Jackie and Maria

Starred review from May 1, 2020

This historical fiction novel explores the parallel lives of two women associated with Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Alternating between the voices of former first lady Jackie Kennedy and iconic soprano Maria Callas, the story covers the period of 1957 to 1977. Readers accompany Maria through a tempestuous yet passionate nine-year love affair with Onassis and witness Jackie's private relationship with John F. Kennedy before and during his presidency. Later, the complicated love triangle among Maria, Onassis, and Jackie is uncovered. This novel is an addictive pleasure, offering readers a front-row seat to an infamous rivalry and the opportunity to hobnob vicariously with the rich and famous. VERDICT Fans of historical fiction, those obsessed with the Camelot years, or readers who simply delight in a good story should reserve a copy. Despite taking some literary liberties, Paul (The Lost Daughter) presents a mostly accurate portrayal of real events through the fictional voices of Jackie and Maria. The captivating narrative paired with supplemental reading group questions paves the way for an instant book club favorite.--Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 29, 2020
Paul (The Lost Daughter) is at her best in this irresistible tale of the two complex and glamorous women closest to Greek billionaire Aristotle “Ari” Onassis. Opera diva Maria Callas began an affair with Onassis in 1958, which continued until 1968, the year former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Onassis. Paul chronicles major events in both women’s lives skillfully, whether it’s JFK’s assassination or Callas performing Aida at Italy’s legendary La Scala Opera House. Paul brings a humanizing touch to Jackie’s heartbreaks with JFK, including their stillborn daughter Arabella and their son Patrick, who lived two days after a premature birth in 1963, as well as to the story of Callas’s rumored son, Omero, named here by Ari after Homer, who dies shortly after his birth from lung failure (“She wanted to spend time with her little boy and memorize every inch of him before they took him away forever”). Paul shines in the small details about her larger-than-life characters, including the legendary soprano’s self-consciousness about her weight and subsequent dramatic weight loss, and Jacqueline Kennedy’s later life as a book editor. Paul’s pitch-perfect ear for dialogue, elegant prose, and sound plotting combine to create a sensational and spellbinding package.

July 1, 2020
Readers who can't get enough of the Kennedys will delight in this tale of the two famous women linked to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy and Maria Callas. Told in alternating chapters from each woman's perspective and beginning in the mid-1950s, Paul (Another Woman's Husband, 2018) traces famous soprano Callas' nine-year affair with Onassis, which led to the dissolution of both of their first marriages but never a wedding between them. Meanwhile, she also offers readers an intimate glimpse inside Jackie's occasionally strained marriage to John F. Kennedy, both before and during their years in the White House. The portrayal of Jackie's devastation in the wake of her husband's death is moving, as is the depiction of the further trauma she experiences after Bobby Kennedy's assassination five years later, circumstances which lead to her marriage to Onassis. While Paul takes a bit of artistic license, the book is well-researched and largely hews to historical fact. This portrait of two fascinating, glamorous women and the man who, arguably, deserved neither of them is emotional and addictive.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)