A historical fiction novel that gives you a glimpse into the life of Jackie Kennedy. I learned so much is this book about Jackie and the highs and lows she faced. Jackie protected JFK even when she didn't agree with him- we see how she managed while they were together and after his death. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC copy.

This was my first book regarding the famous Kennedy family and the woman who married into the political Kennedy clan. Jackie died in New York the same month I left New York and I grew up hearing about her and her children so I had an idea of how uptight she was. And that definitely shone through in this novel as we get a good summary of what her life was like during the brief courtship and ten years of a rocky marriage (but with tons of bling!) to the 35th President of the United States.

The summary is that Jackie had children and lost children and she really despised Texas according to this depiction. She spoke languages fluently and was a public curiosity that helped the Kennedys seem a little more dainty and less masculine political machines. Whether he or she was faithful or not is left open to our imagination.

I forced myself to finish this to be honest. It was a very dry narrative but is that the author's fault or Jackie's fault? I could not really relate to Jackie as a woman as she was able to snap her fingers and get whatever her heart desired. Plus the multiple times Dallas and Texas was ridiculed was a complete turn off.

Where this story is heartfelt is when Jackie experienced loss and tragedy just like an ordinary person would. An iconic woman she was able to survive everything that happened to her with grace and poise while in the public eye but behind the scenes she was just keeping her head above water, from the way the author depicts her.

There is not a lot of Kennedy historical fiction out there so I do recommend this well researched novel for anyone interested in the nuances of the era. I did get a little lost with the lengthy author's note and was disappointed in how many times the author said that she shifted events or scenes that I finally just stopped trying to wrap my head around what was true or not, and didn't finish that author's note. The aspects of biographical fiction versus historical fact is a conundrum of historical fiction and a subject of lengthy debate.

I remember the funeral of John Fitzgerald Kennedy through the eyes of a 4 year old child. I've long admired Jackie Kennedy Onassis for her fortitude, strength, and devotion to her husband and children. This novel, for it is a work of fiction, is done in a way that takes the reader to the events as they happen. The writing is lyrical and one does not feel this novel is another "trite" book. I would recommend this book to book clubs and for purchase by a public library.

The unique story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who Thornton uses to narrate the whirlwind her life became after she caught the eye of JFK. This story is an interesting perspective of Jackie’s hidden struggles of many heart-breaking miscarriages, the national spotlight of both approval and disapproval, knowledge of JKF’s affairs and the non-acceptance of some members of the Kennedy clan. The intervals of outside narration leading up to JFK’s assassination build the suspense and leave the reading secretly hoping that history was somehow wrong because just when Jackie and Jack were getting things right and figuring out how to navigate the most powerful position in the country it comes to a sudden, sickening and traumatic ending.

As Jackie deals with the death of her husband, she goes on to share details of her close friendship with Bobby after JFK’s death; leading the reader to assume there was in fact more than a friendship between the two. This story also delves into the rocky relationship Jackie has with her sister and mother which comes to a head when Jackie agrees to marry Aristotle Onassis in order to secure the lives and futures of her children. Although this book arguably sheds light on Jackie’s human flaws, there is no denying the incredible strength of one of America’s most iconic First Ladies. Her heartbreak from losing her three children at or before birth, standing near when the three Kennedy men who meant the most to her in the world died and her loveless marriage to Onassis and abuse from his children make the reader more fond of Jackie and leave her memory even more beloved.

For fans of Melanie Benjamin’s “The Aviator’s Wife,” Paula McLain’s “The Paris Wife,” and for those interested in President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

It dawned on me while I was reading this that there are generations of Americans who may not know who the Kennedys were and the magic spell they had cast over the nation. They were our version of the royal family. They were a new generation, way back in the early 1960s, who were leading the United States. “A new generation of Americans, born in this century.”

Framed by deaths of her husband, JFK, her brother-in-law, RFK , and her second husband, Aristole Onassis, this novel focuses on Jackie, her losses (and there were many), her gains and the struggles she had to carve a place of her own in the world.

Told for in first person, from Jackie’s point of view, the story opens in 1952. I felt a little cheated when Jackie referred to her fiancé, John. It turned out that it was John Husted. But this is also the time that she meets Congressman John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts. And this is the story of Jackie, the woman she was, the wife and mother she became, the woman grew to become. Perhaps most importantly, this is the story of one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century.

