Patty K. (twinmom7) reviewed on 8/24/2006 + 105 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

I read this book sincerely wanting to better understand who Priscilla was. Before reading it, and after reading several books on Elvis's life, I felt that Priscilla was a beautiful young girl who got swept up in the Elvis turmoil and did her best to survive. Any meanness in her, I felt, was due largely to the difficulties she endured. But then I wondered about the negative remarks by other people, and I noted how aggressively she had taken over Elvis's estate, all the while suggesting that it was foisted upon her. I also wondered about the absurd way she was allowed to come live at Graceland as a child. Some things didn't add up, so I read Finstad's book.
What an amazing amount of research went into this, right down to interviewing friends from Priscilla's childhood and adolescence. No stone seems to have been left unturned. The resulting picture of Priscilla isn't pretty, but it certainly comes across as accurate. Finstad presents an evolving analysis of Priscilla, frequently referring back to earlier events to show the consistency of Priscilla's behavior. To some readers this might seem overdone, but then Finstad is presenting a story that contradicts an image. Some readers will require more to convince them. Finstad's analysis fills in the blanks, ties up the loose ends, and answers most of the questions I had before reading the book. It was not my impression that Finstad set out to do a hatchet job, and Priscilla is not depicted as being all bad. Finstad simply uncovered the truth that was there all along.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details