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In Those First Bright Days of Elvis
One trivial decision can change a whole life The pain of being an unpopular Dilbert mushrooms like a nuclear cloud when Julie Morgan makes an innocent decision to attend a concert by new singer named Elvis Presley. Already burdened with low self-esteem because of her broken home, Julie becomes desperate when her only three friends dump her at the concert. To make matters worse, on that fateful night the foundation of her world is shaken when she comes face to face with an identical lookalike. Forced to suppress her shyness and reach out to the popular crowd to keep from being utterly alone, Julie teeters on the precipice of success when in-crowd leader Maylene announces the final test for Julie’s acceptance. The tension builds as Julie struggles with taking the step to secure her position, a step which could either end in disaster or make her dreams come true. Should she take the risk? What would you do? If you like gripping tension and page-turners you can’t put down, you will love this heart-wrenching YA series, The Days of Elvis, set in the deep south in those unforgettable days when Rock ‘n’ Roll was born. Josephine Rascoe Keenan masterfully weaves a story of anguish and betrayal, love and loss, recrimination and regret, to show how choices, once made, can change your life forever. Get your copy of In Those First Bright Days of Elvis today to start your “must have” roadmap of the human heart.
- GenresYoung Adult
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2016
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 28, 2018
Amazing read!
Plagued by being a social outcast in school from a broken home in 1955, Julie Morgan is invited to a birthday celebration at a concert and talent show one October evening. After being weirded out by seeing her doppelganger and being ditched by her friends, she tries to make A desperate attempt to get in with the popular crowd. But her choice to go along with their little game winds her up with a plutonic night with the concert's headliner... Elvis Presley! They sent become friends and he gives her a bit of advice involving a light bulb which becomes her mantra for the rest of her life. But as she falls down the wrong path trying desperately wants again to get in with the popular crowd she finds herself in turmoil. Never knowing her need for acceptance stems from her drunken absent father she falls further down the spiral. Will Elvis's words to her stand out and will she remember the meaning behind them?
Beautifully written! The characters are written so well in the way that they speak and their mannerisms that they seem to jump right off the page. So believable it's almost scary! Be warned this is a tearjerker!!!
I really enjoyed this one. One of the best I've read in a while. The author has masterful skills and I look forward to reading the second installment. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good YA read with a tissue box.
Plagued by being a social outcast in school from a broken home in 1955, Julie Morgan is invited to a birthday celebration at a concert and talent show one October evening. After being weirded out by seeing her doppelganger and being ditched by her friends, she tries to make A desperate attempt to get in with the popular crowd. But her choice to go along with their little game winds her up with a plutonic night with the concert's headliner... Elvis Presley! They sent become friends and he gives her a bit of advice involving a light bulb which becomes her mantra for the rest of her life. But as she falls down the wrong path trying desperately wants again to get in with the popular crowd she finds herself in turmoil. Never knowing her need for acceptance stems from her drunken absent father she falls further down the spiral. Will Elvis's words to her stand out and will she remember the meaning behind them?
Beautifully written! The characters are written so well in the way that they speak and their mannerisms that they seem to jump right off the page. So believable it's almost scary! Be warned this is a tearjerker!!!
I really enjoyed this one. One of the best I've read in a while. The author has masterful skills and I look forward to reading the second installment. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good YA read with a tissue box.
May 27, 2016
I didn't know what to expect from this book that began with an immersion into teenage angst in the Deep South in the 50's. At first, I was somewhat distracted by the local slang of the time, and the seeming superficiality of the characters' typical teen lives. Suddenly the story became gripping, serious, and drew me in to the point I couldn't put it down. Still, mostly, addressing the lives of these "archetypes", as well as Elvis Presley's meteoric rise to fame. This IS a "young adult" book (NOT a children's book), and it takes on timeless issues, funny and tragic, that will resonate with "old adults" as well.
I couldn't put it down after I got a little way into the story,and the well researched dialogue of the times between the characters added to the depth and tension of the story by insisting that I let myself be transported to that place and time, in those first bright days of Elvis.
I couldn't put it down after I got a little way into the story,and the well researched dialogue of the times between the characters added to the depth and tension of the story by insisting that I let myself be transported to that place and time, in those first bright days of Elvis.
August 23, 2017
I have just read Volume I and Volume II of Josephine Rascoe Keenans III Volume teen story ‘’In Those First Bright Days of Elvis’’ and ‘’In those Dazzling Days of Elvis’’.
Josephine has a very fast and fluid style of writing, and the reader gets immersed straight away in the plot. Her young characters are well described and well rounded, and you become easily involved in all the drama and angst of 1955 teenagers.
From the start you get to know the young Julie Morgan, aged 15, who decides to attend a free talent show and concert in her hometown in Arkansas, with some school friends, where a young, unknown Elvis Presley, is singing. The concert is a success, but sadly Julie and the friends fall out, at the end of the concert, and she finds herself facing a prospect of walking home alone quite late at night. While standing there wondering what to do, the young unknown performer Elvis, walks by and seeing Julie looking very upset, befriends her and offers to drive her home. He has had a
fabulous evening, with a crowd who really appreciated his singing, and says to Julie, who he decides to called Juliet, that she is his lucky charm. That heralds the start of a long friendship between Julie and Elvis, as he writes regularly to her, updating her with his singing career, and sending her the latest disc he has recorded. This friendship permeates both books, and is a good release of the tensions that are gathering as you progress through the 2 novels.
Like many readers, I await Volume III of the series, with hopefully happy conclusions.
Josephine has a very fast and fluid style of writing, and the reader gets immersed straight away in the plot. Her young characters are well described and well rounded, and you become easily involved in all the drama and angst of 1955 teenagers.
From the start you get to know the young Julie Morgan, aged 15, who decides to attend a free talent show and concert in her hometown in Arkansas, with some school friends, where a young, unknown Elvis Presley, is singing. The concert is a success, but sadly Julie and the friends fall out, at the end of the concert, and she finds herself facing a prospect of walking home alone quite late at night. While standing there wondering what to do, the young unknown performer Elvis, walks by and seeing Julie looking very upset, befriends her and offers to drive her home. He has had a
fabulous evening, with a crowd who really appreciated his singing, and says to Julie, who he decides to called Juliet, that she is his lucky charm. That heralds the start of a long friendship between Julie and Elvis, as he writes regularly to her, updating her with his singing career, and sending her the latest disc he has recorded. This friendship permeates both books, and is a good release of the tensions that are gathering as you progress through the 2 novels.
Like many readers, I await Volume III of the series, with hopefully happy conclusions.
April 27, 2023
Definitely a 4.5 rating. Although touted as a YA book, it reads easily to an adult. We’ve lived this story, with one pelvic thrusted exception, and is a page turner—what happens next? Looking forward to book 2 of the series.
February 4, 2019
Love it. Fresh and funny. Some things about being a teenager don't change over the decades. Buy a copy for your mom or grandma....I did.
October 18, 2016
The author wonderfully evokes a time and place long past with skill, grace and a witty empathy of someone who knows of what she writes. Her characters are real, both in their naivete and cruelty. She knows them well and invests them with credible thoughts and feelings on every page. This book is crafted in a way to entice the reader by creating conflict, suspense and someone to root for. A very good read, indeed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews