Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;To everyone else, andlt;/Bandgt;John F. Kennedy Jr. may have been American royalty, but to RoseMarie Terenzio he was an entitled nuisanceand#8212;and she wasnand#8217;t afraid to let him know it. RoseMarie was his personal assistant, his publicist, and one of his closest confidantes during the last five years of his life. In this, her first memoir, she bravely recounts her own andlt;Iandgt;Fairy Tale Interruptedandlt;/Iandgt;, describing the unlikely friendship between a blue-collar girl from the Bronx and John F. Kennedy Jr. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Funny, moving, and fresh, her memoir is a unique account by the woman who was with him through dating, politics, the paparazzi, and his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. Her street smarts, paired with her loyalty, candor, and relentless work ethic, made her the trusted insider to Americaand#8217;s most famous man. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;After John and Carolynand#8217;s tragic, untimely deaths on July 16, 1999, RoseMarieand#8217;s whole world came crashing down around her, along with her hopes for the future. Only now does she feel she can tell her story in a book that is at once a moving tribute and a very real picture of her friend and employer. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Many books have sought to capture John F. Kennedy Jr.and#8217;s life. None has been as intimate or as honest as andlt;Iandgt;Fairy Tale Interruptedandlt;/Iandgt;, a true portrait of the man behind the iconand#8212;patient, protective, surprisingly goofy, occasionally thoughtless and self-involved, yet capable of extraordinary generosity and kindness. She reveals what John really had in mind for his political future, how he handled media attention, and the reality of life behind the scenes at andlt;Iandgt;George andlt;/Iandgt;magazine. She also shares how she dealt with the ultra-secretive planning of John and Carolynand#8217;s wedding on Cumberland Islandand#8212;and the heartbreak of their deaths. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Fairy Tale Interrupted andlt;/Iandgt;is a deeply loving story and a fascinating adventure, filled with warmth, humor, insight, and five yearsand#8217; worth of unforgettable memories.
Review
“A window into the time a president’s son tried to make it in New York publishing, in the final giddy years before the Internet changed everything.”
—The Washington Post
“Terenzio doesn’t dwell any longer than necessary on Kennedy’s death . . . but she was in his apartment that night and has a story to tell.”
—The Boston Globe
“Amazing revelations. . . . Working Girl meets What Remains in this behind-the-scenes story.”
—Good Reads
“No one is better at observing the affairs of a magazine than the boss’s assistant: with sprezzatura to spare, Terenzio delivers tantalizing accounts of staff cattiness and celebrity dealings. . . . A case study of the fascinating relationship between the often unsentimental executive who requests the impossible and the loyal, fiercely protective assistant.”
—Macleans
“Candid. . . . Terenzio deftly reconstructs the wonderfully addictive yet strange and high-pressure world in which she worked. . . . She chronicles her time with Kennedy within the glorious but often brutal bubble that encircled his world, and what he taught her about living.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A memoir of the late nineties, and an era gone by. . . . A suitably emotional ending, an up-close-and-personal account.”
—Celebrity Books
“Fairy Tale Interrupted joins a long list of books about one of America’s most tragic families. It’s probably one of the most personal and heartfelt narratives. . . . It makes Kennedy more human and shows a lovable side that should be regarded as sweet tribute to his memory.”
—Austin American-Statesman
Review
“Captivating … told with style and grace.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
RoseMarie Terenzio, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s dear friend for the five years before his tragic, untimely death, tells her story in FAIRYTALE INTERRUPTED.
Synopsis
Working Girl meets
What Remains, this is the behind-the-scenes story of an unlikely friendship between Americas favorite First Son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his personal assistant, a blue-collar girl from the Bronx.
The Kennedys have captured the American imagination for fifty years, and the publics enduring fascination with Camelot continues to this day. Now, former personal assistant and dear friend of JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, RoseMarie Terenzio has waited for more than a decade to share her unique, intimate, and extraordinary perspective of life behind the Kennedy curtain.
Upon first meeting, RoseMarie was not immediately impressed with JFK, Jr. In an awkward yet comedic encounter, she walked into her office to find that John had begun dismissively boxing up her personal belongings and moving them to a smaller office, including her prized, autographed Howard Stern photo. As she gave him a piece of her mind, people stood around gaping that she would dare speak to JFK, Jr. that way. But John loved her moxie and eventually asked her to become his personal assistant and publicist—and years later she would become one of his closest confidantes, as well as Carolyns. For five years RoseMarie witnessed Johns dating, politics, his marriage to Carolyn, and his untimely death. In her memoir, she blends her own story of a young woman who rose from an embattled childhood to follow her dream with amazing revelations about the man who has been the subject of unparalleled attention, sensationalism, adoration, and speculation. Offering readers a rare access to the epicenter of American royalty, this funny, moving, and truthful work is a breath of fresh air in the legacy of writing about the Kennedys.
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About the Author
andlt;bandgt;RoseMarie Terenzioandlt;/bandgt; was born in the Bronx and served as personal assistant, publicist, and confidanteandnbsp;to John F. Kennedy, Jr.