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siijayreads's review against another edition
4.0
"I knew that I must take control of my life. I could not give up these new insights. There was a whole world out there and I had to find my own place in it."
Such a revealing, jarring, and insightful memoir. Before this, my knowledge about Elvis Presley was limited aside from knowing he is the singer of the most popular hits songs I often hear on the radio when I was young. Having read this book gave me so much perspective about what the world was like back then which became even more special in the lens of someone who is in close proximity with a famous person. I only knew of Priscilla because she's the grandmother of Riley Keough, whom I have known since she’s friends with my favorite actress. I also heard a lot of controversies regarding her and Elvis' relationship and I got intrigued but didn't bother to really delve deeper into it. It wasn't until the recent Priscilla movie, which was based on this book, that I finally learned that this book exists, and it finally convinced me to read it. I listened to the audiobook and the experience was magnified because it was narrated by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley herself! I honestly didn't expect anything diving into this book but it certainly left me with so many reflections in life and I'm surprised that I can relate to some of Priscilla's internal struggles.
Throughout the book, I felt a myriad of emotions. A sense of protectiveness for teenage Priscilla who was about to become enamored with an older man, anger and shock for the things she went through while being in that relationship, sadness when the moment she realizes she's slowly losing herself, contagious joy for little things that makes her happy, and pride for the woman she slowly became after years of abandoning her needs for a man and untangling herself from those toxic cycle. I love those moments where she stood up for herself. This book also is a perfect example of how love makes us blind and tolerant of the things we don't deserve and how it makes us act more impulsively. We let others treat us badly because we're more afraid of losing them.
Priscilla spent a significant number of years in her life being tied to Elvis while she slowly lost herself in the process. It was so heartbreaking. While she did find happiness in all those years, the moment she freed herself from him, which was narrated during the latter part of the book, was one of the most refreshing and inspiring reads I've had in a while. I love stories where women break out of their shells and blossom from the inside and out. It was such an engaging experience listening to Priscilla narrate her own story. Her little laughs while reading particular sections from the book make me think she went back in time reliving the scene. I recommend this to anyone who wants to delve into reading nonfiction books!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
broncoannee's review against another edition
1.75
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
mari1532's review against another edition
2.5
Now before reading this book, I knew that Priscilla was significantly younger than Elvis, but I did not know that he had essentially groomed her from her early teens. I find the rating and review of this book to be incredibly hard. It was well written in terms of a memoir and I appreciated how open Priscilla was about her story. However, reading it I was a little concerned that she didn't have any understanding that some of the things she was describing were abusive. I am trying not to project my opinions about the events she describes onto her story, but this book feels like it was written to absolve Elvis of sins rather than a reflection of her lived experiences.
For instance, she seems to take no issue with the fact that there was a massive age difference. Or that he sexualized her as a teenager while also making her guilty and threatening her should she be sexual with anyone else. There is also a moment in the book in a later chapter where it felt like she was describing marital rape.
I did listen to the entirety of this book, but I honestly wish I hadn't. I kept waiting for some self-reflective moments where she mentioned therapy or any indication that Elvis might not have been that great, but it never came. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
bookaholics_anonymous's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse
issyd23's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
linda_elaine's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
yourfriendgil's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
holliesarah's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
skelleybean's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy
randimcphee's review against another edition
3.75
I think the lowest point of this book is that the author, his only wife, Priscilla, never seems to understand just how deeply terrible Elvis’ actions were. It was just so heartbreaking and scary, and I found throughout the book that I wasn’t rooting for the love story.
Even after their divorce, she said they were friendly, held hands, kissed, and acted like a family when they were together. It seems like she was never truly able to get out of his grip, even after everything and divorcing him. It was an interesting story, but also felt like whiplash. A good story, but disappointing to know the truth and see Priscilla be taken advantage of way too much.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault