Laughing all the Way by Barbara Howar (Fawcett Paperback, 1974)
Vintage paperback. Autobiography. The clergy and Elizabeth Arden be damned; nothing is better for the spirit or body than a love affair. It elevates thoughts and flattens stomachs, and while I doubt adultery will replace Billy Graham or the Canadian Air Force exercises, romance made me feel and look a good deal younger. Falling in love with a United States Senator is a splendid ordeal.'
"Here are Barbara Howar's candid observations about herself and about everyone else in Washington from Martha Mitchell to Henry Kissinger.
"'Laughing All the Way' is a real insider's look at the many public and private guises in Washington, a place where survival necessitates 'a fine madness and a sense of humor.'"
Howar doesn't really reveal all that much; her loyalty to the Kennedy family and Kissenger is apparent, and her falling out with the LBJ White House does not seem to be taken seriously. People like Gloria Steinem, Katherine Graham, and Barbara Walters walk in and out of the book but don't really come alive.
Still, it's an entertaining read. Washington itself comes alive, along with the sixties. Howar has a conversational, opinionated tone that keeps you amused page after page.
