Synopsis
Filled with a wealth of revealing new material and insight, the biography of the vivacious, unconventional—and nearly forgotten—young Kennedy sister who charmed American society and the English aristocracy, and would break with her family for love.
Encouraged to be “winners” from a young age, Rose and Joe Kennedy’s children were the embodiment of ambitious, wholesome Americanism. Yet even within this ebullient group of overachievers, the fourth Kennedy child, the irrepressible Kathleen, stood out. Lively, charismatic, extremely clever, and blessed with graceful athleticism and a sunny disposition, the alluring socialite fondly known as Kick was a firecracker who effortlessly made friends and stole hearts.
Moving across the Atlantic when her father was appointed as the ambassador to Great Britain in 1938, Kick—the “nicest Kennedy”—quickly became the family’s star. Despite making little effort to fit into British high society, she charmed everyone from the beau monde to Fleet Street with her unconventional attitude and easygoing humor. Growing increasingly independent, Kick would also shock and alienate her devout family by falling in love and marrying the scion of a virulently anti-Catholic family— William Cavendish, the heir apparent of the Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth. But the marriage would last only a few months; Billy was killed in combat in 1944, just four years before Kick’s own unexpected death in an airplane crash at twenty-eight.
Paula Byrne recounts this remarkable young woman’s life in detail as never before, from her work at the Washington Times-Herald and volunteerism for the Red Cross in wartime England; to her love of politics and astute, opinionated observations; to her decision to renounce her faith for the man she loved. Sympathetic and compelling, Kick shines a spotlight on this feisty and unique Kennedy long relegated to the shadows of her legendary family’s history.
Chapters
-
021_Kick_Chapter_19
Duration: 18min -
022_Kick_Chapter_20
Duration: 11min -
023_Kick_Chapter_21
Duration: 18min -
024_Kick_Chapter_22
Duration: 18min -
025_Kick_Chapter_23
Duration: 10min -
026_Kick_Chapter_24
Duration: 16min -
027_Kick_Chapter_25
Duration: 11min -
028_Kick_Chapter_26
Duration: 07min -
029_Kick_Chapter_27
Duration: 14min -
030_Kick_Chapter_28
Duration: 10min -
031_Kick_Chapter_29
Duration: 10min -
032_Kick_Chapter_30
Duration: 15min -
033_Kick_Chapter_31
Duration: 19min -
034_Kick_Chapter_32
Duration: 11min -
035_Kick_Chapter_33
Duration: 16min -
036_Kick_Chapter_34
Duration: 15min -
037_Kick_Chapter_35
Duration: 09min -
038_Kick_Chapter_36
Duration: 15min -
039_Kick_Chapter_37
Duration: 10min -
040_Kick_Chapter_38
Duration: 18min