Audio Book 10h 30m, narration by author
I didn't come along in time to be an ardent Presley fan but, of course, knew him and liked much of his music. I never gave Priscilla much thought, to be honest, other than thinking I wished she had a better hair-do and less eye makeup. This is the story behind those photos. A story of a very young girl caught up in the mania that was all things Presley, including his drug intake and odd living arrangements. That she was only 13 when she first met him gradually seeped into my mind but, well, never quite drowned out the furor over Jerry Lee Lewis' shocking marriage. There was a ten year age difference between Elvis and Priscilla and it shows in her naive acceptance of the life style, even when she knew he was "seeing" over women. Raised in a generation that was taught to please her man in all things and have no real thoughts of her own, her life was a lifetime away of my growing years in the much looser decades to follow. She tried never to question his behavior no matter what because, well, he was Elvis Presley. In other words, she was pretty, submissive, and charming where he was concerned. I mean, according to her, they didn't even have sex until marriage, hence she grew up in a bit of a golden, gilded cage surrounded my his largely male entourage.
My overall take from the book was a sense of sadness, to be honest. You don't just marry a person, she learned, you marry his family, too, and that included the Memphis Mafia men that catered to his every need. Much of the book centers around her efforts to shield daughter Lisa Marie from the worst of life in Graceland. Spoiled rotten by Elvis, she felt entitled and had little use for either school or restrictions, rebelling often, something Priscilla would struggle with. She does cover Lisa's marriage to the then superstar of superstars, Michael Jackson, who Priscilla never quite trusted. His focus on Lisa being Elvis' daughter was surely unnerving, especially when he told Lisa he wanted them to have Elvis' grandchild. The ups and downs of that relationship are discussed as are some of Priscilla's own efforts to establish a life and relationships apart from her identity as Elvis Presley's wife.
And....well, seriously, this is all from early in the book. I won't detail much more of the details other than to say the references to OJ Simpson and his anger and controlling personality were chilling. She may have overdone the "I was too naive" excuse throughout the book but she was spot on with her portrayal of him, I think. That aside, her tales of her forays into being a business woman and moving into first being a spokesman and model and eventually acting were interesting. If you were a Dallas fan, you'll love the backstage stories she shares. She also shares her entrance into Scientology, citing the good things she found in it while admitting the questions that came later. Through it all, though, I think the theme that came through strongest was her role of mother, not just to Lisa Marie but later son Navarone with Marco Garibaldi. That made the stories I'd heard of the struggle over control of Graceland all the more heartbreaking as I realized how much family drama had to have impacted not just Priscilla but the entire family. And, so much more. I mean, I believe she's around 80 years-old now, so you know there is a lot I've skipped sharing.
Production wise, this audio version was nicely done and I liked that she chose to narrate it herself. That gave it a personal feel, as did the use of titles of Elvis songs as chapter titles. Her memory of Elvis' funeral will surely give you the feels as she describes not just her own shock, especially knowing Lisa had seen him dead, but that of his family members that Priscilla had come to love. Elvis' fans will love this, I'm sure. I found listening to her story in her matter of fact tone enlightening and it made me appreciate not only Priscilla and, yes, Elvis, as real people. It was also a reminder of a time period when life was much different than what we consider normal today. Let's face it, of course, I'm not sure the word "normal" truly applies to most celebrity couples, especially those who attain the almost mythical stardom of Elvis. Thanks #NetGalley and #HatchetteAudio - #GrandCentralPublishing for allowing me this sneak peek, er, listen of a story that was both heartbreaking and uplifting.
