What a great read! Sally Bedell Smith did a wonderful job researching and writing about one of America's greatest fascinations - the Kennedy family. There have been countless numbers of articles, essays and books written about the Kennedys, most of which discuss the family from a political point of view from the outside looking in. What Sally Bedell Smith does masterfully and uniquely is discuss the private world of the Kennedys and their closest friends from the inside looking out. Reading the book, I felt like I was a fly on the wall for the entire time the Kennedys lived at the White House. I got to share in the excitement, the ambition, the sorrow and the wantoness of the Kennedys and their friends. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.