Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll by Priscilla Presley

29 reviews

nerdinthelibrary's review against another edition

i genuinely don't think i can rate this. it's pretty well written, fast-moving and compelling. the entire story is fascinating, particularly because there's basically no point at which priscilla seems to ever realise that what's happening is bad. she was groomed and abused from age fourteen and there's never any point, even with the hindsight of her writing this in her forties, where she criticises elvis. there are a few times when she offhandedly says that something was bad but she always follows that with a justification. makes me so curious about the framing of the sofia coppola movie considering the fact that priscilla was involved and seems happy with it. not to make priscilla sound stupid because i don't think she is, but i really do wonder if the coppola movie does frame the film as being about an abused woman and priscilla didn't realise, because this book literally describes elvis throwing things at her and flying into rages and taking pictures of her naked as a teenager and convincing her to take pills and not allowing her to get a job and isolating her from any sort of support system she could have had, and she never seems to find any problem with it. anyway, fascinating book, would recommend, incredibly disturbing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

frannysal's review against another edition

dark informative sad fast-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Drug abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

kingfreckle02's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

noot_noot's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Eye opening

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief

sarahreadsalotofbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

I knew Elvis was a mess but I didn’t realize he was an abusive groomer.

He began grooming Priscilla when she was 14 telling her how to behave, what to wear, how to wear her makeup.  By the time she was 16 they were sexually involved and he had convinced her to take sexual photos. He was emotionally and mentally abusive, as well as physically abusive at times.

Throughout all of this he was also grooming her parents, eventually getting them to consent to allow her to leave them to go live with him for the remainder of her high school years. 

Priscilla comes across as someone with Stockholm syndrome finding his behavior humorous as she narrated this at times. She describes the time he raped her as “forcefully made love to her”. 

As despicable a person as he was, this was a well-written, informative book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual content

blueeyedshook's review against another edition

4.0

The story of Elvis and Priscilla is actually quite shocking. I had no idea they met and got together when Priscilla was 14 with Elvis 10 years older than her. And her parents just let it happen. They even let her go live with him in America while they were still stationed in Germany!! Whoa. Seriously?! I kept waiting to find out that I was misunderstanding, but then she'd talk about being 16 and going to school or whatever. I know she has come out and said that it was a different time. Still, he felt predatory. He sought her out. He said she reminded him of his little sister. He would have her come over and lay in bed with her after parties (but just talk for hours.....wanting to save intimacy for a time when they were "ready" because it was so important to him). It felt like he was grooming her. Even once she was older, he didn't want her to have a job as a model because he wanted his woman home to care for him. I know it was a "different time" but not like biblical times! Adults dating minors was still frowned upon.....RIGHT?!
Anyway, Priscilla narrating the audiobook was worth it all. She is so clearly still in love with him--which is why I think she was a bit in denial about how weird or inappropriate some of their relationship was, as well as in denial about how he acted in some ways like not knowing what the drugs he offered her would do to her.....yes! He offered her drugs at a very young teen age as well.) She would laugh while she was reading, and it made it so much more real and relatable. Her little giggle at his humor was so cute. I really enjoyed listening to her read it, and of course here about Elvis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Alcohol

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

i can't rate this. how do you rate this? all i know is that i'm crying. my poor little heart needs 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, and War

briski's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Ok so here’s the thing. I’m in my Elvis era. I’ve been in my Elvis era because I’m a slut for some Baz Luhrmann cinematic mania and for Austin Butler but PRISCILLA. The amount of times I audibly said yikes was far too many. The amount of time I heard the word karate was far too many. Who would have guessed martial arts would be what lead to Priscilla’s awakening moment? And while there were soooooooooooooooooooooo many red flags (none of which PP really called out) that ending really did make me a little sad. Things I feel are worth remembering

Elvis took PP to the morgue as adventurous little trips

PP took lessons from Chuck Norris

When PP met Elvis she had JUST turned 14 and he was dressed like a target employee eating bacon sandwiches with mustard

He rented out entire movie theaters and roller rinks

They fully stood up on roller coasters

He died at the same age as him mom

PP refused to gain weight during her pregnancy and they were banging up until the last 6 weeks of her pregnancy

EDIT I’m bumping this up from 3 to 3.5 because I’m still thinking about it. That doesn’t mean it’s exceptionally well written but I think it deserves a boost for how long it’s lingered in my brain. Truly the morgue stuff is gonna be a permanent resident in my mind. I can’t believe that was real. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

lizcaruth's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting