Author: Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2025
Pages: 336
Rating: Do Not Recommend
Synopsis: Priscilla Presley's divorce from Elvis left his fans incredulous. How could she leave the man that every woman wanted. From the outside, life in Elvis' mansion looked glamorous and enviable, and in many respects, it was. But from inside the mansion, her husband was constantly surrounded by a male entourage while at the gates, beautiful women waited hopefully for an audience with the King. From the time she was seventeen years old, that life was all Priscilla had known. During her ten years with Elvis, it became painfully apparent that she had no idea who she was outside Elvis' world. The only way to find herself was to leave that world and seek a new life of her own, because leaving was the only way to survive, for herself and for her daughter.
Softly, As I Leave You, is the deeply personal story of what Priscilla lost and what she found when she walked away from the man she loved. Despite the legal separation, their love for one another was transformed into a touching and tender dynamic that endured until Elvis' untimely death four years later. Shattered by Elvis' passing, she had to reinvent herself a second time as the single mother of a talented, often headstrong daughter who never really recovered from her father's death. Priscilla's dedication to motherhood was enriched by the birth of her second child, and she gradually found her footing as a businesswoman, actress, designers, and legislative advocate. She transformed Graceland into an international destination and helped guide the development of Elvis Presley Enterprises. But the unexpected, shattering loss of three immediate family members years later brought Priscilla to her knees.
Review: Sadly, I did not love this book. For some reason I had expected more reflective insights. Priscilla Presley met Elvis when she was very young and had a child when still practically a child herself. I don't doubt that she did the best she could. However, now in her 80s, I expected to have some accountability or take some responsibility for some of her children's issues, and I don't know that she has. She speaks matter-of-factly and how there wasn't much she could have done. This memoir did not make me love Priscilla or cause me to feel much empathy toward her.