As I was reading, I felt like I was a fly who had perched on her shoulder and stayed there for more than 25 years. I felt her happiness and her sorrows. I also learned a lot about the woman who was the 35th First Lady and why the world fell in love with this shy and intelligent who would rather stay home than go to a State Dinner.

I grieved over her miscarriage, the stillborn birth of a daughter, the death of an infant son, and that bloody day in Dallas so many years ago that is seared into many American’s minds and defined a generation. (One of the things on my list to ask God, should I be granted a seat in heaven, is who “really” killed JFK?)

I felt the wind in her hair as she rode her beloved horses. I felt how she grew into a fierce lioness who did what she had to do to protect her children, even if it included marry a Greek jerk with more money than God.

I loved this novel. I loved how it went behind the scenes at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, the calamity of the Bay of Pigs, the urgency of the Cuban Missle Crisis and her devastation at the loss of her beloved Jack.

I would have like it to go on until her death, but the last two sentences sum it up best: “With Ari’s death, I was no longer Jackie Kennedy, or Jackie O. I was just Jackie.”

I HIGHLY recommend “And They Called It Camelot.” It receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Readers wanting a closer look into Jackie Kennedy's life and personal thoughts will be intrigued with this novel. The author will have readers believing this book has the true thoughts and words of the former first lady. Very enjoyable! Recommended.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was known as a beautiful, educated woman full of grace, dignity, and most of all, who had the strength to survive. From her upbringing in a broken home with a harsh mother, to the debutante, horsewoman, and journalist, the woman who would be known as Jackie married into American royalty when she married Jack Kennedy. What she didn’t know was how that life would take her on a journey of severe heartache, and she’d need all her strength to carry on.

And They Called It Camelot is a wonderful historical novel that follows the life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy from her meeting with John F. Kennedy and beyond. The reader sees it all in through Jackie’s eyes; her thoughts and feelings throughout the highs and lows of her first marriage, her heartaches, and her triumphs. Through it all, she displays a strength that helps her carry on for herself, and her children. A well-written and intriguing novel that doesn’t whitewash anything about the lives of the Kennedys. I believe anyone who enjoys historical fiction will enjoy this novel.

This historical fiction novel definitely left me with a new sense of respect for all that Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis went through in her life. It was an intimate, heartbreaking look at a life that had incredible highs but more than its fair share of horrible, devastating periods. Unfortunately, this story ran a little too long, though I'm not sure if there was a better point to end it than where the author chose to finish the story (any earlier and it may have been too bleak?).

"We all had our own tragedies to live. And, in the end, death would claim us all."

A well-written book, this historical fiction account of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis is, first of all, a tribute to the woman's incredible strength and resilience. I laughed, I cried, and I learned so much about Jackie while bringing to mind the little I actually remember from those years. I know that many people idolized the Kennedys and revere the JFK Presidency -- it impacted some so much that they recall exactly what they were doing when they heard that he had been shot. I was too young at the time it happened for any memories, but I know that the whole reference to the days of "Camelot" is one that has lingered over the many years since.

Told in the first person perspective, the author has given us access to Jackie's thoughts and reactions to all that transpired during much of her life. It's always hard to be accurate to history and get into someone's mind, and surely the construction has to be taken with a grain of salt. Not knowing a person intimately, gleaning detail from letters, documents, interviews, photos and footage, has to be very daunting. I found myself constantly asking, "Is this true? Is this what she really said, thought, did?' I believe that no one can ever know what really goes on in the heart or mind of another, but I feel that Stephanie Thornton presented us with a unique portrayal of a woman who valued her privacy and kept herself to herself.

Jackie wanted those one thousand and thirty-six days of JFK's Presidency to be remembered and his legacy of hope and service protected for all time. She must be forgiven for creating and curating him into a legend of epic proportions. She forgave him so much and sacrificed for his career and legacy at her own expense. Who was Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis to herself? A woman who loved a man and protected him, encouraged him, and helped him get everything he wanted. Was it worth it all -- we will never really know. I enjoyed this book and am glad that I revisited this special period in American History. The characters come to life on the pages and I will be thinking about them all for a very long time. In all, it was quite sad overall to read about the trauma and heartache experienced by this family. They gave everything they had and lost so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. I will continue to read anything Stephanie Thornton writes!

