WHITE HOUSE BY THE SEA

The latest book about one of America's most famous families presents a novel approach to a well-charted course.

Storey, senior features editor for Rolling Stone, creatively compiles the last century of Kennedy family history through the lens of their residence in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy in the 1920s. Part of the uniqueness of this book are the insights gleaned from personal interviews with—and subsequent descriptions of—heretofore unknown Hyannis Port neighbors (friendly and otherwise) and the social evolution of the small Cape Cod village that the family put on the world stage. The text is a treasure trove of interesting, amusing, and poignant stories and anecdotes of the dynamic, tightknit, and consequential clan, yet many have been told in countless books by Kennedy family members, Laurence Leamer, Barbara Leaming, and numerous other authors. As such, much of the content will be familiar ground for Kennedyphiles. Storey does well not to overlook the well-publicized and multigenerational foibles and flaws of the family, including Joseph parading his paramour, film superstar Gloria Swanson, around Hyannis Port; the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick and the subsequent attempts at damage control; and a revealing conversation that Rose had with a local friend about her husband's unilateral decision to lobotomize their eldest daughter, Rosemary. The author presents the family's many triumphs, heartbreaks, and attempts at redemption (particularly arranging Rosemary's return visits to Hyannis Port) matter-of-factly and mostly without judgment but with a decidedly soft focus. This is perhaps best illustrated in Storey's description of the circumstances surrounding Ted Kennedy's infamous interview with Roger Mudd conducted at Hyannis Port, during which he was unable to articulate exactly why he wanted to be president. Appropriately enough, the book makes for great beach reading, as breezy as the summer air off Nantucket Sound.

A light yet thoroughly researched book that will appeal to followers of the Kennedy family and celebrity culture.