Elvis Takes A Back Seat

by Leanna Ellis

Elvis Takes a Back Seat is the endearing story of Claudia, a young widow determined to fulfill her husband's last request by hauling a three-foot bust of Elvis Presley in the backseat of her vintage Cadillac from Dallas to Memphis to return it to its rightful owner. The road trip -- taken with an eccentric aunt who actually knew the "King of Rock `n' Roll," and a temperamental teen with a suspicious mind of her own -- hits some royal roadblocks and detours as these women uncover pieces of their past along with the bust's mysterious history. What they find along the way changes their lives forever, inspiring readers to also step out in faith.

Genres: Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Humor, Adventure

360 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Award-winning author, Leanna Ellis, writes sweet, heartwarming romances and closed-door romantic comedies with heart, humor, and hope. With over a million books sold, Ellis has won numerous awards, including the National Readers' Choice Award. She lives in Texas with her husband where they raised their two children, who now live too far away living their dreams but apparently still like to come home, probably to visit their doodle siblings who never grow up and move away. Readers who love Hallmark-style, wholesome love stories, will love The Wedding Letter series and the coming Love Note sereies. You can find more about Ellis at leannaellis.com.

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.
Being an avid Elvis fan, I could not resist this book and settled happily into this read. From the title I expected it to be a quick, light read, which is what I wanted after my last book. It is in some ways. The style is amusing and each chapter starts with the name of a song Elvis sang. There are lots of references throughout to Elvis and his music, all of which I could associate with and him singing the songs. But it is not all a light read as some deeper subjects are covered.
The story concerns Claudia who embarks on a trip to fulfil her dead husband’s last request to take a three foot high bust of Elvis from Dallas back to Memphis. Her Aunt Rae, who knew Elvis in her younger days, and Ivy, a friend’s 15 year old daughter who has a few issues in her life go along. Returning the bust of Elvis proves to be problematic and along the way more than a few secrets are uncovered, not all of them easy to deal with.
The book deals with loss, grief, forgiveness, secrets, faith and doubts. I was enjoying it for quite a while and prepared to suspend disbelief, but after a while the Elvis emphasis became a bit much, especially when it started on about the ghost of Elvis. I also think some people may find the Christian element a little preachy. Guess that depends on what you believe and where you are at in life.
On the whole I enjoyed this book, even though I had worked out some of the secrets long before the characters in the story did. Still, it was a good change of pace from my last read and that’s what I like. Of course I have to say last night when I went out in the car, what did I listen to? Elvis singing gospel songs. It just seemed appropriate, somehow.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on some review site, and it sounded interesting, so I decided it would be a different read for me. It was a very good story about life, family, death, moving on, starting over, and...well you get the idea. The main character, Claudia, is a widow who has not moved on after her beloved husband dies of cancer. When forced into a garage sale by her aunt, a bust of Elvis that had been her husband's since college is a bone of contention. Claudia knows it is her husband's dying wish that she return it to Memphis, and goes on the reluctant journey with her aunt and best friend's 15 year old Goth daughter. A trip fraught with frustration made in a vintage cadillac that was her husband's, it looks as though ELvis will never be returned to where he came from. Along the way the three women reveal secrets about themselves and learn about life. It was heart wrenching and heart warming to read. I wasn't shocked at the resolution, but it wasn't supposed to be a suspenseful book. I am not an Elvis fan, however I remember the day he died and how many people seemed to be affected. This book is written for those people and for all people who need to discover life. I highly recommend it! :)

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elvis Takes a Back Seatby award-winning novelist Leanna Ellis is the endearing story of Claudia, a young widow determined to fulfill her husband’s last request by hauling a three-foot bust of Elvis Presley in the backseat of a vintage Cadillac from Dallas to Memphis to return it to its rightful owner. The road trip—taken with an eccentric aunt who actually knew the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll,” and a temperamental teen with a suspicious mind of her own—hits some royal roadblocks and detours as these women uncover pieces of their past along with the bust’s mysterious history. What they find along the way changes their lives forever, inspiring readers to also step out in faith

[kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded Elvis Takes a Backseat as a free e-book offered from Kindle. I listened to it instead of reading it. The story is a pilgrimage for three women, Claudia, her Aunt Rae, and her friends daughter Ivy. The journey finds them all exploring their personal griefs, sharing common bonds, discovering secrets and coming to terms with what life has given them. This is Christian fiction so faith in God plays a large part in their ability to cope. The story was not light hearted although there were moments of humor. Many tears were also shed. I'm not a fan of excessive grief and tears or Elvis so I was glad the book was free.

[fyc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that we all go through periods of doubt. Doubt about whether Christ is in our lives,doubts as to whether He loves us, doubts about whether He hears our prayers. It is also about omitting Him from our lives and the toll life takes on us when we don't lean on Him. This is a great novel for those questioning their faith.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a book club book or I would have quit reading after about 25 pages. It didn't improve as I finished it. It is pretty silly, very light reading with not much plot. It's only redeeming feature is the way it deals with relationships between the characters. The plot was very predictible and boring.I won't choose this author again.