Beginning with Jacqueline and John Kennedy's courtship and ending with Jacqueline's arising from the ashes of her marriage with Aristotle Onassis, Thornton's book is extremely engaging. Even you aren't a Jackie Kennedy fan, you have to be sympathetic to her plight through both marriages. She had a difficult, if privileged, life. Even though this is fiction, I discovered a lot of things I was previously unaware of - her heavy smoking habit and Marilyn Monroe's photo session with her dressing like Jacqueline are two instances. Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy.

Stephanie Thornton uses fiction to skillfully show the private side of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Jackie’s public image was always one of class, grace and stoicism, but underneath she was a woman with many self-doubts and fears. This novel spans the time from Jackie’s first meeting with Jack Kennedy, her life as a young wife and mother; and later her marriage to Onassis and her work as an editor; ending in 1977 with the dedication of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Well-researched and skillfully written, the novel is told through Jackie’s voice, giving it an intimate feel and a wonderful sense of time and place. Jackie’s perseverance allowed her to carve out the life she wanted with Jack, his family, the country and the world. With each new tragedy and hardship she faced, she rose up again to face life on her own terms. Thornton brings Jackie to life for readers, humanizing her, and allowing us to feel her pain and to celebrate her triumphs.

This was and engaging and captivating read, poignant and inspiring. I especially loved the portrayal of her relationship with Jack’s family. While her relationship with her mother-in-law and her myriad of sisters-in law was often strained; her father-in-law and Bobby Kennedy appreciated her strength, intelligence and political savvy. Her devotion to her children and Jack was evident throughout the book, as was her genius in creating a legacy for Jack after his death. The stories of Jackie and all the Kennedys continue fascinate and enthrall and Thornton’s novel should definitely be on the list of books to read. I highly recommend this one for fans of all things Kennedy, as well as fans of historical fiction and women’s fiction.

Opening line:

"The pink pillbox hat and Chanel-inspired bouclè suit awaited her on the bed."


I've often wondered what life was like for Jackie. This book gave me some idea what her years as JFK's wife and beyond might have been.

I had a hard time putting this book down! I kept reading, wondering when we were going to get to one of the worse days in the Kennedy's, and possibly, America's lives. But taking the ride to get to that moment was worth the time.

There are four parts in this story, one for each era, the fourth happening after Bobby's assassination.

The book starts by introducing Jackie in her earlier years and when she met John. I throughly enjoyed the insights Ms. Thornton researched and added. Every time a dress or an event was mentioned, I goggled it so I could really 'see' what she was writing. In my opinion, that makes for a good historical fiction book!

Jackie was very protective of family and took care to involve her kids as much as possible. She tried to stay involved in everything her husband did as well.

My favorite parts of the book was when Jackie stood up for herself. She made a vow to the patriarch of the Kennedy's that she would never leave John's side, and she didn't right up to the time he was placed in a coffin. When women didn't step into the politcal or campaigning spotlight, Jackie was there, even when men told her she couldn't. She was with John in the hospital when he had back surgery and had the nurse teach her how to take care of John, even when he didn't want Jackie to see him so weak.

She was told she was told young and fresh for the campaign trail, that everyone wanted to see the grandmotherly types from the last few presidencies. Several times after John was shot, people tried to get Jackie to change her blood-splattered clothes, but she refused. "Let them see what they've done."

The very last part of the book, Part Four, didn't seem to be in the same vein as the rest of the book. I wondered if the author, like me, was disappointed in Jackie for having affairs, after she vehemently held John to their marriage. Part Four helped me to understand why Jackie possibly married Onassis, and the good she did in the last days of her life, but I was a little let down.


There are several 'F' bombs and swear words, but they are scattered throughout the book.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

I enjoyed the inside look into Jackie life, knew most of the events from other books. Author did her homework with well researched existing information.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this novel to be so engrossing and full of so much information about Jacqueline Kennedy that I’d never read about before. Thornton does an amazing job of taking the reader on such a ride that they start the book and don’t put it down until it’s complete.

