"Jackie" by Dawn Tripp. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a novel. I couldn't wait to finish it obviously not because I didn't know what was going to happen but because I did. It was so beautifully written yet so many times tough to read. The magnificence of Jackie and Jack's minds, their banter, their knowledge was awe inspiring. I wanted to finish because I just couldn't "take" anymore and then I didn't want it to ever end.

But they keep running into each other at dinner parties. She is drawn to his intelligence, his humor, his drive. He pursues her, disappears, pursues her again.

She breaks off her engagement to stockbroker Johnny Husted to be with him.

*1953-1963 - The Marriage:*

They marry in 1953 as he runs for Senate. The early years are lonely. She sees him leave a party with a woman in a silver dress - and realizes everyone else has noticed his infidelities too. They lose two children, which almost breaks them.

During the White House years - the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race - while Jack is dealing with history, Jackie is trying to keep their complicated love alive. Tripp shows how the love between two very independent people actually deepens in the White House.

*After Dallas:*

The book doesn't stop at the assassination. This is what makes it different.