From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir

A beautiful and deeply personal account of a mother and daughter. Julia Roberts reads Lisa Marie's sections and Riley reads her own thoughts. How two women had unusual family upbringings and coped with family, the fame of being a very famous person's offspring and dealing with life. I'm glad Riley rose above and thrived. While an amazing book, you should definitely hear it on audiobook.

Great book LISA tells how Priscilla was more concerned about herself instead of raising her child Lisa had lost her father she loved dearly she needed her mother to help her through her grieving , Priscilla left her with her live in boyfriend boarding schools anything except with her ! The pain LISA went through must have been unbearable !!! Now Priscilla tells how much she loved LISA how lonely she is with her gone shame on you PRISCILLA LISA was in your way she’s not now but your still trying to make money off her for you and your son 😵‍💫😵‍💫 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮

There are no "angels" in this book. Lisa's life, like everyone's - is filled with her & others around her doing some bad, good & morally questionable things. So, if you're a unrealistic super fan of Elvis, Lisa or MJ I have no idea how to explain my reaction to the content of this book to you. Except that I can't help but feel the deepest empathy towards all three of these people who lived extraordinarily different lives from most people in history if you think about it. PROS: Uniquely done with both Lisa and her daughter telling the story. GRITTY, HUMOROUS, GENUINE 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. SHORT While I learned a lot of things I didn't know before it does kind of feel like a filled in highlight reel. ASSUMPTIONS It seems to assume that you've read/watched at least a few interviews that Lisa has given. EX - OMISSION There isn't much in it about her last husband. SCIENTOLOGY Her 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. The * SPOILERS* 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. FINAL THOUGHTS If you could go back in time & talk to each of them (EP, LP & MJ) as children and ask them what they want to be when they grow up; exactly ZERO of them 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. Note: Lisa asked for help with this book because she didn't know what it should contain. Then her son died and that obviously had an impact on her state on mind when it came to writing this book. 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.

I've had a two year readers block. Have not been able to finish any book past the first few chapters. But this book was not one of those. I could not put it down and read till the end. Riley is an amazing writer and her mother would have been as well had she pursued writing more. The story of this mother and daughter is told beautifully. Its funny, scary, shocking and at times so very sad. Riley is multi talented and gifted with so many artistic skills. And writing is one I hope she continues. If she happens to read this review I would like to say thank you for sharing this very candid look into her and her mom's life. I actually felt like I was right there with you both through all of it.

Everyone should read this book. Every mother that has had the opportunity to break the chain from a bad childhood and to give your children a completely different childhood. This is not a Memoir of Lisa Marie Presley, it shows that she was a human being that has had so many losses in her life and how she overcame them.

Written in alternating dialogues, Lisa Marie’s section taken directly from her audiotapes, and Riley filling in with her own knowledge and observations, this book feels like an intimate conversation where both Lisa and Riley are at their most vulnerable. Lisa is open about the trauma of losing her father (“I was becoming numb to everything…”), the feeling that her mother never wanted her (“My mother told me that she’d thought about trying to fall off her horse to cause a miscarriage.”), and her general insecurity; Riley states: “She wasn’t sure what her value to the public was other than being Elvis’s daughter.” Lisa opens up about her drug use as a teenager, and then again later in life, her general distrust of people, as well as her marriages and music career, and how motherhood gave her life meaning (“I fell in love with being a mom…being a mom was everything to me.”). Riley reminisced on happier times where the family “felt very normal.” Holidays, vacations, going on tour for Lisa’s albums, Riley describes a “magical” childhood for both herself and her brother, Ben. Riley talks about the bond between Lisa and her son, Ben (“I had an instinct that Ben was the love of my mom’s life…they shared a very deep soul bond.”). The chapters about Ben’s suicide and Lisa’s subsequent death are brutal. I was left with a feeling of heartbreak and admiration for Riley and her younger sisters. Throughout the book, Riley is the calm within the storm. Nonjudgmental, observant, she fills in the parts where Lisa didn’t reach, not feeling like an intrusion, but a necessary presence. This book is a heart-wrenching, beautiful read. Hearing both Lisa and Riley’s raw, human voices in these pages will stay with me.

