Mah’s exemplary mix of literary and journalistic skills pays off in this extensively researched novel about the woman who became America’s most iconic and enigmatic first lady.
Mah entrances with her descriptions of France, its food, and its scenery. Jacqueline’s awakening and understanding of the political world around her adds depth to this novel, taking it beyond the romance between Jacqueline and Marquand. The novel is also rich with historic detail, but the author does conflate several living people into composite characters; she notes where this was done ... Readers, especially those fascinated by all things Kennedy, will enjoy.
... delightful and surprisingly insightful ... Making good use of historical and biographical details, but not strictly bound by them, Mah follows her heroine from the ocean-liner journey ... Mah convincingly depicts this year as a pivotal one in Bouvier's life, both a sentimental and a political education ... Mah, who clearly loves Paris and all the details of French living, affectionately and precisely captures life in the post–World War II city, with many deprivations but a spirit of hope. Her Jacqueline—bright, observant, and a little naïve—is an engaging and believable character, and it's easy to imagine how her experiences during this year will shape her future life. While Jackie runs into people the reader will recognize, Mah doesn't overstate their importance in her life ... Staying within the consciousness of Jacqueline as she is at this point, Mah smoothly walks the line between biography and fiction ... Fans of the former first lady and Paris should be beguiled.
Although Jacqueline in Paris is a novel of historical fiction, it is so well researched and richly detailed it could easily be mistaken for a work of non-fiction ... A must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.
... sumptuous ... Mah brings insight and vivid details to young Jacqueline Bouvier’s adventurous spirit. Historical fiction fans will be drawn like moths to a flame.
Though Mah mainly remains true to the historical timeline, she adds intrigue and fizzy romance with a speculative connection to a young American writer, Jack Marquand ... The novel’s narration is intimate, full of layered interiority about Jacqueline’s loneliness, her changing understanding of the world and her possible place within it. If Mah’s Jacqueline sometimes feels a little too perfect—sensitive to everyone around her, to Paris’ beauty and class details, and a little too witty for a 20-year-old—it’s a small quibble. The older Jackie’s narration also helps to make the younger more believable ... beautifully evokes postwar Paris. The details are exquisite (for instance, the lacy appearance of thinly sliced roast beef that’s been spoiled by worms), and Mah’s writing shines in its close attention to place and sensory details. In bringing Jacqueline Bouvier’s transformative Paris interlude to the page, Mah offers readers a lovely, immersive visit to a vanished city.
