Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss

I just finished this book and have tears in my eyes. Many of the feelings and observations RoseMarie has after the tragic deaths of John Jr. and Carolyn as well as Carolyn’s beloved sister, Lauren, are gut wrenching and unforgettable. Anyone who has experienced this level of grief will know exactly what she is talking about. They are intense and genuine and create a strong longing to have John Jr. and Carolyn back in the world again. I remember learning how to spell the word “berserk” as a kid because it was on a magazine cover he was on. He was ribboned throughout American culture. Always in some grainy footage as a child or plastered like wallpaper as an adult. I savored this book and slowly read it over several weeks because I knew how it ended and wanted to be ready when I got to that point. Like the sudden loss of a loved one, there’s nothing I could do to prepare myself for it. I was 15 when John’s plane crashed. I remember being a silly teen girl and wanting this handsome stranger to find a way for he and his beautiful lightning flash of wife and her sister to survive. There had to be a way. They’re somewhere on driftwood. The night wasn’t that dark. They had to survive. I didn’t participate in the outpouring of grief or doing that fanciful thing where when a celebrity dies, we pretend we loved them more than whoever we are talking to. Life went on. I quietly stayed curious continuing to read books on them and that is what led me to this one. Ms. Terenzio spent the first half of the novel holding back, spending a lot of time on the casual day to day banter and office shenanigans, all this while buried beneath the mounting ache. There were a lot of details in the beginning that I wouldn’t call necessary, but someone else might. I would never presume to know what she thought was trivial and what was essential. She wanted us to have a lot of context and background to work with and I appreciated it. In fact, many times while reading, I’d stop and look up the restaurants she wrote about to see if they were still standing. It gave me an opportunity to reminisce of the 90s and the glittery stomp of life before social media. The only criticism I have is that I wish that there had been more about RoseMarie’s life after his death. She skipped over 9/11 and life in New York City without John and Carolyn being hounded totems. What it was like to go on without them was rushed at times. She produced a play and there was only a page or two on the enormous achievement. There other parcels of information that could have been important, as well. Once she took the bandage off, her writing and expression elevated. Her emotions became more concrete and the rustlings of a comeback were clearer by the page. Her life after John is equally as important as her life before him and it would have been interesting to know more about her struggles breaking through, establishing herself, and re-establishing her loyalty to new people. As she said, nobody wanted to be the guy who came after John. Eventually someone did. Who was that person and why? What about them made them choose her to represent them? Was it because of her incredible skill at anticipating the needs of and protecting two of the most hunted people on the planet? I know that the book is about John Jr. & Carolyn during the last five years of his life and not necessarily about RoseMarie without them, but RoseMarie alone is worth her weight in gold. Other than that suggestion, I have no criticisms. John and Carolyn would be proud of her. She has continued to protect and celebrate their legacy. They’re still out there somewhere. Carolyn is still the immaculate and bright It Girl of every world while John is still the goofball prince downplaying how extraordinary his story really is.

John F. Kennedy Jr. had an extraordinary life. One that was forever in the public eye, until it was tragically cut short by a plane accident in the waters off Martha's Vineyard in July 1999. Leading up to that fateful day, there was much speculation about his marriage to Carolyn Bessette, whom was also lost on that flight, along with her sister, Lauren. And whether the magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr., 'George', would survive the brutally competitive magazine industry. It took more than 12 years for John and Carolyn's closest confidant and friend to write a book about their fairy tale, that was so heartbreakingly interrupted. 'Fairy Tale Interrupted' is a memoir by RoseMarie Terenzio, who first met John F. Kennedy Jr. when she was working at a boutique PR agency in New York City. Mr Kennedy started making frequent visits to meet her boss, secretly plotting a new venture. It wasn't long before John moved into their offices that the two of them struck up a mutually respectful and trusting relationship. The blue-collar girl from the Bronx was ultimately offered the role of assistant to John who became the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the new socio-political magazine named after the first President of the United States, George Washington. Ms Terenzio paints an intimate portrait of her relationship with not only John, but his wife, Carolyn Bessette. How they all became close friends and how often-times, RoseMarie acted as a go-between for the couple. Organizing appointments, arranging travel, and being the steadfast gatekeeper they both needed to cope with the demands of their professional and personal lives. Contrary to media reports circulating at the time, especially after John and Carolyn were secretly wed in Georgia, the author describes Carolyn as a loving, caring and protective woman, who not only doted on John but also supported, inspired and confided in RoseMarie. It's true this so-called 'royal couple' had arguments and fights; they were largely about the harsh public life Carolyn had to endure, which John had learned in his life to just shrug off and take in his stride. A revelation in the book is how brutal the paparazzi were toward Carolyn. Suggesting she wasn't good enough for John F. Kennedy Jr. and often calling out curse words and names at her, just to get a reaction. The kind of behavior and attention Carolyn struggled with. In the book, RoseMarie, explains that Carolyn was "exhausted" and didn't want to go to Hyannis to attend a family wedding with John. He desperately wanted her to be there, and solicited help from RoseMarie to talk Carolyn into making the trip. Now, in hindsight, the author regrets she had succeeded in convincing Carolyn to go on that fateful flight. It was RoseMarie who was staying at their New York City apartment that weekend John's plane disappeared. She writes of how she first learned of the missing couple late that Friday night. A moving, memorable account of suspended disbelief and denial. They must have changed plans, the worst couldn't possibly be happening. Asked why it took so long to write this book, RoseMarie explained although she had earlier been approached to tell her story, she wanted more time to pass. To write about 'her' fairy tale interrupted, to be true to John and Carolyn, and not write the kind of scandalous story that was expected at the time. Reading through 'Fairy Tale Interrupted', I often thought of the tribute given by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, John's uncle, at the Church of St. Thomas More in New York City, July 23, 1999. Senator Kennedy said that John had "found his shining star when he married Carolyn Bessette." "His beautiful young wife -- the new pride of the Kennedys -- would cheer for John's team and delight her nieces and nephews with her somersaults." "We dared to think, in that other Irish phrase, that this John Kennedy would live to comb gray hair, with his beloved Carolyn by his side. But like his father, he had every gift but length of years." Like a true friend, RoseMarie Terenzio, in writing this book, has lived up to her responsibility of protecting a legacy and enlightening us. This book is one that would have made both John and Carolyn proud. At times funny, loving, fascinating. But also, deeply moving and heart breaking.