“From Here to the Great Unknown” is a memoir of Lisa Marie Presley, legendary Elvis’s daughter, told by herself and her daughter Riley Keough. Lisa Marie Presley recorded her memories and asked her daughter to help her to write the book. Sadly, she died shortly after making those tapes, leaving the task of sharing her story with the world to her daughter. I love memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies. I could even say that these are my favourite genres. There is something indescribably poignant in reading about real people's lives. Often, the twists and turns which happened in reality are more unbelievable than the most elaborate fiction. I don’t always like the person who wrote the memoir or to whom the biography is dedicated. To be honest, even as a teenager, I have never been a true fan of any famous person, be it a singer, actor, or band. As to writers, thanks to our excellent Literature teacher at school, I knew too much about their ‘dirty laundry’ to unconditionally admire any of them. And still, it is exceedingly rare that I can’t relate to the person I’m reading about at all. Alas, this is what happened when I was reading this book. That’s why I was reluctant to write a review and share my thoughts. I don’t like reviewing books I didn’t enjoy. After all, it is purely subjective, and others might feel differently about the story. Yet, after coming across the review of the book around which there is or was huge hype and chatting with the person who wrote it on Instagram, I decided that I could share my thoughts too. So, here is my take on Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir. First, I didn’t like the book. At all. It made me boil with indignation – and I didn’t like feeling this way. I am a sympathetic person who always tries to help and comfort people, but it was just too preposterous to feel any sympathy. I guess I should have rated it with one star, but I don’t think it’s fair. I’ve read the book till the end, and it made me think about things. So, it wasn’t without any value. Riley Keough wrote at the beginning that her goal for making this book even after her mother passed was to show the world what a wonderful person Lisa Marie Presley was. I think that the main reason for the frustration from my side is that she has failed. What I saw, having read the book, was a shallow person without any depth or substance who, by a whim of fate, was born into wealth. A lot of people lose their loved ones, have difficult relationships within their families, and fight addictions and trauma. Yet, not all of them have the means to try to remedy the damage. Lisa Marie Presley had everything at her disposal to steer her life into a lighter, healthier path than the one her parents had placed her on. Her famous father, unintentionally, by dying when she was a child. Her mother by her marriages and her husbands’/boyfriends’ attitude to Lisa Marie. Instead, she seemed to have floated through life, avoiding anything that required any effort. Her thoughts about school and education are ridiculous. She said she didn’t care about school, wasn’t interested in anything it could offer, and ignored it. But then she went on declaring that she craved to understand life, what it was all about. I’m not a die-hard fan of traditional education. Any system is rigid by default and cannot be perfect. Even so, anyone who wants to achieve something tangible, significant, like exploring space, finding a cure for a serious illness, etc., must go through the education ladder as it is. There is no way around it. Whether it is good and fair is a different matter altogether. Having read the book, I was left with the impression that it still depends on a person if they strive to achieve something or not irrespective what start they are given in life. Some pursue their passion even if they were born rich. They use the opportunities to build something worthy, to grow. Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter, is an excellent proof of this theory. She is successful in both her family and professional lives despite having grown up in a dysfunctional environment. Riley Keough said that it felt like they all had led a charmed existence, what with all the travelling to exotic locations, spending time surrounded by luxury. I wonder if this ‘fairy tale’ wasn’t the reason her mother not simply lost but had never felt a connection with reality. A childhood spent in Elvis’s Graceland, so unlike any place children usually grow in, then changing schools and her mother’s hectic lifestyle – all this could have warped anyone’s mind. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is not the book I’ve enjoyed reading. Still, it has taught me something and given me some food for thought. I believe it’s not the worst result of an otherwise unsatisfying read.

When Lisa Marie set out to write her story, she had every intention of finishing it but two years ago, she knew that wasn’t going to happen, so she asked her daughter to help. Written in their alternating voices, Lisa Marie’s, growing up and getting into trouble at Graceland with Elvis, it’s as unfathomable as you can imagine, then Riley’s loving and mostly happy yet tumultuous childhood with her mom whose depression, addiction, and insecurities fanned out in so many ways it was almost as if the child was raising the parent. Obviously, this book was published posthumously for Presley, Riley said she used her mom’s words as she recorded herself on tape before she died. You can tell, it doesn’t read as if edited, it sounds like a woman, not over the tragedy of losing her larger than life father she so loved, she didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with, a mother who sent mixed signals she didn’t get along with, bouncing around schools where she never fit in, a lonely existence, and then, she met Riley’s father at a young age, and though their marriage didn’t last, they maintained a lifelong friendship. She never had a chance to grow up. Riley reflects on her mom’s marriage to Michael Jackson. I’ll just leave that there. There are other tragic occurrences that will make you understand just how difficult life must have been for Lisa Marie. The loss of her son, something no mother should ever have to bear. If you’re interested in an honest straight from the celebrity story, this is your book. Know that it’s truly heartbreaking. Riley portrayed her mama in a truthful and loving light, and I imagine Lisa Marie would be proud of her daughter who comes across as kind, level-headed, and despite the generational trauma in her family tree, has found her own more stable branch.

This book brings Lisa Marie Presleys' life into a reality. It was very interesting to read her words, along with her daughters' understanding of her mothers' life. I love the parts that I read about LM & MJ.If you are interested in learning about LM, then this book is for you!!

lisa marie lived a sad life, growing up in the shadows of a person larger than life itself. the man who started it all. the first rock icon. roughly one third of the book covers her life in graceland and mentions the poor treatment of priscilla towards her. i think her was life full of tragedies, i couldn't help it but shed tears to the book as i was turning each page away. a. well written memoir. riley keough did her justice. may wherever lisa marie is now, i hope she's at peace.

Impossible not to love Lisa Marie Presley: her love, her sincerity, her spirituality, her beauty outside and inside. And thanks a million to Riley Keough for completing and making her mother's memoir known to all Elvis's fans. I only wish a collection of Lisa's songs be included in further editions, because they speak for Lisa, too.

Loved this book, happy and sad, so glad her daughter helped get it published. Recommend to Elvis fans.

This is by far the saddest biography of anybody I've read. I am totally amazed by the good job Riley has put into this book. She writes full of emotion but also from a distance so that the reader can relate to the story. I think this will make any Elvis fan very happy as you have lots of sweet stories about him as a father. Interesting to read are also all the details about Lisas difficult relationship with her mother and the last months in her own life and how grief at such an early age can affect your entire life. I would have loved for the book to be a little longer with more pictures. It is sad to see that some Elvis fans are so full of hate to give this book only one star when in fact we get to know him through the lens of his daughter, the only person he unconditionally loved.