Diana & Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths

By Jay Mulvaney

Book Overview

History has seen only a few women so magical, so evanescent, that they captured the spirit and imagination of their times. Diana, Princess of Wales and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were two of these rare creatures. They were the most famous women of the twentieth century ~ admired, respected, even adored at times; rebuked, mocked and reviled at others. Separated by nationality and a generation apart, they led two surprisingly similar lives. Both were the daughters of acrimonious divorce. Both wed men twelve years their senior, men who needed "trophy brides" to advance their careers. Both married into powerful and domineering families, who tried, unsuccessfully, to tame their willful independence. Both inherited power through marriage and both rebelled within their official roles, forever crushing the archetype. And both revolutionized dynasties. And yet in many ways they were completely different: Jackie lived her life with an English "stiff upper lip" ~ never complaining, never explaining in the face of immense public curiosity. Diana lived her life with an American "quivering lower lip" ~ with televised tell-alls, exposing her family drama to a world eager for every detail. These two lives have been well documented but never before compared. And never before examined in the context of their times. Jay Mulvaney, author of Kennedy Weddings and Jackie: The Clothes of Camelot , probes the lives of these two twentieth century icons and discovers: The nature of their personalities forged from the cradle by their relationships with their fathers, Black Jack Bouvier and Johnny Spencer. ?Their early years, and their early relationships with men. ?Their marriages, and the truth behind the lies, the betrayals and the arrangements. ?Their greatest achievements: motherhood. ?Their prickly relationships with their august mothers-in-law, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth II ? Their lives as single women, working mothers. ? Their roles as icons and archetypes. Graced with never before seen photographs from many private collections, and painstakingly researched, 0 Diana and Jackie presents these two remarkable and unique women as they have never been seen before.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312282044
• ISBN13: 9780312282042
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Good Bio about Two Influential People

This is a duel biography of Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy Onaissis. The book goes into detail about their lives from their early lives in NYC and London, to their parents divorces and remarriages, to their school days, to their time about time, to the men they married, motherhood and after leading up to their deaths. A very interesting book about The Peoples Princess and the Queen of Camalot

Two very amazing women

These two women proved to the world that you don't need a royal title to be able to get people to listen and help get things done. They also showed a kind, soft side to themselves. Trying to protect their children from the press and all the terrible tabloid printing. Diana wanted nothing more than to be queen of peoples hearts and she has done that. Charles didn't know what he lost when he lost her. Their children were first in their lives and they made that clear.

Excellent dual biography

If you think that these two women are lightweights, read this book. This is an interesting and highly readable accounting of two lives that fascinated many millions of people. Even the fact that they've been gone for many years hasn't dimmed our enthusiasm or interest.Diana and Jackie does an excellent job of taking these two mega-stars and presenting them as women, well rounded, human and sympathetic characters in a really vivid story.

A suprising and thoughtful look at two icons.

I thought that this book might be a normal sort of celebrity biography, you know, a little (GARBAGE), a little flash, but DIANA AND JACKIE is much more, and much better than that. It's really a look at the lives of these two influential woman and how they impacted both the English and American cultures. There are a lot of thought provoking questions here...was Diana being a good mother when she aired her grievences regarding her marraige to the entire world? Was that a selfish act? Or a selfless one, in that millions of other women could identify with her, and feel less ashamed about themselves.Jackie Kennedy comes across as a very sympathetic person, one who tried (successfully) to raise her children as close to normally as possible within the Kennedy whirlwind.The parallels between their two lives are extraordinary and very telling. It's really amazing to see how these two branches of a very strong tree grew in completely different directions.I really liked this book and would recommend it without reservation.

A fascinating look at two great ladies

This book really turned me around on how much both Princess Di and Jackie Onassis accomplished in a substantive way with their lives. I always thought, "oh they were like Barbie dollls, attractive but not worth much more than a pretty photograph." Boy was I wrong. They each really worked hard at the things they loved, and it was really interesting to see the parallels in their two lives...how much they were alike and, more telling, how much they differed.Jackie was stronger, more self assured, but Diana was more compelling and vibrant. They both made great contributions to the world and this book does an excellent job of making the case that each woman deserves to be taken seriously as a female role model and icon.