White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

* #1 Must-Read Book of the Summer by Town & Country * Most Anticipated Book of the Summer by Elle *

The intimate, multigenerational story of the Kennedy family as seen through their Hyannis Port compound on Cape Cod--the iconic place where they've celebrated, mourned, and forged the closest of bonds--based on more than a hundred in-depth interviews by a Rolling Stone editor whose pieces have appeared in such publications as Town & Country, Esquire, and Vanity Fair.

Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, is synonymous with the Kennedy family. It is where, for a hundred years, America's most storied political family has come to celebrate, bond, play, and, also, grieve. It is also the setting of so many events we remember: JFK giving his presidential acceptance speech, Jackie speaking with a Life magazine reporter just days after her husband's assassination, Senator Edward Kennedy seeking refuge after the Chappaquiddick crash, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger tying the knot--and even Conor Kennedy courting pop star Taylor Swift. Anyone who has lived in, worked at, or visited the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port has had a front-row view to history. Now, with extraordinary access to the Kennedy family--and featuring more than fifty rarely-seen images--journalist Kate Storey gives us a remarkably intimate and poignant look at the rhythms of an American dynasty.

Drawing from more than a hundred conversations with family members, friends, neighbors, household and security staff, Storey delivers a rich and textured account of the Kennedys' lives in their summer refuge. From the 1920s, when Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy rented then bought a home known as The Malcolm Cottage, to today, when many Kennedys have purchased their own homes surrounding what's now called The Big House, this book delivers many surprising revelations across the decades, including what matriarch Rose considered the family's greatest tragedy, the rivalrous relationship between brothers Jack and Joe, details about Jackie's life at the compound, and previously unknown glimpses into JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's loving and ill-fated relationship.

Fascinating, engaging, and illuminating, White House by the Sea provides a sweeping history of an American dynasty that has left an indelible mark on our nation's politics and culture.

Author: Kate Storey
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Published: 06/27/2023
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781982159184


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2023
Publishers Weekly 04/17/2023
Booklist 06/01/2023 pg. 25

About the Author
Kate Storey is the senior features editor at Rolling Stone. She was previously a staff writer at Esquire, where she covered culture and politics, and has written long-form profiles and narrative features for Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Town & Country, and other publications. She lives with her family in New Jersey.