Fairy Tale Interrupted (RoseMarie Terenzio)

My sister suckered me into another JFK Jr. book. And I liked it. The first one, What Remains, was a lovely read by Carole Radziwill, the wife of John Junior’s cousin. While John isn’t the primary player in that memoir, RoseMarie Terenzio’s Fairy Tale Interrupted is unquestionably John-centric. Terenzio was John F. Kennedy Jr.’s personal assistant and was therefore privy to practically every detail of his life. And she shares a lot of that detail. Her stories are neither all-out scandalous nor across-the-board flattering. Instead, she describes John as someone both good and bad like most every man, but simultaneously so overtly unlike any other man. Overall, he comes off favorably, as someone who, despite his birthrights of extreme pressure and privilege, remained publically loved and privately liked.

Terenzio tosses in some tidbits on her own life too - family and friends, successes and failures, her struggle to be taken seriously - much of which is moderately interesting. But it’s not the reason you’ll read this book.

Map of JFK Jr.'s crash site (from jfkjr.com)

Although Fairy Tale Interrupted lacks the linguistic grace of What Remains, the writing quality isn’t horrible. Maybe Terenzio penned it herself, but it has a ghost-written vibe. No matter. If you want JFK Jr. stories more than pretty words, this book is for you. Terenzio dishes. She describes her awkward introduction to John and the development of their gibing relationship. She discusses his parentage over George magazine, his maneuvering for its legendary covers, and the personal burden he bore over its financial and popular struggles. She talks about John’s charm, his temper, his ditziness, his stalkers, his mountains of crazy mail...about Carolyn Bessette’s big heart and calming influence...about the ups and downs of their courtship, the top-secret wedding planning, and their often angst-ridden marriage...about their insatiable smoking habit, their high-fashion circle, and the intense pressure of the paparazzi, to which John was accustomed, but which drove Carolyn to tears and stole her natural joy.

Of course, Terenzio also tells the story of John and Carolyn’s deaths, and her perspective as both intimate friend and critical employee means that you’ll get the kind of detail you simply can’t find elsewhere. From her, you’ll learn the unsettling personal events immediately preceding their fated flight. You’ll better understand how the sudden loss handicapped George’s PR, provoked the media’s worst instincts, and roused the public’s best sentiments. But you’ll also see the up-close-and-personal side - how their deaths debilitated RoseMarie, as her entire raison d’etre was gone.

RoseMarie Terenzio

While you’ll never find Fairy Tale Interrupted listed in a roster of the literary greats, it is an impressive chronicle of John F. Kennedy Junior insider information. You’ll be humored and touched by Terenzio’s simple, heartfelt remembrances of one of the world’s most iconic men.

Check it out on Amazon!