From Library Journal
While one might question the need for yet another book about John F. Kennedy's love life, readers of this slim memoir probably won't doubt Von Post's genuine feelings for the late president, who seems to have been the great love of her life. They may, however, doubt her wisdom in deciding, upon the death of Jacqueline Onassis, that the time had come to tell her story. This tale of love at first sight, when the then (engaged) senator from Massachusetts met a young Gunilla on the Riviera, adds little to our knowledge of John Kennedy and, even at a mere 160 pages, seems padded. Their brief relationship could have been discussed in a magazine article. Still, given the seemingly insatiable public interest in the Kennedys, most public libraries can expect a demand for this title.
-?Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-?Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
It's hard to imagine what possessed von Post, a "Swedish aristocrat," to write this memoir, and it's even more difficult to figure out how it managed to get published. Von Post met Jack Kennedy in 1953; she saw him a total of three times (only during the second visit were they actually together for any length of time); and he wrote letters to her and called her once in a while. Von Post wants us to believe that Kennedy was willing to throw over Jackie for her, but Papa Joe nixed the plan. She also wants to set the record straight about Jack's performance in bed. He was not a Slam-bam, Thank-you Ma'am kind of guy like we've been led to believe but, rather, was a sweet and tender lover--albeit one with a lot of back pain. Since von Post didn't see Kennedy all that much, she's forced to come up with something to fill out even this brief book, and that something turns out to be a description of her family and life in Sweden in the 1950s. Yawn. Von Post has been booked to appear on 20/20, and an author tour is planned, all of which may generate requests for her so-called book. But buy cautiously because von Post's name will be forgotten about two weeks after the media blitz ends. Ilene Cooper
