J. Randy Taraborrelli has 8 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 12 ratings. The most-rated is Jackie, Janet & Lee.
The Hiltons
Summary
The Hiltons is a sweeping saga of the success - and excess - of an iconic American family. Demanding and enigmatic, patriarch Conrad Hilton's visionary ideas and unyielding will established the model for the modern luxury hotel industry. But outside the boardroom, Conrad struggled with emotional detachment, failed marriages, and conflicted Catholicism. Then there were his children: Playboy Nicky Hilton's tragic alcoholism and marriage to Elizabeth Taylor was the stuff of tabloid legend. Barron Hilton, on the other hand, deftly handled his father's legacy, carrying the Hilton brand triumphantly into the new millennium. Eric, raised apart from his older brothers, accepted his supporting role in the Hilton dynasty with calm and quiet - a stark contrast to the boys' much younger half-sister Francesca, whose battle for recognition led her into courtrooms and conflict. The cast of supporting players includes the inimitable Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married to Conrad briefly and remained a thorn in his side for decades, and a host of other Hollywood and business luminaries with whom the Hiltons crossed paths and swords over the years. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2014 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2014 Hachette Audio
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
Summary
From New York Times best-selling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes the definitive biography of the most enduring icon in popular American culture. When Marilyn Monroe became famous in the 1950s, the world was told that her mother was either dead or simply not a part of her life. However, that was not true. In fact, her mentally ill mother was very much present in Marilyn's world, and the complex family dynamic that unfolded behind the scenes is a story that has never before been told...until now. In this groundbreaking book, Taraborrelli draws complex and sympathetic portraits of the women so influential in the actress' life, including her mother, her foster mother, and her legal guardian. He also reveals, for the first time, the shocking scope of Marilyn's own mental illness, the identity of Marilyn's father and the half-brother she never knew, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedy's - Bobby, Jack, and Pat Kennedy Lawford. Explosive, revelatory, and surprisingly moving, this is the final word on the life of one of the most fascinating and elusive icons of the 20th century.
©2009 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2009 Hachette
Jackie, Janet & Lee
Summary
A dazzling audiobook biography of three of the most glamorous women of the 20th century: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis; her mother, Janet Lee Auchincloss; and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill. "Do you know what the secret to happily ever after is?" Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters, Jackie and Lee, during their tea time. "Money and Power," she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother's footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite "Black Jack" Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss. Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy Jr., and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world-renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with both of Jackie's husbands in addition to her own three marriages - to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince, and a Hollywood director. If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style, and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother. Jackie, Janet & Lee will drop listeners directly into the gilded, tangled web of secrets surrounding one of the most recognizable families in American history.
©2018 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2018 Macmillan Audio
After Camelot
Summary
For more than half a century, Americans have been captivated by the Kennedys - their joy and heartbreak, tragedy and triumph, the dark side and the remarkable achievements. In this ambitious and sweeping account, Taraborrelli continues the family chronicle begun with his best-selling Jackie, Ethel, Joan and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the years "after Camelot." He describes the challenges Bobby's children faced as they grew into adulthood; Eunice and Sargent Shriver's remarkable philanthropic work; the emotional turmoil Jackie faced after JFK's murder and the complexities of her eventual marriage to Aristotle Onassis; the sudden death of JFK JR; and the stoicism and grace of his sister Caroline. He also brings into clear focus the complex and intriguing story of Edward "Teddy" and shows how he influenced the sensibilities of the next generation and challenged them to uphold the Kennedy name. Based on extensive research, including hundreds of exclusive interviews, After Camelot captures the wealth, glamour, and fortitude for which the Kennedys are so well known. With this book, J. Randy Taraborrelli takes readers on an epic journey as he unfolds the ongoing saga of the nation's most famous - and controversial - family.
©2012 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2012 Hachette Audio
Sinatra
Summary
In 1997, Taraborrelli's best-selling Sinatra: Behind the Legend captivated audiences with a never-before-seen look at the life of an icon through six years of research and over 425 interviews with associates, friends, and lovers. Now Taraborrelli is back with a completely new and updated lens. Fans of Sinatra - old and new - will be able to delve into the private life and controversy of a musician whose career spans decades. From show business, struggles with depression, and his many romances to attaining the American dream, Sinatra's story delivers a captivating and humanizing portrait of the legend for a new age. Taraborrelli is known for capturing and penning the untold stories of icons such as the Hiltons, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Diana Ross, and the Kennedys. He has written a pause-resisting biography of an extremely talented, sometimes troubled, always fascinating man: the one and only Frank Sinatra.
