From Right here to the Nice Unknown: A Memoir

My review.
It was a very good book very insightful and telling and very heartfelt and deep I thought it was a very good book.

Intriguing and Too short
There are no “angels” in this book.Lisa’s life, like all people – is filled with her & others around her doing some bad, good & morally questionable things. So, if you’re a unrealistic super fan ofElvis, Lisa or MJ I have no idea how to explain my reaction to the content of this bookto you. Except that I can’t help but feel the deepest empathy & a kind of love towardsall three of these people who lived extraordinarily different lives from really mostpeople in history if you think about it.Also if you could go back in time & talk to each of them (EP, LP & MJ) as children and asked them what they want to be when they grow up;I know that exactly ZERO would answer, “An irresponsible drug addict.”Reading this book was just another terrifying example of just how much parenting & childhood events shape peoples whole lives.Anyway…PROS:Uniquely done with both Lisa and her daughter telling the story.Gritty, Humorous, GenuineAll the things a person looks for in memoir. Whether you’re a fan or just kind of curious it’s worth a read or listen.Riley & Julia do a beautiful job on the audiobook.CONS:If subjects like assault, addiction and death are too much for you – don’t read this.SHORTWhile I learned a lot of things I didn’t know before it does kind of feel like a filled inhighlight reel.ASSUMPTIONSIt seems to assume that you’ve read/watched interviews that Lisa has given.EXAMPLE & MINOR SPOILERSLisa has previously talked about how her marriage to Danny was always strained because he – a struggling musician- was always resentful of her fame & the fact that she had so much more money than him.In the book it doesn’t touch on it that much but, it is brought up when she & MJ are starting to get close. If I hadn’t read those interviews I would’ve thought that she just threw away Danny out of nowhere to hook up with Michael.SCIENTOLOGYHer unhappy break up with Scientology is not really mentioned at all.POSSIBLE CONS ?If you hate cursing this book is filled with it.The audiobook does have Lisa’s voice but most of her words are said by Julia Roberts and as good as a job that Julia did I was disappointed to not hear Lisa narrate her parts.FINAL THOUGHTSA riveting read that feels too short.The * Spoilers*around 6 year on and off again relationship with MJ alone could’ve been a book it’s self.*It feels like a lot was left out for legal reasons – Lockwood & Scientology.It could have easily been 100 pages longer without feeling like it was dragging.Note: Lisa asked for help with this book because she didn’t know what it should contain.And Riley probably wanted to finish this book before it turned into a’I’ll do it later’ project that’s placed on a to-do-list for years.So, I understand it’s shortness & missing info even though I don’t like it.It was probably the best Riley could do with what she had.*I doubt you’re reading this but I’ve been a fan of your mother for many years and though I’ve never met her, I believe she would be so proud of you for finishing her book. She clearly loved her babies so much.

What a tumultuous life
I loved the ebook but listening to the Audible while I was “reading” the ebook made it a even more memorable experience.  The combination of Riley Keough and Julia Roberts really brought the book to life. I remember when Lisa Marie was born. My cousin even named her daughter Lisa Marie. From the outside it seemed that had a lot of support after losing her father when she was so young. And a fairy tale life. It’s sad to read about how tragic her life really was.It’s amazing that she was able to be such a loving mother considering how she was treated by her mother. I love how close Lisa Marie was with Riley and her brother Ben when they were growing up. It’s sad that her youngest daughters will not be to grow up with her. Hopefully they won’t remember too much of their mother last few years. That was hard to read. I can’t imagine living through that.Riley seems like a remarkably adjusted person and I wish Riley and her family a long, happy and loving life. And plenty of movies. Needless to say, I recommend not only the ebook but the Audible.

Leaves more questions than answers and slightly depressing
The idea of having original recordings of Lisa Marie Presley alongside Riley was good.Julia Roberts doing Lisa’s voice was a terrible choice. I wondered if she was hired just for her name. I would have preferred someone unknown who could do a more similar voice to Lisa Marie Presley’s.The only new revelations for the me was the way Lisa Marie was treated by her mother.I enjoyed reading about her memories with her Dad and as an Elvis fan, this was a big reason why I bought the book. The second reason was to try and imagine how life is like for someone born in her position. There was and is relatively little written on her life. Unfortunately this book did not help me a lot in that case.I got the impression that she wanted and tried to be a good mother but had no idea how to keep a family together because she never experienced a man and wife living together long term in a stable way. Many people are like that and her case money did not help. I got a bit fed up of hearing the word “trauma” and there was a depressive feel to this book. I would have preferred to hear more about the Scientology, more about Riley’s surrogacy (?) , more about how she got on with Navaron. Who exactly was trying to break up Lisa and Danny when they met? I found this book left me with more questions than answers. I got bored hearing about how they enjoyed themselves or hung out in England or where ever they lived. She never even properly explains why she suddenly moved to England. It was unsatisfying read.I found the first half of the book very good and would give that 4 stars but after that would give it 2 and a half.

Very heartbreaking and well written.

Read in one sitting. One of the things I took away from this book is how very human the Presleys are.Although they’re incredibly famous and doing things on a massively grand scale, they’re surprisingly relatable as a family and the themes of childhood, grief, loss, addiction, aging, illness, depression, loss, disappointment, fractured family relationships and romantic relationship breakdowns are things most of us will experience some or all of in our own families.It’s at times a very joyful, happy book in terms of Lisa’s happiness as a mother and her children’s love for her and the same with her relationship with her father and the happiness found there followed by grief. The book follows cycles of grief and hope in new beginnings, enduring friendships, fractious inter-generational relationships and hugely loving relationships.The end is very sad but there is happiness in the springing of new roots with baby Tupelo and buds of hope for the future.It’s easy to read and it helps that both Lisa and Riley are endlessly likeable characters that the reader feels deep affection for. Lisa’s sadness before her death is very hard to bare, but having shared some of her own experiences of loss and feeling unparented I found this a comforting book as I had never realised these were ways I identified with Lisa. It does help to know that no matter what our walk of life we’re all dealing with similar struggles and emotions and sometimes can’t comprehend the way the world sees us is very different from how we may think ourselves.It’s a spiritual and cathartic book and I think most people will benefit from reading it as most of us beyond our 30s will be able to relate to this book and find some relief in knowing we’re not alone as we go through life and that even the very privileged are facing the same struggles as us and are also just muddling through as best they can.I would have liked it to be longer and more detailed though. I enjoyed it so much I wanted more, especially about Ben who didn’t really seem to fully develop as a character in some ways, I would like to have heard more about him. hope Lisa and Ben are at peace together now.