It’s a love story
By now, you know the story. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette premiered in February, and within days it had become something rarer than a hit: a cultural event. The nine-part series charts the relationship between America’s prince, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, the Connecticut-raised Calvin Klein publicist. The sweeping drama delves into the electric chemistry, whirlwind courtship and headline-making relationship of two of the 20th century’s most mesmerising figures, and it has left everyone wanting more.
If you’d like to relive the moments seen on-screen, here are six books that give off the same premise as Love Story.
Here are six books to read if you liked Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story”:
Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
Elizabeth Beller
Start strong with the book that inspired Ryan Murphy to create Love Story itself. In this sublime biography, Elizabeth Beller details the life and legacy of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. With exclusive interviews and in-depth research, the book reveals the enigmatic figure who was plagued by misogyny, harassment and cruelty by the media.
Meant To Be
Emily Griffin
Loosely based on Carolyn and JFK’s love story, Meant to Be follows the Kingsley family and their golden boy, Joseph S. Kingsley III, who inherits American royalty after his father’s death. Reckless and unexpected, he finds it difficult to manage the expectations, and it gets even worse when he meets famous model Cate. When their relationship becomes public, the spotlight leaves them questioning whether love is enough.
Cruel Summer
C.W. Fansworth
Cruel Summer follows Wren Kensington—the youngest member of a wealthy family—who gets into a brief summer fling with Sawyer Bennett, a charming, local boy in the Hamptons. With a stark difference in their social class, the fling goes awry, especially when it crosses the continent. Safeguarding their hearts, they develop a push-and-pull relationship until love gets in the way and they must decide on what matters most in their life.
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Set against the backdrop of American aristocracy, The Great Gatsby is, at its core, a love story disguised as a cautionary tale. A classic literature about greed, love and high society, the book follows Jay Gatsby, a mysteriously wealthy businessman, who sets out on a mission to achieve his dream woman and the love of his life, the socialite Daisy Buchanan. Briefly, it is everything, until it isn’t. Daisy becomes unattainable, forever belonging in a world that he can never enter, and a world she will never leave for someone like him.
The Age of Innocence
Edith Wharton
Suffocated by industry, fame and expectation, Newland Archer marries May Welland—a perfect equal of mind, manners and class. But, when Countess Olenska enters the picture Newland Archer starts shifting his eyes, excited to explore the world outside of his duties and comfort with Ellen.
What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love
Carole Radziwill
In this biography, an award-winning television producer traces her life when she earned her way into a gilded world, only to watch it dissolve in a blink of an eye. The book details her marriage to Anthony Radziwill, JFK’s nephew, her work as a journalist and her devastation at the deaths of JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, and her husband’s struggle with terminal cancer throughout their short marriage.