I felt compelled to write this review given that I am also an Executive Assistant, working in London, UK albeit not quite on the same levels as RoseMarie. I absolutely loved this book and felt it to be a fascinating insight into not just RoseMarie's working life but also her upbringing as well, rising from the Bronx to working for the equivalent of America's Royal Family which is certainly how we saw the Kennedy's in the UK is no mean feat and is a result of her determination and hard work and is an inspiration to us all. So often EAs/PAs get accused of having affairs with our bosses because of the closeness of our working relationships but for the vast majority of us that is simply not the case. It is the most intense working relationship within any working environment and it has to be that way in order for us to do our jobs successfully. It is also a huge honour to be trusted at this level with someone's personal and professional lives and know that with the success our bosses enjoy that we have played a huge part in making that happen. Would George have got off the ground in the way it did without RoseMarie? It is very clear throughout this book how much JFK Jnr valued RoseMarie and also Carloyn as well. This is a huge compliment to any EA to be trusted at this level. Being an EA (if you get the right boss) is one of the most rewarding roles you can undertake. I chuckled to myself when RoseMarie had to put JFK Jnr in his place from time to time or took him to task over certain matters - that is part of the role but tough for any PA to be able to do that to someone like him but it is clear that it is exactly what he needed from her and actually really liked. If you are not tough in this role you will get eaten alive - the gatekeeping part we can all relate to and every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to get a meeting in or your boss to attend an event and RoseMarie had plenty of that to deal with. Now put yourself into her position when you hear the news that the people you are working for have tragically died? I can tell you now that for any EA this would be abosolutely devestating beyond belief (unless you have a bully boss). I know a few PAs here in the UK this has happened to and one was off work for a year grieving and in therapy. People forget about the aftermath for us when something like this happens and mutiply that by 10 times for RoseMarie with the press to deal with to boot. I absolutely commend her for the way she dealt with things and came through an even stronger woman that she already was. Thank you to RoseMarie for sharing more information on what JFK Jnr and Carolyn were like as people, it was so interesting to learn more about them as actual human beings. Their lives were intruded on so much, can you imagine if that had happened now with high profile figures not being able to go literally anywhere or do anything with it ending up on Twitter or Facebook. I know as their EA you will be the person that knew them the best so this book will be accurate believe me..

This book is an excellent read, very well written and super interesting. It’s filled with information that has not previously been available to the public. Rose Marie fills this book with thoughtful remarks and personal messages that JFK Jr. wrote to her.

Ms Terenzio writes from the heart and you can feel it. Honest, sincere; a lovely tribute to two beautiful souls.

Der die Kennedys liebt, wird auch dieses Buch lieben. Die Autorin war die persönliche Assistentin von John jr. Kennedy und beschreibt ihren weg dorthin und wie ihr Alltag mit John und dessen Frau verlief bis zu deren tragischen Unfalltod. Es werden auch einige tränen beim lesen vergossen werden. Obwohl auf Englisch ist das Buch sehr verständlich geschrieben für einen nicht Native Speaker.

Ich fand es sehr spannend, mal eine andere Sichtweise auf Menschen wie JFK jr. und seine Frau zu bekommen und zwar von jemanden, der unmittelbar und täglich mit ihnen zusammen war. Interessant war auch, dass die perfekt erscheinende Welt meist nicht perfekt ist. Insgesamt ein interessantes und gut geschriebenes Buch.