Golden Girl

In "Once Upon A Time," the first comprehensive biography of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, author Elizabeth Beller looks at the short life of the woman who married America's prince, John F. Kennedy Jr.

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John F. Kennedy Jr. had been beloved by the American public since the early 1960s, when he’d been photographed playing under the Resolute desk in the Oval Office as his father President John Kennedy worked, and when he saluted his father’s casket at the state funeral. He was used to living in the spotlight.

His bride, Carolyn, however, was not. And from the moment they wed in 1996, she was under siege by the media and the subject of catty gossip.

Since their deaths in a plane crash in 1999, John has been the subject of many books—by former colleagues, friends, and biographers. She, however, has only had one solely dedicated to her: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion, an illustrated book by Sunita Kumar Nair, published by Harry Abrams last year.

Now comes Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, a full-fledged reported biography by Elizabeth Beller, published by Gallery Books. It’s a sympathetic look at Bessette Kennedy through a modern lens that is far kinder and more understanding than what she endured when she was alive.