Some individuals expertise sufficient — and have sufficient issues occur to them — for a number of lifetimes. Lisa Marie Presley was a type of individuals. For that cause alone, we had each cause to anticipate that her just-released memoir could be a jaw-dropper. What we did not essentially anticipate was that it will be such a heartbreaker. A month earlier than her demise (from a bowel obstruction following bariatric surgical procedure) in 2023 at age 54, Presley, who’d been engaged on this ebook for years, realized she wasn’t going to reside lengthy sufficient to complete it and so entrusted the duty — and a stack of interview tapes — to her daughter Riley Keough. That is the explanation for the twin byline … and the shattering emotional punch of the completed product.
Mom and daughter cowl all of the “highlights,” in fact, together with Lisa Marie’s childhood spent at Graceland and, at age 9, discovering her legendary dad useless within the lavatory. Barely a yr later a boyfriend of her mother’s started sexually abusing her; a suicide try adopted at age 16. Then there have been the marriages — 4 of them, together with to Nicolas Cage and, most infamously, Michael Jackson (remembers Keogh: “At dwelling they had been a daily married couple. They’d drive us to highschool collectively within the morning, identical to a traditional household, although typically Michael would deliver alongside a chimpanzee.”). In 2020, she’d lose her son (and Riley’s brother) Ben to suicide (after which she stored his physique at dwelling on dry ice for 2 months). Following the delivery of her twin daughters, Harper and Finley, by way of Caesarian in 2021, Presley descended right into a painkiller habit.
The memoir options alternating mom and daughter narration, leading to, because the New York Instances put it, “a haunting concord that builds to a crescendo of heartbreak.” Intrigued but?
Ever-astute with regards to publishing phenoms, Oprah Winfrey has not solely inducted the memoir into her commemorated Guide Membership however did a prime-time sit-down with Keough that aired on CBS earlier this month. And she or he’s not alone in her fandom; legions of farklempt Amazon reviewers have left glowing evaluations and catapulted the title to the highest of the mega-retailer’s bestsellers checklist.
“Devoured!” mentioned one of them. “I cried and cried. I’m so grateful Lisa Marie and Riley gave us a glimpse. I felt the love and all of the ache. I knew I liked Lisa Marie although I didn’t know her, however one way or the other I felt her and now I do know why. Lisa Marie, I hope that you simply touched extra lives than you possibly can even fathom. Thanks for sharing your mild with us. Riley, what a really superb daughter you might be!”
“This ebook is a shot straight via the guts,” started one reader. “It is unhappy and mournful whereas additionally enjoyable and humorous. It is intimate and understanding whereas extravagant and wild. It is superbly executed. It is a deeply American tragedy. It barrels to a conclusion is coming and but are usually not actually ready for. The final line of the ebook left me speechless, questioning about generational trauma, legacies, grief, rage and sweetness. … It’s not a celeb memoir. It’s a deeply looking work with nothing lower than the character of life itself on the middle.”
“Simply … wow,” mentioned this stricken shopper. “I simply completed studying this ebook. It’s so effectively executed, effectively written. Lisa Marie is an ideal instance that cash cannot purchase happiness, which you can really feel completely alone and lonely even whereas surrounded by individuals, that superstar is a double-edge sword. She was stunning, she was soulful, she was clearly a tremendous mom to her kids. I am pleased to personal this ebook — I’ll positively learn it once more… . Riley does a tremendous job scripting this ebook with, and for, her mother.”
You probably have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free delivery, in fact. Not but a member? No downside. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the best way, these with out Prime nonetheless get free delivery on orders of $35 or extra.)
The evaluations quoted above replicate the newest variations on the time of publication.
