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The Kennedy Debutante Kerri Maher Books

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The Kennedy Debutante Kerri Maher Books

Kick Kennedy, whose short life is a mere footnote in the many books I have read about the family, finally has her story told in this immensely readable debut novel by Kerri Maher. I was transported back in time to the days of high society England, beginning with Kick’s presentation to Queen Elizabeth and ending in tragedy that seems to follow the Kennedys.

Evenings at the 400 with young women named Debo and Sissy, with Kick and their aristocratic young men, are so vividly described that I could almost feel the tickle of Champagne bubbles. Is it any wonder that she falls head over heels in love with Billy Hartington, one of England’s most eligible bachelors, after spending so much time with him at nightclubs and house parties? As World War II begins, the men enlist, but the parties continue. Despite the Blitz and hardships, Kick adopts England as her home and the Hartingtons as her family.

Barely an adult, Kick Kennedy faces the biggest decision in her life. The Kennedys are famously devout Roman Catholics; the Hartingtons are equally devoted members of the Church of England. Until relatively recently, the Pope decreed that Catholics will be excommunicated if they did not marry in the Church; there were no exceptions, even for the powerful Kennedys. Will Kick risk losing her family to marry the love of her life?

It is difficult to imagine in this day that an interfaith marriage could have such disastrous consequences, but until the Catholic Church relaxed its rules, marrying outside the faith was an all-or-nothing proposition. In some accounts of Kick’s life, Rose Kennedy disowned her own daughter after she married Billy. At best, Rose is frosty. Kerri Maher accurately describes the internal dilemma Kick faces, and I could almost feel her pain as she struggled.

What a well researched, beautifully written story of the forgotten Kennedy girl and the time of her life. As an Anglophile, I love a peek into that period of English history. Kerri Maher, you gave me a gem!


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The Kennedy Debutante Kerri Maher Books Reviews

This is a well-written, well-researched, well-plotted and well-conceived book. From the first page to the last, I was riveted by the characters, by the plot and by the timing of the story. There are few books today that can keep my mind off what is going on in the world, but this is one of them. I could hardly wait to get back to it at the end of a long day. It is a great novel, based in fact, that will whisk you away. Worth your time.
This novel is a richly imagined, evocative and detailed portrait of life in England, Europe and the U.S. in the years surrounding WW II. The book focuses on the Kennedys and their circle in England, Europe and the U.S. Readers will spend time with staunchly Catholic parents, Joe and Rose, who have many aspirations for their children. Joe Jr. and JFK are portrayed as they fall in love and commit to service in the war. Rosemary and her emotional struggles are described and the younger Kennedy children also have a place. The book though is most especially the story of Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy and her friends, colleague, romances and search for meaning.

Kick falls in love with England where she strives to find a worthwhile life while also enjoying a busy social life with her friends, including Deborah Mitford and her circle. Kick is always aware of what is expected of her as a Kennedy but struggles with this.

Nowadays when marriages are not universally expected to take place between people who are the same (the same race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.), it is hard to recall that this was not always the case. However, when Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy, of Irish background and Catholic, falls in love with Billy, an aristocratic British, Protestant, her parents clearly do not approve. How Kick chooses to live her life forms the core of the novel. I do not want to put in any spoilers so will stop here.

I found The Kennedy Debutante to be an excellent historical novel. I hope that you will too!
The Kennedy family has been in the news for years, we have witnessed their tragedies, we have watched as the sons, daughters and grandchildren met with fates that were undeniably hard to endure. This story about Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy is no different, except it is about someone we do not know as well.

The story starts in 1938 with Joe Kennedy, Sr. is the American Ambassador to England...at a time when Europe was teetering on the brink of war. There they were on Prince Street, 11 of them, 9 children. Joe, Jr. and JFK at that time were not always around, but that was home base. Kick was 18 years old, just out of convent school and had her whole life in front of her. She had a great personality, outgoing and fun, but there was a serious side of her, too. Steeped in Catholicism she was always concerned about doing the right thing, of not committing sins and praying for guidance as she went about her daily living.

Joining the social lives of the rich and elite, she meets and falls in love with Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire. But he was Protestant and as a Catholic, Kick knew the match would never be approved. When the war breaks out, the Kennedys leave England to return to the U.S. However, Kick having no choice but to go, yearns to go back to England (which she loves) and back into the arms of Billy.

As you read this novel, you learn a bit more about the family. Their efforts to keep up appearances, to avoid scandal at all costs and just how competitive they were. It was difficult to read how both Rose and Joe, Sr. handled the unfortunate situation with Rosemary Kennedy. It was obvious that the parents thought more about their sons than their daughters, especially the fact that Joe,Jr. was the bright and shining star with hopes of him becoming President.

The book was well written, albeit a bit too long. Yet, I would highly recommend it.
Kick Kennedy, whose short life is a mere footnote in the many books I have read about the family, finally has her story told in this immensely readable debut novel by Kerri Maher. I was transported back in time to the days of high society England, beginning with Kick’s presentation to Queen Elizabeth and ending in tragedy that seems to follow the Kennedys.

Evenings at the 400 with young women named Debo and Sissy, with Kick and their aristocratic young men, are so vividly described that I could almost feel the tickle of Champagne bubbles. Is it any wonder that she falls head over heels in love with Billy Hartington, one of England’s most eligible bachelors, after spending so much time with him at nightclubs and house parties? As World War II begins, the men enlist, but the parties continue. Despite the Blitz and hardships, Kick adopts England as her home and the Hartingtons as her family.

Barely an adult, Kick Kennedy faces the biggest decision in her life. The Kennedys are famously devout Roman Catholics; the Hartingtons are equally devoted members of the Church of England. Until relatively recently, the Pope decreed that Catholics will be excommunicated if they did not marry in the Church; there were no exceptions, even for the powerful Kennedys. Will Kick risk losing her family to marry the love of her life?

It is difficult to imagine in this day that an interfaith marriage could have such disastrous consequences, but until the Catholic Church relaxed its rules, marrying outside the faith was an all-or-nothing proposition. In some accounts of Kick’s life, Rose Kennedy disowned her own daughter after she married Billy. At best, Rose is frosty. Kerri Maher accurately describes the internal dilemma Kick faces, and I could almost feel her pain as she struggled.

What a well researched, beautifully written story of the forgotten Kennedy girl and the time of her life. As an Anglophile, I love a peek into that period of English history. Kerri Maher, you gave me a gem!