Product Description

A poignant portrait of a woman who lived a jealous rivalry with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a sister who was a legend--and never quite became one herself--reveals patterns of sibling competition formed in childhood that influenced her entire life. 50,000 first printing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #277229 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Lee Bouvier Radziwill's lifelong rivalry with her older sister, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was intrinsic to each woman's identity and fueled their individuality, according to this perceptive, unauthorized biography. New York-based freelance journalist DuBois portrays Radziwill as a desperately insecure, manipulative yet vulnerable woman whose descent into alcoholism multiplied her woes and left her children, Anthony and Tina, adrift and forlorn. Her recovery was assisted by third husband Herbert Ross, the Hollywood director, whom she wed in 1988 after two unhappy marriages-first to drunken homebody Michael Canfield, adopted son of publisher Cass Canfield, and next to Polish emigre prince Stanislas Radziwill, a London real estate mogul with whom, she belatedly discovered, she had little in common. DuBois traces her subject's insecurity to her divorcing parents-the alcoholic, philandering Wall Street stockbroker John Bouvier III and the ambitious, dominant Janet Norton Lee-who used their daughters as instruments of revenge in a bitter, ongoing feud. DuBois nicely sets Lee Radziwill's social whirl with Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote and Diana Vreeland against a disconcerting portrait of a "soul of bluff and illusion." Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Overshadowed
If Lee Radziwell is ever referred to, it is usually in minor passages in Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis biographies; a minor character in the overblown legend of the Kennedy dynasty. Yet "In Her Sister's Shadow" offers a new view of Lee Radziwell and the parallels to her more famous sister.

The book covers Lee Radziwell's three marriages, two children, and multiple careers ranging from an author to an interior decorator to an actress. It also covers the unspoken rivalry between her and Jacqueline Kennedy. Though Lee was often considered the prettier and more interesting of the two, her sister became an internationally beloved figure. Lee's quest for happiness, glamour and fame is the central focus of this biography.

Upon finishing this book, it is easy to see parallels between Jackie and Lee: both married powerful men, both were reputed to be difficult to get along with, both thrived in glamour and fashionable circles. Yet Lee often seems to be the more interesting of the two, simply because she did not have the "Camelot" myth and the Kennedy aura paving her way. She stumbled and fell more often than Jackie, and her repeated attempts to pick herself up make her a more real and interesting person.

The writing style is somewhat gossipy, though not as explicit as is usual in Kennedy-related biographies. When love affairs and marriages are referred to, the references are usually tasteful and discreet, except for the description of an obscene art exhibit made by Truman Capone. The photos are excellent, displaying Lee in a variety of places and settings and in the different stages of her life, as well as ones of her children and ex-husbands.

Overall this is an intriguing read about an interesting woman who has been overshadowed for years by her sister. While readers may not truly like Lee when they are finished, it is difficult not to admire her.

How much is really true?
I have read several biographies on Jacqueline Kennedy and I was intrigued when I heard that one had been written about her sister, Lee. I read this book and enjoyed the gossipy details about the 1960s jet set and Camelot. However, this biography begins with Lee's first visit to AA in 1981 but never mentions her drinking again until more than halfway through. Then there's a brief chapter about her problem drinking and then it's dropped again. It just seemed to me that the author used the AA story line to snag the reader when that was unnecessary. Ms. Radziwill had/has a fascinating,privileged life. That is reason enough to read the book. Some of the stories were so bitchy that one must discount them at least partially. But there's enough there which rings with truth to keep you entertained.

Shattering Image of the Camelot Years
Very disturbing and scandalous book on the life of Princess Lee Radziwill (sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) will leave many wondering what went wrong in her life. From her childhood years in New York to the present day, Diana Dubois paints an unflattering picture of the second most famous Bouvier sister. With the resecent death of her son Anthony (he passed away from cancer only two weeks shortly after the death of his beloved cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash) the lives of Lee and Jackie are eerily similar. Married to powerful men, considered regal in social circles, each had a son and a daughter, etc.. Lee's life as a primadonna will leave many with negative thoughts for years to come. If you are into sensationalism, this book is for you.