“A riveting reimagining of a true tale of forbidden love.”—People The captivating novel following the exploits of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, the forgotten and rebellious daughter of one of America’s greatest political dynasties. London, 1938. The effervescent “It girl” of London society since her father was named the ambassador, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy moves in rarefied circles, rubbing … Kennedy moves in rarefied circles, rubbing satin-covered elbows with some of the twentieth century’s most powerful figures. Eager to escape the watchful eye of her strict mother, Rose; the antics of her older brothers, Jack and Joe; and the erratic behavior of her sister Rosemary, Kick is ready to strike out on her own and is soon swept off her feet by Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire.
But their love is forbidden, as Kick’s devout Catholic family and Billy’s staunchly Protestant one would never approve their match. And when war breaks like a tidal wave across her world, Billy is ripped from her arms as the Kennedys are forced to return to the States. Kick finds work as a journalist and joins the Red Cross to get back to England, where she will have to decide where her true loyalties lie—with family or with love….
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Maher’s debut stars a debutante to root for in this moving coming-of-age tale.
Kerri Maher has crafted a compelling, insightful look into the complexities of the Kennedy era and one of its most fascinating daughters. Expertly researched, this is a remarkable debut.
The Kennedy Debutante is the story of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy who is the sister of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. I am sad to say that I didn’t even realize that these two amazing men had a sister named Kathleen. Now that I am in the know, I realize that without her these two men may not have ended up as famous as they were, she is powerful, she is smart, and she pushed her brothers, supported her brothers, and love her brothers with her entire heart. Do not get confused, this is not a story of the Kennedy men. This is the story of Kick Kennedy and the way she shaped the world around her.
I really wanted to Google Kathleen Kennedy, I needed to know more about her but I held out. I waited and read every word Kerri Maher wrote and learned so much not only about Kick but about the world she lived in, the war that affected her, and the family that she loved so much. I was amazed at how much she wanted to change the world. She wasn’t going to be happy to just be a woman in the world. She wanted to make it better, to be a force to be recognized and to blaze her own path. I loved how supportive her dad was. Joe Sr. never gave his entire permission, as that would have been going against her mother, but he encourages and even showed her the way to get what she wanted a few times. Rose, Kick’s mother, supported her but she wanted to keep her close and have her follow in her footsteps being a good Catholic, a good mother, and a good wife.
The Kennedy Debutante is on my best historical fiction of 2018. I will recommend it over and over again.
Lindas Book Obsession Review of “The Kennedy Debutante” by @Kerri Maher Berkley Publishing Group October, 2018
Kerri Maher, Author of “The Kennedy Debutante has vividly described the “Golden World” of the Kennedys in this enchanting, dramatic, romantic, endearing, captivating, intense and riveting novel. The Genres for this novel are Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women’s Fiction, with a touch of Romance. The timeline for this novel starts in London in 1938, and is also in the United States, Spain and other European countries during the pre-war and war. The story goes to the past only when it pertains to the characters or events.
Kerri Maher describes her colorful cast of characters as complicated and complex. Kathleen “KICK” Kennedy makes her debut in England the year that her father is the Ambassador to London. Kick is the absolute darling , extremely sought after among the popular set. She also has the responsibilities of watching out for her older sister, Rosemary, who has some problems. Some of my favorite parts in this novel are the interaction among the Kennedy clan. It is fun watching the interaction with Joe and John, her brothers. Kick’s mother is a stern and dominant force in her life.
The Kennedys are Roman Catholic, and that causes conflict for Kick when she falls in love with Billy Harrington, the future Duke of Devonshire, who comes from a Protestant family. Kick is regarded as the rebellious sister but she questions her loyalty to her family or the man she loves.I would highly recommend this entertaining and enjoyable Historical novel for those readers that enjoy reading about the Kennedys, and the start of World War Two. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
I have always had a fascination with the Kennedy family and have read quite a few books on the men in the family but not a lot about the women. I was instantly pulled into Kathleen (Kick’s) story. Kick lived a short life and although there was a lot of family pressure, she tended to follow her heart. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and all things Kennedy. The Kennedy Debutante is a mesmerizing debut!
Maher beautifully mixes the red-blooded American iconography of the Kennedys with the delicious and Downton Abbey-esque grandeur of Britain’s upper crusts…Kick proves a poignant and captivating subject, and her story will make your heart lurch in the best possible ways.
An outstanding deep dive into a fascinating person and time. For fans of The Crown, the riveting story of a headstrong American girl captivated by a dashing British aristocrat. I’m blown away.
A vivid and engrossing portrayal of the fascinating life of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. Maher offers a dazzling glimpse of London society filled with a rich, nuanced, and infamous cast of characters alongside a poignant depiction of the emotional cost of war. A stunning debut!
You will be swept up, first and foremost, by its vivid, captivating heroine. Kick Kennedy was naive and privileged, to be sure, but in Maher’s masterful portrait, she is also a bold young woman living at a precarious moment in history, eager to make her mark on the world as fearlessly as she will follow her heart.
