orangefan65's review against another edition
4.0
Well-written and very detailed history of the years 1961-1977 of Elvis Presley's life. With all the acclaim over his music and the ever-increasing obsessive and eccentric behavior, the controversy over his death that raged for years is not surprising. But, this quote from the book should suffice: "All one has to do is look at Elvis' life, the accelerating dependence on medications available to him in almost unimaginable quantities, the willing enlistment of doctors who seemed never to give a thought to the dangers or likely consequences of what they were prescribing, and the incontrovertible evidence of the medical problems stemming primarily from the use of drugs that Elvis experienced over his last four years, to understand the causes of his death." A sobering, frustrating, tragic tale.
slcreemer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
abpandersen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
gracierose0108's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
4.0
booksandjaime's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
kelbs42's review against another edition
4.0
A great book about an American original; and the dark effects of loneliness and isolation can have on a human being.
marlo42's review against another edition
5.0
This pair of biographies by Mr. Guralnick are nothing short of excellent. The first is a story of triumph, of the meteoric rise to fame of a legendary performer. The second contains triumphs as well, make no mistake - but the two volumes could not be more tonally different. This volume, while written in the same vibrant yet detailed style as the first, details the fall of an icon. Its pages sadly detail what lead to Elvis' untimely death, and his loss of status as a celebrity and performer in the years leading up to that tragic event.
As a consequence, this book is not nearly as wild, free, or even as fun as the first, mainly due to the darkness of the subject's life during the years covered. However, do not let that dissuade you from reading these books. They are excellent, and although they are at times quite heavy, the way Elvis' life and times jump off the pages is exhilarating, and cannot be missed.
As a consequence, this book is not nearly as wild, free, or even as fun as the first, mainly due to the darkness of the subject's life during the years covered. However, do not let that dissuade you from reading these books. They are excellent, and although they are at times quite heavy, the way Elvis' life and times jump off the pages is exhilarating, and cannot be missed.