This work of historical fiction centers around three women who have been indelibly shaped by Elvis Presley, both his music and the man himself.
This second novel by Morgan (One August Day, 2013), set in the Southern United States during the 1970s, is organized in three distinct sections, each chronicling the story of a different woman whose life has been heavily influenced by Elvis. They include Velis Emerson, the agoraphobic secretary of the rock star’s Tupelo, Mississippi, fan club; Priscilla Johnson, a nurse whose brief acquaintance with the singer disrupts her personal life; and Notary Midgette, a longtime domestic worker at Graceland in Memphis, compelled to seek her employer’s help when her wayward son becomes involved with criminals. The three main sections are punctuated by interludes in the imagined voice of Elvis’ “Satnin Mama,” Gladys Love Smith Presley. The three women’s stories are situated in the context of the musician’s personal troubles during the final years of his life: the toxic lackeys around him, prescription drug abuse, the loss of his beloved mother, and the devastating end of his marriage. The novel explores the role of Christian faith in times of hardship through the struggles of the rock legend as well as those of Velis, Priscilla, and Notary. Through the lens of these women’s admiration for Elvis (and their speculation about his private life), Morgan deftly explores the universal difficulties of all kinds of relationships: within families, among friends, between lovers. While each of the three women’s stories ends on a cliffhanger, a final section that centers on the public reaction to the artist’s death provides resolution for each of them. The novel benefits from its engaging, sympathetic portrayal of three unique women; Elvis may be the center of gravity around which they orbit, but the stories of Velis, Priscilla, and Notary should plant a mark on readers and leave many wanting to know more. The tale’s careful structure also deepens the sense of reflection and refraction among the characters, calling attention to the universality of the challenges they face as well as their specificity. A subtle, affecting glimpse into the lives of a trio of singular women molded by the works and personal character of a rock icon.
Pub Date: July 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4944-6006-8
Page Count: 280
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.
Pub Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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