©2015 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2015 Hachette Audio
The Kennedy Heirs
Summary
From New York Times best-selling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes The Kennedy Heirs, his most revealing Kennedy audiobook yet. A unique burden was inherited by the children of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his celebrated siblings, Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Raised in a world of enormous privilege against the backdrop of American history, this third generation of Kennedys often veered between towering accomplishment and devastating defeat. In his revelatory new audiobook, acclaimed Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli draws back the curtain on the next generation of America’s most famous family. John Kennedy, Jr.’s life in the public eye is explored, following the Kennedy scion as he faced the challenges posed by marrying his great love, Carolyn Bessette. Riveting new details are shared about the couple’s tragic demise - and why Ethel Kennedy advised Carolyn not to take the trip that would ultimately end her life. John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, had her own complicated relationships, including a marriage to Ed Schlossberg that surprised her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and an unexpected bond with her mother-in-law, Mae Schlossberg. Additional stories, many shared here for the first time, illuminate the rest of the Kennedy dynasty: Kara Kennedy, Ted’s daughter, and her valiant battle against lung cancer; how Ted’s wife, Vicki, introduced a new era of feminism to the Kennedy family; the lifelong struggles with addiction faced by Bobby Kennedy Jr., and Patrick Kennedy; the unexpected way pop star Taylor Swift helped Conor Kennedy heal after the death of his mother, Bobby’s wife Mary; and Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s rise to prominence. At the center of it all is the family’s indomitable matriarch, Ethel Kennedy - a formidable presence with her maddening eccentricities and inspiring courage. Based on hundreds of exclusive first-hand interviews and cultivated over 20 years of research - including numerous Oral Histories from the JFK Library and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute - The Kennedy Heirs is an epic drama of ambition, scandal, pride, and power. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2019 Macmillan Audio
Jackie, Ethel, Joan
Summary
What does it mean to be a Kennedy? If ever three women would be challenged and changed by marriage into a family, it would be Jacqueline Bouvier, Ethel Skakel, and Joan Bennett. None of these radiant brides could have ever been prepared for the fame, the family, and tragedies that would spring from their lives. As they struggled to cope with their husbands' infidelities, the harsh glare of the media, and the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, these women would learn what it meant to be sisters, reaching out to one another with comfort and consolation. But these sisters would also compete with one another, argue, and find themselves estranged, sometimes for years. Based on extensive research, interviews, and never-before-published oral histories from the JFK and LBJ Libraries, this groundbreaking biography presents a balanced, affectionate, and fascinating portrayal of three extraordinary women - and shows us their courage, passion, and will to be a family.
©2000 Rose Books, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (P)2000 Time Warner AudioBooks (Packaging Elements Only), A Division of Time Warner Trade Publishing
Grace & Steel
Summary
From New York Times best-selling celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli comes Grace & Steel, the epic, hidden history of the exceptional women behind the greatest political dynasty of all time - the Bush family. Best-selling author J. Randy Taraborrelli reveals the unsung heroines of the inimitable Bush family dynasty: not only First Ladies Barbara and Laura, but other colorful women whose stories have been left out of history for far too long, including Barbara’s mother-in-law, the formidable Dorothy Bush; the enigmatic Columba and the controversial Sharon; and Laura’s twins, Jenna and Barbara. No matter the challenges related to power and politics, the women of the Bush dynasty always fought for equality in their marriages as they raised their children to be true to American values. In doing so, they inspired everyday Americans to do the same. Or, as Barbara Bush put it, “The future of this nation does not depend on what happens in the White House, but what happens in your house.” Details from the book include: The tragedy Barbara faced in burying her three-year-old daughter, Robin, and her struggle with depression over the decades that followed. The tragic night a teenage Laura Bush accidentally killed a good friend - a story she did not discuss publicly for decades. The revelation of the affair that almost doomed George HW's hopes for the presidency. The truth behind the fraught relationship between Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush that culminated in an angry phone call during which Barbara told her she would never speak to her again- and she didn't. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press "[A] unique and colorful look at one of America’s most powerful political families.” (Publishers Weekly)
©2021 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2021 Macmillan Audio