At once bittersweet and triumphant, The Kennedy Debutante melds history and fiction to stunning effect.
4.5 Stars for this Beautifully written historical fiction about little know Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy. I went into this book not knowing anything about Kick or the Kennedy’s time in London when Joe Sr was Ambassador. The hard part, at least for me, of reading historical fiction about a family so larger than life, is remembering it’s mainly fiction, and open to the author’s interpretation.
As we all know, the Kennedy’s are devout Catholics. Kick has fallen in love with a devout Protestant, the future Duke of Devonshire Billy Hartington. This was a HUGE issue during this time and your heart will break for this couple. I loved the glimpse into London royalty and high society, the descriptions of London/America politics and WWII. I especially loved Kick’s relationship with her older sister, Rosemary, and her big brother, Joe. Maybe because they are also lesser known.
Word of warning, do NOT google Kick Kennedy before you read this, as I did. Go into this book blind. I had to LOL on the ‘Author’s Note’cause I thought she must have been watching me.
This book will have you cheering and crying for Kick and Billy, scratching your head over the Catholic/Protestant issue, give you an inside look into the Kennedy family and the London society, and the political climate of WWII. I also loved the secondary characters, especially Fr. O’Flaherty.
This book was well researched! This book is one to get lost in!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
My mother grew up in Boston and our family was Catholic. This was the 1960’s, so everything was Kennedy … America’s Royal family. I grew up listening to her discuss the power, politics and the infamous “Kennedy curse.” I’m still intrigued by all things Kennedy.
Kerri Maher’s book, THE KENNEDY DEBUTANTE (BerkleyPublishing) is a moving historical novel about one of the members of the Kennedy family not often focused on. It is Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy’s “forbidden” love story. It takes readers on a journey from pre-WWII to during the height of the war, traveling from America through all of Europe.
Patriarch, Joseph, matriarch, Rose and their nine children, Joe, Jr., Jack, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Pat, Bobby, Jean and Teddy lived in England at the Ambassador’s residence, 14 Prince’s Gate. Joseph and Rose made sure everything was done for the greater good of God and the Catholic church. But Kathleen “Kick” had an independent streak in her leading her away from Kennedy norms. “Kick” shocks her family by falling in love with a Protestant and making the tabloids for her behavior.
Maher tells a full story of America and London during WWII, full of details you can feel and see – what people were eating, drinking, listening to, and wearing. Kick is an likable character, and I loved getting to know her. Her life is full of wealth, glamour and partying … she also deals with her share of the “Kennedy curse.”
THE KENNEDY DEBUTANTE is a wonderful book that tells the full story of a member of the Kennedy clan, often overlooked.
We have all read about the males of the Kennedy family – Joe, Jack, Bobby and Teddy and many books have been written about them and their father. Very few books have been written about the females of the family and I knew very little about them. The Kennedy Debutante is about Kathleen Kennedy – nicknames Kick. She is the fourth child in the family, right after Joe, Jack and Rosemary. It’s an in depth look at her life beginning in England when her father becomes the American ambassador. As the story begins, she is being presented into society at the beginning of her debutante season in 1938. As she becomes part of the social season in London, she makes friends with the elite young people in London and gets very close to Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire and a devout Protestant. Her strict Catholicism (as well as that of her devout mother, Rose) keeps them from taking their feelings to the next level. When WWII breaks out and the Kennedy family returns to the States, Kick has to make a decision over whether her love for Billy or the beliefs of her family are the most important to her future.
This book was a wonderful look at an member of the Kennedy family that had not been written about much in the past. Along with Kick’s story, there is a lot about the rest of the family, the way the parents doted on the boys and the dad included Joe and Jack in his decision making, the problems with Rosemary, plus a tidbits about all of the other kids in the family. For a family with so many words written about them over the years, this was a refreshing look at the family that was full of new information for most readers.
I highly recommend this book and predict that it will be on of the popular MUST READS of the fall.
Thanks to Book Browse for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book. I did not know anything about Kathleen Kennedy and I learned so much. Although it was historical fiction, I believe the author did a great job in filling in details where things could have occurred. I did not want the book to end.
There was so much tragedy in that family’s life, but I admired how Kathleen was able to find her way without straying from the responsibility of who she was, being born into the Kennedy family. She was rebellious without doing significant harm to the family name, and she learned how to find happiness outside of her obligations, be it short-lived.
I look forward to more from this author.
A fascinating view of what the Kennedy life might have been like. Probably was like. I felt like I was inserted into her world.
I loved the trip through history
I enjoyed this book. Interesting people and haunting.
Learned a lot about a Kennedy member who I didn’t know much about.
A fantastic work of historical fiction. A must read!
A look into the life of a iconic family , in particular “KICK” . A privileged girl who wants to do more , help more and love who she wants but due to her upbringing and who her family is , her choices are unexpected. I also thought in the years this book was placed , I never seen the “rich side of politics and how they got though the time of Hitler.