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Jackie and Maria: A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas

Review

Jackie and Maria: A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas

JACKIE AND MARIA is an enjoyable journey through the lives of several enormous personalities who captured the attention of the world for years. It is well written, the characters are fully explored and developed, and readers will be drawn deeply into the painful experiences that marked their lives.

The book’s historical journey is like a tragic Forrest Gump: the well-publicized affairs, the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK, the Greek coup and more. The history, though, is not a major part of the novel. It often dictates the action, but author Gill Paul will not tell you anything about the Bay of Pigs or the Cuban Missile Crisis unless it affects the characters in some way.

Alternating chapters between Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas, the book covers 20 years of their lives. While extremely different, they share a lot in common, and central among them is Aristotle Onassis. This is the story of three colossal people and their relationships. The “colossal” represents not what the public knew, but the worlds to which they are shackled for better or worse. While we saw only politics, opera and business, their daily lives were driven by more primal forces, which Paul skillfully reveals.

"JACKIE AND MARIA is well worth the read. Successfully weaving three lives of this magnitude into one novel is an impressive feat. Gill Paul’s writing is fluid and enjoyable."

Maria was at the top of the world professionally but plagued by insecurity. She always felt used and was tormented by her inability to have a child. Her wretched mother was like a chronic illness that flared unexpectedly. Jackie was adrift. Raised as a debutante, she was to marry well and have babies. As a wife, however, she had miscarriages. As the First Lady, she was ornamental, valued mostly when she could impress voters. As the First Widow, she was to remain in perpetual grief. Always cheated on, constantly being asked to overlook, and never having a sense of self, she is a tragic figure.

Artistotle was the kind of man who would be attracted to both of these women. He was always trying to impress a father long gone. He was petty and jealous, and drawn to the famous. Maybe most destabilizing, he lacked the moral courage to love and commit. This final flaw made Jackie and Maria the perfect foils. Both led lives of compromise and betrayal, but when Jackie’s world was collapsing, Aristotle and his yacht, Christina O, sailed to the rescue. Of course, the problem was that he and the ship had already saved Maria.

I especially enjoyed the minor characters (minor to this story, that is) and the roles they played. We are treated to the “iceberg below the sea.” Most are familiar with Jackie’s life as it pertains to JFK, but Paul gives readers the full backstory. Her parents, sister and friends --- who normally don’t make the front-page photos --- are all brought to life here. Some of these relationships are painful, while others are uplifting and supportive. Among them are Winston Churchill, Jackie’s sister Lee, Marilyn Monroe, the Kennedy clan, and the other family members with whom even famous people must deal.

The problem is that Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas are too recognizable and the history too near for readers to accept the fiction easily. I was constantly left asking myself, “Was this true?” “Did that actually happen?” At the end of the book, Paul includes a lengthy explanation of her adaptations and creative responses. But because the novel is draped in actual history, it is difficult as a reader to shift from historical fiction to pure fiction.

Ultimately, though, JACKIE AND MARIA is well worth the read. Successfully weaving three lives of this magnitude into one novel is an impressive feat. Gill Paul’s writing is fluid and enjoyable. The pages turn quickly, and the book is always on the move. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this fascinating group of people and the time they inhabited.

Reviewed by John Vena on August 28, 2020

Jackie and Maria: A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
by Gill Paul

  • Publication Date: August 18, 2020
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
  • ISBN-10: 0062952498
  • ISBN-13: 9780062952493