Hey readers! I just finished one of my FAVORITE books of the year, and I am happy to recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to read over the upcoming holiday vacation.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
This is what is called an “epistolary” novel, which means it is told entirely through letters (and some emails) back and forth between the main character and those with whom she interacts. Sybil Van Antwerp is a retired lawyer in her 70’s who spends much of her time writing letters. She is stubborn, intelligent, and opinionated, but ultimately charismatic and interesting. She’s one of those grumpy characters that kind of steal your heart away, even though you recognize how others might write them off. She writes letters to her best friend, brother, university presidents…even famous authors like Joan Didion. She also writes (but never sends) letters to someone from her past, and these reveal significant elements of her painful life.
What a wonderful book this was! I would recommend it to anyone. It was heartbreaking and sad at some points (I cried), but also sometimes silly and funny and deep and moving. The main character is so rich and well developed, it was easy to imagine that she really exists in the world. It also really reminded me what an art letter-writing is and can be, and how unfortunate that we are that so few people engage in this worthwhile form of communication. In some ways the book acts as a love letter to letters themselves.
From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley
I was not alive when Elvis was performing, but like many others I am fascinated by his life and career. I WAS alive when his daughter Lisa Marie Presley was making headlines, such as when she married Michael Jackson in 1994. It was an event splashed across the covers of every major newspaper and magazine.
This memoir is written by Lisa Marie Presley and her daughter (Elvis’s granddaughter) Riley Keough. They offer an up close and personal look at what it was like to know and love Elvis not only as a performer and public figure, but as a member of your immediate family. Lisa Marie asked her daughter, Riley Keough, to assist her with the writing of the memoir in 2022, shortly before her death. After Lisa Marie died in January 2023, Riley completed the book using audio tapes her mother had recorded. The memoir is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, creating a unique conversation between mother and daughter across life and death.
This memoir covers:
- Lisa Marie’s Childhood at Graceland: Stories about growing up as Elvis Presley’s only child, including memories of smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland and the unconditional love she felt from her father.
- Elvis’s Death: Lisa Marie recounts finding her father’s body when she was just nine years old.
- Troubled Adolescence: Her experiences living in Los Angeles with her mother Priscilla, being sent to multiple schools and constantly getting into trouble.
- Relationships: The book recalls Presley’s relationship with her father, Elvis Presley, her relationships with Michael Jackson and Danny Keough and her struggles with addiction.
- Motherhood and Grief: The memoir addresses her experience as a mother and discusses profound grief, particularly following the death of her son Benjamin in 2020.
- Addiction: Lisa Marie writes candidly about her struggles with addiction throughout her life.
If you like audiobook, this one is particularly enjoyable, narrated by Julia Roberts (reading Lisa Marie’s words) and Riley Keough (reading her own sections), with some passages featuring Lisa Marie’s actual voice from the recordings.
