Random Things Tours: Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

 

Set in the post-war Paris, between 1949 and 1950, Jacqueline in Paris by food and travel writer Ann Mah is a work of historical fiction inspired by the year spent by the future Jackie Kennedy as student at Vassar College. 

Mixing biographical details with a lot of fiction, the book develops the universal fascination with Jackie, an educated stylish lady with a genuine view over the world. I remember visiting an exhibition in Washington DC a couple of years ago, of private photographies of she and JFK. With television and photography becoming an affordable tool to transmit information, the images of the young presidential couple was aimed to project a different view on statemanship. The fact that Jackie was at the intersection of feminity with intelligence, aimed at assuming an active role as the first lady, opened the doors for many of other first ladies since.

In Jacqueline in Paris though, she is a fresh student, a lady to be, with a complex family background and her dreams of her own. She may seem sometimes naive but somehow it resonates with her image reflected in some local yellow media or further representations in movies among others. But this is the kind of lovely naivety which makes her character relatable.

I also appreciated how she is presented in her time sequence, without any additional projection of what and who she will become. As for now, she is just an American in Paris - ´the best of Americans´, and I can only agree with that - a girl spending a formative year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Thus, it explores universal topics about loneliness, the challenges of moving abroad, building one own destiny against all family and social pressures.

Jacqueline in Paris is a good example of historical fiction set in the post-war Europe. The dialogues are captivating and alternating with the ambiance descriptions. I may not have a clear opinion about Jackie, but reading it made me think a bit more about her as a woman, before being a statewoman. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own