Reviews

Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

musicdeepdive's review

5.0

A dissertation of decline, this book agonizingly lays out Elvis's return to the spotlight (both post-Army and post-psychedelics) and subsequent disappearances, the latter of which ending with his death. It's a tough read, but Guralnick has a far better hand on this book's momentum than its predecessor, making it impossible to put down until Elvis finally leaves this mortal coil and we are left to reflect and wonder, "why did this have to happen?"

tiasreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

unicorn_squadron's review

5.0

I don’t often write reviews but I’m so impressed by this book (and it’s companion piece, Last Train To Memphis) that I felt it important to note my thoughts briefly. Reading these two books was an experience, I have never read a biography where I felt like I knew the person so intimately as I did with these books. It was like I had spent years with Elvis as part of his entourage, watching this all happen and feeling party to the slow downfall and eventual death of this incredible man. This book is devastating to be sure - in a way that slowly creeps up on you as you get closer and closer to an end that you know is coming. I can’t recommend it highly enough but just make sure you’re prepared for it, I actually feel a little bit lost now that I’ve finished it.

mastablein's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

princesszinza's review

3.0

I started reading this book when I was trapped inside a Spirit Airline airplane. I thought that a little bit of the king of rock n roll would distract my cramped body and sore behind. Peter Guralnick is clearly a music fan and analyses all of Elvis' recordings. I was more interested in Presley's life story. Guarlnick gives a lot of detail about that as well but I definitely got the feeling that the music was Guralnick's main interest.

The author is surprisingly supportive to Colonel Parker. This is the first book I've read that portrays him positively. There is a lot of interesting information about Elvis' time in the army.

dwhite1174's review

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

luisams's review

sad slow-paced

3.5

orangefan65's review

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

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0