Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Elvis and Me by Sandra Harmon, Priscilla Presley

13 reviews

oliviabakke's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pedophilia

ellie_rowo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

alyssamakesart's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Pedophilia, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

ritaconstantino's review against another edition

dark emotional informative fast-paced

3.0

This was a difficult read. Priscilla was groomed and abused since she was 14 years old and the sad part is that, at least until the time she wrote the book, she hadn't yet accepted the gravity of what had happened to her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

hdhreads's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

3.75

This was an intimate and honest insight into Priscilla’s life with ‘the King’. Having met Elvis at just 14, Priscilla spent her formative years with him and he shaped her into his ‘ideal woman’. Right from the start, she experienced the highs and lows of living with Elvis, from his generousness and fun, to his temper tantrums and drug taking.

I found Priscilla’s memoir deeply troubling, but like a train wreck, I couldn’t look away. There’s the obvious age gap and the fact that their relationship started when she was still a child. Then there’s his controlling nature - wanting her to be his vision of an ideal woman, restricting her choices and even preventing her from getting a job so that she is always available when he wants her to come to him. His frequent affairs, the drugs he gives her to take without saying what they are etc etc, the list goes on. In this day and age, he would be disgraced for a fraction of this. 

Despite all of this, Priscilla still holds so much affection for the man. The benefit of listening on audio is that you really hear that - her gentle chuckles on recounting something he said, and the love in her voice when telling a tale no matter how outrageous it is. That is what makes it so particularly shocking. It’s like listening to someone with Stockholm syndrome. 

So all in all, I found the book fascinating, but perhaps not for the author’s intended reason.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape

melishajo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Dying to see the Coppola biopic! The story of her relationship with Elvis is that of a dark fairytale. I am now repulsed by him. Also Elvis high key stole music from black artists 4👧🏻

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Content Warnings

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

05_haggler_prouder's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

Pricilla's perspective is fundamentally flawed. She was groomed at 14 into a coercive controlling domestically violent relationship. She simultaneously details the various types of horrors she faced and witnessed, while expressing her continued love and admiration towards Elvis whom she describes as a friend, lover, father and god. 

I feel like she's sincere about the praise, but she's also terrified of the retribution she might face from the fans. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Infidelity, Rape, and Grief

roxfoxreads89's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.5

I knew very little about Elvis as he was considerably “before my time.” 

However, I’m continually shocked at how many famous men are child predators. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

randimcphee's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

3.75

The writing itself isn’t anything mind blowing, but the story is absolutely fascinating. Reading a first hand experience of Elvis’ life, troubles, addictions, and attitude had me questioning a lot about what I thought I knew about him. This story is their love story, but also how he transformed from a sweet, generous, Southern boy with too much money, to a controlling, manipulative, borderline monster.

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.

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Content Warnings

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