Jackie, a novel by Dawn Tripp is a fascinating story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other important historical figures of the 20th Century. The story is mostly told through Jackie’s point of view.

The novel begins with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963, then flashes back to Jackie’s first introduction to Senator Kennedy, their marriage, their children, and when John became President of the United States. Throughout the book Kennedy is referred to as Jack, the name his family and friends called him.

The story eloquently captures Jackie Kennedy’s imagined thoughts and conversations with family, friends and others. Jackie was an extraordinary person, intelligent, well read, had a keen appreciation of fine art, and was athletic. She came from wealth and she married into wealth, allowing luxury travel and advantages a “normal” person can only dream of. Nevertheless, she maintained high standards and met her obligations with grace and wit.

There were scandals—Jack and other women—but although hurtful, Jackie chose to accept it. Her life was fulfilling, especially with their children, Carolyn and John. She was deeply traumatized when President Kennedy was assassinated, but as the world watched, she carried her heavy burden with dignity.

Jackie had met Aristotle Onassis years before, but as time went on after Jack’s death, they often had dinner together in New York when he was in the States on business. Their friendship blossomed into marriage. They lived in Greece in unimaginable luxury, but it was not a happy union.

Widowed again, Jackie yearned to lead a meaningful life, to contribute. She became an editor at Viking Press, then later at Doubleday, work she found fulfilling.

This review only skims over the story of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The book is so much more with meticulous research and exquisite prose. Although it is a novel, much of the story follows well-known historical events. I was raising a young family when President Kennedy was assassinated, but I clearly remember that awful day and the subsequent chain of events. I watched on television his flag-draped coffin as it was carried on a horse-drawn caisson to the Capitol to lie in state. In my mind I can still see Jackie, stricken with grief, with her young children watching the procession, and little John, only three years old, saluting his father’s coffin.

I loved this novel and recommend it to anyone interested in that era of our country’s history. The book is more than just about Jackie, it delves into America as it was in the sixties and later. It’s a story of love and power, tragedy and reinvention.