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While Elvis and Ginger were not always together during the time of their relationship (how many couples ever are?), they did spend a substantial amount of time in, and enjoying, each other’s company. This is well recorded in ELVIS & Ginger as it is in other books such as those by George Klein and Peter Guralnick.
Klein, in his 2010 memoir, Elvis: My Best Man, said of Ginger that she “seemed good for him” and that after her arrival in his life it was good to see Elvis “passionate about something again”. Similarly, Peter Guralnick, in his seminal book, Elvis Day By Day, states that in order to keep Ginger with him on tour, Elvis flew in Ginger’s mother and sister, Rosemary.
Rose colored glasses - issues ignored? Respectively, probably and yes. Ginger would hardly be the first person to view a special relationship through her own personal, refracting prism affected by the vagaries of time. Similarly, there are a few issues Ginger could have addressed (and it probably would have helped her in the eyes of some fans if she had), but for whatever reason she chose not to. These issues are well known to those interested in them and I don’t need to mention them here. In any case, autobiographies and memories are implicitly characterised by the author choosing what to mention and what not to mention.
In this context I recall a flood of negativity among fans about Priscilla’s memoir, Elvis and Me, when it was first published, yet today it is generally revered. As they say, time heals all wounds and allows a more balanced perspective on, once contentious, issues. Some have criticised Ginger for lacking emotion in her narrative. This is an unfairly harsh view, which appears to be driven by a political agenda, rather than a balanced and considered appraisal of her book. While segments of ELVIS & Ginger are descriptive in nature and not surprisingly emotionally detached, there are also moments which reflect resonant emotional intensity:
When he saw my tears, Elvis thought I must be upset with him. “You’re not happy with me,” he ventured.
If passages like these are uneasy for some readers, that should be their issue not Ginger’s, and certainly such passages should not be derided or stridently dismissed. Ginger, like everyone else who knew Elvis, has the right to publish a memoir. How readers view what she has written is a personal decision, as it should be.
Importantly, throughout ELVIS & Ginger, the author offers glimpses into who she "was" in 1977 and who she "is" today. For example, in the Author’s Note opening her memoir, there is a poignant and revealing moment when Ginger’s son, Hunter, returns from school one day and says:
In response to her son’s question, Ginger writes:
Ginger Alden’s memoir is also interesting in that it records a range of minutiae about what Elvis and Ginger did on a day-to-basis when Elvis was away from the stage and his fans. Much of that minutiae will undoubtedly find its way into future encyclopedic records of Elvis’ life. Some of those small but engaging events are:
That Ginger’s memoir recently debuted inside the top 20 of the New York Times Best Selling Hardcover Non-Fiction list and has also been ranked #1 on several Amazon best-selling lists is a clear statement that many fans are interested in the Ginger Alden story.
Summary: ELVIS & Ginger is a long overdue memoir and one which many fans will enjoy. It is a release that has already, quite emotionally, divided some fans. Regardless of one’s feelings about Ginger Alden, her book offers a positive and welcome window into Elvis’ final months and provides a record of some of the small things in life......and in Elvis’ case those small things are what countless researchers and authors have striven to find and report over many decades. Between the lines, Ginger’s memoir also offers insight to what was an unusual relationship and, in so doing, begs questions about both Elvis and Ginger. Another reviewer commented that “A rosy aura glows throughout this misty memoir of love and loss”. In my opinion, Ginger could have done a lot worse. Buy the Kindle edition:
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