These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie

By Christopher Andersen

Glamour, power, sex, money. The makings of an iconic love story - or a doomed passion? Bestselling biographer Christopher Andersen casts aside the rumours, the speculation and the conspiracy theories, and takes us on an intimate journey into the heart of the Kennedys' marriage. With consummate skill, Andersen uncovers startling new facts about their affairs - hers as well as his - with the famous, the notorious and the anonymous; he reveals alarming information about the First Couple's shared dependence on amphetamines and the White House's battle to keep their secret; and he unearths fresh details about the assassination and its aftermath, including Jackie's bout with suicidal depression. Extraordinary in its scope, powerful in its insights, These Few Precious Days paints an unsparing yet sympathetic and touching portrait of Mr and Mrs JFK in their final year together. This is the ultimate presidential love story in all its frustrating, complicated, bittersweet glory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Robson Press
• Release date: Nov 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781849546744

Christopher Andersen

Christopher Andersen is the critically acclaimed author of eighteen New York Times bestsellers which have been translated into more than twenty-five languages worldwide. Two of his books—The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died (about JFK Jr.)—reached #1. A former contributing editor of Time and longtime senior editor of People, Andersen has also written hundreds of articles for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, Life, and Vanity Fair. Andersen has appeared frequently on such programs as Today, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, 20/20, Anderson Cooper 360, Dateline NBC, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, 48 Hours, and more.

Reviews for These Few Precious Days

[jessicadelellis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am so fascinated by the Kennedys, especially JFK and Jackie, so naturally I just had to read this. I liked this book a lot but there were a few things I didn’t like. First of all, the title is misleading. This book is about the entirety of their relationship, not just their last year together. Another thing was that it was a bit too gossipy. It talked about JFK’s extramarital affairs a lot. Aside from these things, I did enjoy the inside look that this book provided. JFK and Jackie were truly one of a kind.

[knightlight777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read a lot of biographies as they are my favorites. I am always looking for glimpses of the character behind the figure we see in public or what is portrayed of them. The Kennedy's have usually been portrayed as our royal family by the press over the years, the perfect political family. This book by Christopher Andersen delivers on lifting the veil so to speak in getting to what made Jack and Jackie tick, primarily in their relationship and marriage.Andersen shows really both sides of their relationship not slanting it like much that has been written primarily on JFK. The good, the bad and the ugly are all shown in the book with no holds barred. John comes off as the enigma he always seemed to me. A man of political brilliance at times who seemingly was willing to risk it all driven by his sexual pathology. Jackie is shown for the person she really, was with the qualities and flaws on display, not the breathless Barbie we got through the press. Both partake in the drug injections that propelled them along as the super couple. And it really was Jackie who drove the immortal legacy from Camelot to the Eternal Flame in her devotion to the man, something she did not see much herself in the marriage.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very engaging and informative biography of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Despite the title, it is about much more than the final year of their marriage; instead the book gives detailed information about the entirety of the marriage and even their courtship years. In fact the title was very misleading all around, with it giving the impression that it might turn to sappy romance (I'm glad it didn't though). The book quickly removes any pretexts of that sort by beginning with a very detailed and gory description of the president's assassination and then moving on backwards from there. Early on in the book, the chronology is a bit all over the place (as it is sometimes throughout the book), but the narrative and pace flow smoothly so I think it works out well in the end. For the most part, the author avoids going too deeply into politics and spends a great deal of time looking at the personal lives of his subjects. I loved that the author used lots of source materials, quoting friends and family members often and even using direct quotes from the president and first lady when available. There were times where I felt like the author was perhaps overly glamorizing his subjects (especially Jackie), but he was also committed to showing them in their entirety, warts and all. For instance, before reading this book, I had no idea that both of the Kennedys were hopped up on amphetamines in order to have the energy to do whirlwind public appearances, state dinners, and etc. There were times when I began to detest Kennedy, such as when it was revealed that he had sex with a teenaged intern or went off on a cruise leaving behind his very pregnant wife. Other reveals were simply interesting random factoids, like how the president took a nap daily and changed his clothes six or so times a day. For this book, I listened to the audiobook version and was blown away by the reader's excellent work. He did a great job distinguishing between direct quotes and text, and had quite passable impressions of both Jack and Jackie Kennedy.

[briandrewz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book should have been named differently. In fact, precious few of those "Precious Days" are included. It is not about the final year, but different sequences from Jack and Jackie's marriage. I thought it seemed to dwell a little much on the affairs JFK had. Granted that it was a huge part of his life, I just feel that it has been done so much before. The book opens with JFK's assassination and ends with the events leading up to Dallas. Good for those looking for a non-political, brief overview of the Kennedy marriage.

[jessibud2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an interesting account, and I learned things I had not known about the Kennedys. Although his infidelities are no secret, it still rather astounds me that he was able not only to get away with so much but that she put up with all of it. I think that had technology been then what it is today, discretion would have been a lot more difficult to maintain. And perhaps the myth of Camelot would have been shattered (or not existed) a lot sooner. Overall, though, an interesting story

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an author who can write well, telling a balanced story. No holds barred, there is an in depth portrayal of both Jackie and Jack, the positive and the negative traits provide a well rounded portrait.The title is misleading. I thought the book would focus on the last days of their marriage. Instead, it is an overview of their marriage from beginning - ending. When all the glitter and glitch is laid bare, both were human beings; both were flawed, both were amazing.Jackie is portrayed is a strong, intelligent, classy lady. John is portrayed a president able to navigate the stormy, tempest tossed waters of the cuban missile crisis. Jackie played ignorance regarding his serial cheating, until clad in a very sheer ultra form fitting dress, Marilyn Monroe lustfully sang Happy Birthday Dear Pres i denttttt at Madison Square Garden. To obtain needed energy for their busy calendars, both took daily, frequent injections of a combination steroid and amphetamines. By today's standards, they would be classified as addicts.