Kick The True Story of Kick Kennedy JFK's Forgotten Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth

Kick : The True Story of Kick Kennedy, JFK's Forgotten Sister, and the Heir to Chatsworth
ISBN: 9780007548149
Publication Date: 1 March 2017

When Kathleen Kennedy sailed to England after her father had been appointed Ambassador to Great Britain in 1938, her wit, aloofness and sexual charisma at once became the source of endless fascination for the British public. 'Kick' became the star of the family and the press loved her, London magazine Queen headlining her as 'America's Most Important Debutante'. Her meeting at a summer garden party with a shy, tall, handsome man called 'Billy' who it transpired was the heir to the Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth, the most eligible bachelor in England, became first an intrigue and soon a scandal for the Kennedys.

She was Catholic and he an Anglican. But Kick had fallen in love with Billy, and with England.In 1944, they were married. In September Billy was killed in combat with the British Army. Widowed as Lady Hartington, Kathleen Kennedy remained in England after the loss of her husband until her own tragic death. In 'Kick', Paul Byrne tells the story of a woman who was more than simply the second sister of Jack, Bobby and Ted: a feisty and unique product of two countries, she was the force of personality the Kennedys rarely mentioned, a life long hidden from the legendary family history.

About the Author

Paula Byrne was born in Birkenhead and has a PhD from the University of Liverpool, where she is a Research Fellow in English Literature. Her first book, 'Jane Austen and the Theatre', was shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize. Her second book, 'Perdita', was a Richard and Judy bookclub pick. A regular contributor to the 'Times Literary Supplement', she lives in Warwickshire with her two young children and her husband, the critic and biographer Jonathan Bate.