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
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041_Kick_Chapter_39
Duration: 11min -
042_Kick_Chapter_40
Duration: 14min -
043_Kick_Chapter_41
Duration: 22min -
044_Kick_Chapter_42
Duration: 13min -
045_Kick_Chapter_43
Duration: 09min -
046_Kick_Chapter_44
Duration: 22min -
047_Kick_Chapter_45
Duration: 17min -
048_Kick_Chapter_46
Duration: 27min -
049_Kick_Chapter_47
Duration: 19min -
050_Kick_Chapter_48
Duration: 20min -
051_Kick_Chapter_49
Duration: 21min -
052_Kick_Epilogue
Duration: 07min -
053_Kick_harperoutro
Duration: 32s -
sample
Duration: 01min