The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher is a novel that couldn't have been a better selection for me. It is exactly the type of book I love.
I'm all about reading fictionalized biographies, and Maher's novel focuses on Kick Kennedy, the second oldest daughter of Joe and Rose Kennedy. I loved learning more about her and the glamorous life she led in England.
Although I know this is a work of fiction, I still felt like I was learning more about the Kennedys, one of my favorite families to read about. Maher transported me to England in the late 1930s and early 1940s as the country was busy fighting Hitler. The descriptions of that time truly made it feel real. I loved the name dropping of people from that time period that Kick got to know as she made a life for herself in England. And I loved seeing her relationships with her siblings, who I know from other memoirs and biographies.
Although it might seem unbelievable in today's world for a family to object so strongly to a relationship between a Protestant and a Catholic, in that time period, Kick dating a man who was not Catholic was definitely something to raise eyebrows. Her romance with Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire, is a great romance, yet because of religious differences, the two struggled to find a way to make their relationship work.
Learning about Kick in this novel made her seem much more real. I already knew about her tragic death at a young age, but I so appreciated knowing more about her and the years leading up to that.
Anyone who enjoys a good fictionalized biography, reading about the Kennedys, watching the Crown, or historical fiction should pick this book up.
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book for my review. All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.
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