Last Ride to Graceland

by Kim Wright

[kimbacaffeinate]

Cory Ainsworth knows her mother was a backup singer for Elvis Presley. Her mother was there the day Elvis died, but she quickly returned home to Beaufort and married her high school sweetheart. Cory also knows she could not possibly be her father’s biological daughter. The math just does not add up, although friends and family will tell you Cory was a nine-pound premature baby.

The Last Ride to Graceland really takes off when Cory finds Elvis Presley’s Stutz Blackhawk bubble wrapped inside her families shed. It is like a time capsule with clues from the past. Anxious to know more about her mother and possibly discover whom her Daddy is, thirty-seven year old Cory impulsively jumps in the car and decides to retrace her mother’s trip from Graceland.

Wright delivers the story from Cory’s perspective, but she also takes us back to the summer Cory’s mother Honey spent in Graceland. The journey may have begun as a quest to learn who her father was, but it slowly becomes a journey to understand her mother and herself.

The pace of Last Ride to Graceland was easy-going, as we traveled the back roads and met friends of Cory’s mother. I enjoyed these small-towns and the bits of nostalgia. While fictional, Wright did research Elvis, giving bits of the tale an authentic feel.

I loved the landscape, iconic stops we made and enjoyed getting to know Cory and all of her quirks. The reveal of Cory’s biological father felt genuine and Wright gave us a clear account of Honey’s time in Graceland leaving me satisfied. I closed the book happy and hopeful for Cory.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer