Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley Audiobook

" Definitive...eye opening. "

" Cool bio of the king. Lots of interesting details you never knew you could know. A good book, as bios go. "

" Left this book in Memphis during Elvis Week. I've visited the town several times during my son's stay there and found the historic detail about the South and the old radio stations and shows interesting. This writer seemed more interested in chronicling Elvis's rise to stardom and the hoopla surrounding it than deifying him as a pop icon. Some good pictures, but there are so many out there it's hard to tell what's what. Try gong to Graceland, it's a real study in popular culture, kitsch, and bad taste. "

" Sometimes you think you want definitive, I mean, the alternative would be scattershot, incomplete- nobody wants THAT, right? So, yeah, this book IS definitive in scope, through detail & methodology. I have no quarrel with Guralnick, not in style or content. But I couldn't finish it. Maybe I'm just not enough of an Elvis fan. "

" Great Biography. "

" I am not a fan of Elvis Presley's music. But Guralnick's two volumes that chronicle the King's life will make you want to listen to his music. He gives an intimate portrait of Elvis's music inventions, his passionate triumphs and depressing struggles with glory. Guralnick shows Elvis as the great human and music maker he was. "

" A sharply-rendered and painstakingly-detailed account of Elvis' early days. Guralnick's narrative prose is simple, even crude, but his material is richly precise: in some places, we get an almost day-by-day account of Elvis' life and career, with sources split neatly between firsthand interviews and the author's own historical knowledge, which is impressive. Guralnick is, it should be noted, a far better historian than he is a writer, and there are whole blocks of prose that ramble indistinctly and contribute little to the story. Still, the story is what counts, and when it is allowed to upstage the weak writing, this book is worth a read -even if you aren't a fan of Elvis. "

" Best Elvis biography out there. "

" I was not a big Elvis fan, but this book really opened my eyes to who he was as an artist. Peter Guralnick is a music writer and the depth of his research is astounding! If you read ONE music biography, you must pick this one (well, also the second one about the downfall) "

" The greatest story ever told. You wouldn't believe it if it hadn't really happened. "

" Excellent, as everything by Guralnick... "

" one of the best books i've ever read about elvis factual and to the point, no rose colored glasses "

" Wow. If you are a rock and roll fan of any kind, this is a must read. "

" In honor of our trip to Memphis... "

" Part one of a two part biography on the big fella. The detail on Col Parkers contractual wranglings are, while essential to the story, slightly tedious. "

" Second only to "Alexander Hamilton" for best biography. "

" Searing, honest, and sad. I love these books. "

" The definitive Presley biography. "

" In my preparations to go to Grace land, I read the first of a two volume biography of Elvis. Enjoyed it a lot. I love the treatment of his life and acknowledgment of the man as a true musician. took me forever though. "

" I really enjoyed reading this book - if you want to read a book about Elvis and you only want to read one; here it is. "

" This book is very detailed regarding the first years of Elvis' recording, performing, and early films up to his first months in the Army. Certainly made me aware of the many people that depended on Elvis in his rise to fame. "

" Having read over a hundred books on Elvis believe me when I say The Guralnick books are all you need. "

" This book mostly concentrates on the music more than his life. I enjoyed reading it though and will soon start on the sequel. "

" a book from my college days... he has a great story. "