Stephanie Marie Thornton has done it again. This book was beautifully written. Might be one of my favorites of hers, actually! I realize it was fictional but there was so much emotion and thought put into it, that reading it allowed me to sympathize with Jackie Kennedy more than I probably had in the past. It also (unlike all the history books) truly made me SEE how women loved JFK, and why. There was such charm, reality, and beauty in this book...highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was reading Jackie Kennedy’s diary. There were a lot of things that actually happened in history plus using the actual name of her security. If you are at all interested in the Kennedy’s you will enjoy this book.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "And They Called it Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" by Stephanie Marie Thornton, Berkley Publishing, March 10, 2020

Stephanie Marie Thornton, Author of "And They Called it Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" has written a poignant, memorable, intriguing, intense, and captivating novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction and Historical Fiction.   I love the author's style of writing and her way of vividly describing the life and events of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. I am grateful to Berkley Publishing, BookBrowse Books and Stephanie Marie Thornton for an Early Advanced Reading Edition.

I have always been interested in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis's history and legacy.  The author describes Jacqueline and her relationship with her mother and sister. Also discussed is her marriage to Jack Kennedy and her relationship to the Kennedys. How many women are America's First Lady? I especially enjoyed the way Jacqueline is described as a doting and devoted Mother. Also, Jacqueline's intelligence, artistic creativity, and fashion statements are also discussed.

The author has used "poetic license" when it comes to actually  mentioning some historical dates, and many of the situations are based on "What if.....?"  There is no doubt that Jacqueline had a heartbreaking and tragic life, and was able to move on, and survive. I would highly recommend this memorable novel for those readers who enjoy Historical Fiction.

An all-encompassing story of the many faces of the woman known simply as Jackie. From her early days being courted by John F. Kennedy to after his assassination and her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, she was something of an enigma. Here we see the joys, the sorrows, and the constant struggle to live up to what the Kennedy clan and the American public expected of her. Stephanie Marie Thornton paints us a portrait of a life that wasn't always pretty, easy and anything but calm yet that was the way she presented herself. We can easily see why the world fell in love with the Kennedys and as our American version of royalty, they had secrets and deep sorrow that never made its way to public eyes. Ms. Thornton did an excellent job of highlighting Jackie's relationship with the elder Mr. Kennedy and her friendship and dependence on Bobby as well as her difficult relationship with her sister, Lee. A fascinating look at the woman behind the myth. Fans of well-told historical fiction especially those involving larger than life women will enjoy this. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

If I could go back in time and pick an era to be alive for, it would definitely be the Kennedy era - but since time travel isn't in the cards, I'll just continue reading all the books I can instead. Having previously read My Summer with Jack by Michelle Gable & The Editor by Stephen Rowley, I've definitely found myself fond of historical fiction surrounding these recognizable political players, but I will say, with And They Called It Camelot, I've certainly found my new favorite.

Jackie is the star of this novel and shine she does. From her first date with Jack all the way through the death of second husband Aristotle Onassis, we get to ride along with Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis on an exciting and often tragic life. One of my favorite parts of reading this was asking my mother if certain things were fact or fiction and if she remembered them and I truly enjoyed the conversation it sparked. Camelet left me with a lot of food for thought and is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read in quite some time. If you have ever enjoyed a work of historical fiction, I'd venture to say that you'd be remiss to not pick this one up when it releases on March 10.

The Kennedy family has always held a degree of mystique and grandeur to the world. As First Lady, Jacqueline seemed to hold the world at bay, almost hiding behind a magical veil that held her separate from outsiders. And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis by Stephanie Marie Thornton gives readers a fictional view of Jackie O’s life, from her thoughts meeting JFK, to the tense air that flowed between her and most of the Kennedy clan.

A strong piece of work, readers feel the moments in history that Jackie lived, felt her emotions, the iron will she cleverly held out of sight through the delicate façade she showed the public. Was she really a tiger in disguise? Her star shone brightly through turmoil, deceit and pain in this captivating version of the woman who unwillingly became an icon for not only a country, but the world. Gracious in the public eye, her life was not her own and now we get an imaginary look at how she handled a life no one could be prepared for.

A fabulously entertaining read that does NOT contain dirty revelations, but makes each tidbit the world clung to feel more human, more real, and more invasive. Stephanie Marie Thornton has done a remarkable job of respectfully telling the tale of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a woman who seems to continue to touch the world.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Publisher: Berkley (March 10, 2020)
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Genre: Fictionalized biography
Print Length: 448 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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