Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley

Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Loveis the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography.

Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award

Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time.

Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context.

Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 01/08/1999
ISBN: 9780316332224
Pages: 784
Weight: 2.33lbs
Size: 9.78h x 6.36w x 1.83d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/15/1998 pg. 60
Booklist 11/01/1998 pg. 450
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/1998 pg. 1579
Publishers Weekly 11/09/1998 pg. 62
New York Times 01/03/1999 pg. 4
Library Journal 01/01/1999 pg. 100
New York Times 06/06/1999 pg. 38
New York Times 12/05/1999 pg. 86
Publishers Weekly Best Books 01/01/1999 pg. 50
Library Journal 09/15/1998
Library Journal 01/01/1999