The Summer I Met Jack

By Michelle Gable

Book Overview

" The Summer I Met Jack] offers an alternate Kennedy family history that will leave readers wondering whether America knew the real JFK at all." --Kirkus Reviews

A New York Times bestselling author imagines the affair between John F. Kennedy and Alicia Corning Clark--and the child they may have had.

Based on a real story--in 1950, a young, beautiful Polish refugee arrives in Hyannisport, Massachusetts to work as a maid for one of the wealthiest families in America. Alicia is at once dazzled by the large and charismatic family, in particular the oldest son, a rising politician named Jack.

Alicia and Jack are soon engaged, but his domineering father forbids the marriage. And so, Alicia trades Hyannisport for Hollywood, and eventually Rome. She dates famous actors and athletes and royalty, including Gary Cooper, Kirk Douglas, and Katharine Hepburn, all the while staying close with Jack. A decade after they meet, on the eve of Jack's inauguration as the thirty-fifth President of the United States, the two must confront what they mean to each other.

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable is based on the fascinating real life of Alicia Corning Clark, a woman who J. Edgar Hoover insisted was paid by the Kennedys to keep quiet, not only about her romance with Jack Kennedy, but also a baby they may have had together.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250103258
• ISBN13: 9781250103253
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Interesting Peek Behind the Kennedy Curtain

It is such a rare pleasure to read a book that is excellently edited—which is so unusual these days—allowing you to stay fully immersed in the story without distraction. This book was an interesting and refreshing departure from my regular WWII novels, and I learned so much about the Kennedys and that entire era in Hollywood. The main character, Alicia, was incredibly easy to root for from the start. The author takes her time with the narrative, and that was actually my favorite part of the story; Gable did not rush it at all. Yes, it is a long read, but it absolutely needed to be long to properly get Alicia's story out and give it the depth it deserved. While the ending makes perfect sense, it may not be exactly what you are expecting. As you close the book, you can't help but reflect on the heavy price to be paid for our choices, as well as the quiet inevitability of growing old—if we are blessed to have the opportunity. Read it! You won't be disappointed.