izzy_gxwer's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
itsmarkyall's review against another edition
5.0
This is a deep thorough dive into the life of Elvis. There are great stories and enlightening details. I didn’t know much about him before listening to this audiobook but I’ve come away from it feeling like I know him. Great book.
alexsiddall's review against another edition
4.0
I've never been much of an Elvis fan, but this is the book to make me like and admire young Elvis and reassess his music. Such a thorough and well-written biography, I'd recommend it to anyone with at least a passing interest in popular music.
dwhite1174's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
teriboop's review against another edition
4.0
If you are a fan of Elvis, this is your book. This is the first of a two-part series on the King of Rock and Roll. Guralnick goes into painstaking detail on Elvis' life from the time he was a young boy getting his first guitar through the death of his beloved mother and shipping off to Germany as PFC Elvis Presley. It is clear that Elvis was his own person. He was at times naive and humble while at other times he was rambunctious and rebellious. Everything he did, he did for his family. His love for his parents, especially his mother was both sweet and heartbreaking. He was inconsolable when she passed away.
This book truly is a deep dive into Presley's life. Where I am a fan of his (I saw him in concert just a couple months before he died), I don't know that I needed details to the level that Guralnick noted. For superfans, this is definitely a book worth reading. It was entertaining and interesting and I will read the second book in the series. This book does not cover his life with Pricilla or eventual decline in health.
The Kindle version that I read included audio clips of some of the interviews that Guralnick conducted with some key people in Elvis' life. It is worth the purchase if you are a Kindle user.
This book truly is a deep dive into Presley's life. Where I am a fan of his (I saw him in concert just a couple months before he died), I don't know that I needed details to the level that Guralnick noted. For superfans, this is definitely a book worth reading. It was entertaining and interesting and I will read the second book in the series. This book does not cover his life with Pricilla or eventual decline in health.
The Kindle version that I read included audio clips of some of the interviews that Guralnick conducted with some key people in Elvis' life. It is worth the purchase if you are a Kindle user.
disconightwing's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this.
It's very comprehensive and manages to be truthful and good without either pointing out all the good and ignoring the bad, or pointing out all the bad and ignoring the good. Elvis was a person, who made mistakes, but not entirely a terrible person. And that was evident in this.
I will definitely be reading the second one.
It's very comprehensive and manages to be truthful and good without either pointing out all the good and ignoring the bad, or pointing out all the bad and ignoring the good. Elvis was a person, who made mistakes, but not entirely a terrible person. And that was evident in this.
I will definitely be reading the second one.
davidpwebber's review against another edition
5.0
A book that you don't particularly have a hankering to read but for whatever reason when you do, it's impossible to put down
abigailrbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
onepersonbookshow's review against another edition
5.0
Last Train to Memphis is the first volume of an extensive exploration into who Elvis Presley was (with the second book titled, Careless Love). This volume covers Elvis' humble beginnings in Tupelo and his rise to stardom in Memphis before concluding with his entry into the US Army in 1958, at the age of 23. Throughout the book, we are privy to his early success and musical evolution, his relationships, as well as his hardships and loneliness.
This is a substantial 500-page book and yet it is accessible while simultaneously being immersive - the research that went into creating this book is unprecedented and it reads more like historical fiction rather than a chronological biography and keeps you engaged throughout. You almost feel as if you're there, experiencing the excitement surrounding Elvis for the first time. Additionally, Peter Guralnick does an incredible job infusing the story with the humility that Elvis possessed while being respectful and unbiased.
The text is comprehensive with pages of added notes, an index and relevant photographs at the beginning of each chapter - something I greatly appreciated.
To some Elvis Presley is an elusive legend. This book reveals the inner complexities of a man who was more than just his exceptional talent.
This is a substantial 500-page book and yet it is accessible while simultaneously being immersive - the research that went into creating this book is unprecedented and it reads more like historical fiction rather than a chronological biography and keeps you engaged throughout. You almost feel as if you're there, experiencing the excitement surrounding Elvis for the first time. Additionally, Peter Guralnick does an incredible job infusing the story with the humility that Elvis possessed while being respectful and unbiased.
The text is comprehensive with pages of added notes, an index and relevant photographs at the beginning of each chapter - something I greatly appreciated.
To some Elvis Presley is an elusive legend. This book reveals the inner complexities of a man who was more than just his exceptional talent.