forever, but wealth undoubtedly makes a lot of things easier to endure.

Jackie and Lee Bouvier were born into the world so far removed from the one we ‘common people’ live in that it makes it really hard to try to understand their struggles. Rich people are still human, so they get sick and die like everyone else. Yet, access to the best medical assistance and the ability to pay for the most expensive treatments do make things easier, both for the sufferer and those who are about to part with their loved ones. I’m not trying to be snarky here. The bitterness comes from a personal experience, which erased any ‘rose-coloured spectacles’ beliefs I might have had regarding ‘money can’t buy you health.’ Well, you can’t buy health, that remains true. Still, there are a lot of things you can pay for to make health-related issues, even terminal ones, less crushing for your mental health. But pardon me, I have digressed.

As I mentioned before in this review, the story is engaging and a page-turner. I guess it simply clashed with the topics I’ve been dwelling on lately and caused the annoyance I couldn’t shake off. What spoilt the reading experience for me further is that despite both women having gone through enough traumatic experiences in their lives, losing the people they loved, including children, I couldn’t find sympathy for them in my heart. I want to believe that those who know me see me as a sympathetic person, for whom empathy is not an empty word. I believe in the healing power of kindness and ‘spreading kindness’ is not simply a catchy social media slogan for me. Still, I must confess, that reading the famous Bouvier sisters’ story, I couldn’t get rid of a petty thought: ‘Yes, they had their share of suffering, but grief is easier to endure watching the world from a luxurious yacht or a penthouse with a view over the New York Central Park.’

Having shared the ugly, I want to add that I recommend this book to everyone who loves biographic fiction and those interested in historical figures. I could never understand the fanatical interest bordering with the insanity that makes people follow their ‘idols’, waiting for their car to pass by on the way to a concert hall, hotel, etc. Or buying the same clothes their ‘idols’ were seen wearing. But I enjoy reading about the fates of those who have made a significant impact on millions of people. If you do too, irrespective of whether you are a fan of the Kennedys or like reading biographies in general, give “The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters” a try. You will not be disappointed.