[Amber Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book that ended up being not just about an elvis bust but also i feel about the loss and finding of faith in many different senerios. It is cute little read with undertones of faith. Not overpowering as some books can be. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I'm a big Elvis fan so the title drew me in. The book was ok, it kind of drug on with the drama at times and some of the slams on Elvis grated on me. Overall it was a nice story with a message.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and the characters and having been to Graceland and remember the day Elvis died, enjoyed the homage paid to the legend as part of the plot twists!

[Cyndee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library thinking it would be funny. It was not only not funny, it was predictable and preachy.

[Caroline Clemmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't stop reading. Elvis Takes A Back Seat is a delightful journey of discovery.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the story line and the characters. Will read again!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were several things in this book that were predictable but so many of the issues were real life things. I loved how the three women were so different and yet weren't so different.m

[Kathy Broyles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wish that Amazon or any other bookseller would state whether a book is a religious fiction. I liked this book fine until it got so preachy.

[Teresa Merriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

[Cheryl]

Every now and then, I enjoy reading a bit of road trip fiction. The author gathers a group of individuals with (usually) distinctly different personalities--puts them in a vehicle together and sends them off to find something/fill a request/seek a new home etc. There's usually drama, humor, conflicts and bonding. I had hopes for this story--but it just seemed to stretch on forever. It was not so much as a trip as a long hotel stay in Memphis, with characters struggling with different levels of regret, sadness, anger, frustration, spiritual uncertainty and fear. It was depressing. I have no idea how to rate this book. Maybe it would have helped matters if I'd been an Elvis fan to enjoy all the references?

[M. Pike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book at a secondhand store and was intrigued by the premise, forty-something widow Claudia is tasked with fulfilling her husband's last wish - to return a 3' bust of Elvis to Memphis, where he acquired it under questionable circumstances years before. Claudia is joined on her journey from Texas to Tennessee by her eccentric aunt, Rae, and a rather surly teenaged girl named Ivy.
The story was more than I expected it to be and took me by surprise in many ways as family secrets seemed to hide around every corner. Written with warmth and humor, it is the story of love, faith, and a woman learning to let go of the pain of the past and live again in the aftermath of her husband's death.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A road trip story which begins with an interesting cast of characters and idea but quickly loses its way. Is this book a ghostly mystery, a call to get on with life after grief, or a Christian novel? There was never enough ghost, too much repetition of getting on with life and Christian platitudes.If it had settled into one of these it might have been a passable story except for the style. The author uses too many smiles, poses too many ponderable questions, and at an important point resorts to sentimentality.

[Pam King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave the book 2 stars because I did like the main character, and its a short/easy read. BUT as an Elvis fan, the idea of the story/trip to Graceland to fulfill a wish was super cute- but the vibe…creepy 😆. Also I felt so bad for all the twists and turns the main character had to go through…Way too. much. I struggled to finish the book.

[Lester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmnnn..a lovely and entertaining theme. Unfortunately or not..I am an 'irreverent sod' and there was waaaay too much 'god-shite' in this story for me.
I liked the idea of the 'family trip main theme' though..so thank you for that Leanna Ellis.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what is is about road trip books to Graceland -- I can never get enough of them! This one is a poignant Christian family drama, of course featuring quite a bit of the King of Rock N Roll.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elvis does take a backseat, however looking back helps Claudia, Rae and Ivy make decisions in their lives. I read this for a book challenge on traveling. The travel from Dallas to Memphis was not as prominent in the storyline, but the lives of the women were.

[Stacey E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading my shelves and came across this. It was okay, nothing to write home about. I guessed the pregnancy and adoption early on. I appreciated that it was a clean read with some faith elements. I don't think I'll keep it on my shelves but I would read more from this author.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a fun, quirky, light read. What I got was a weird story, overloaded with tragedies, that couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be a faith-based inspirational novel or a ghost story.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently widowed Claudia McIntosh, after some internal debating, decides to fulfill her husband's last request to return his 3 ft tall ceramic Elvis bust back to its original owner. She's confused as to what he means by "original owner" because she thought it had always been his. To make things even more fun, he doesn't tell her who this original owner was or is! Still, she sets out to drive from Dallas, TX to Memphis, TN, hoping that a trip to Graceland will give her some answers. Joining her on this road trip are her aunt Rae (who claims to have hung with the real Elvis) and Ivy, the moody teen daughter of Claudia's longtime friend and boss, Ben.

Ivy has been emotionally closed off since her mother walked out on the family years ago. It is Ben's hope that Ivy going on this trip with fun-loving Claudia and Rhea will give Ivy the comfort and confidence to start opening up again. Little does he know that Ivy's interest in this trip has to do with her learning that her birth mother may be living in Tennessee.

Readers can expect to find your standard road trip novel where each character involved moves along happy-go-lucky until being thrust into various situations that have them having some sort of A-HA moment. Claudia, feeling bereft of the mothering aspect of her life, finds another way to get her mothering on through watching over Ivy. Watching Ivy work through her conflicted emotions regarding her mother, Claudia finally faces her own emotions surrounding HER mother's abandonment. Rae uses her life stories as lessons on how not to run from pain but through the course of the story has to learn how to actually live by her own message.

Probably no surprise, but each chapter features a title that references an Elvis song that also gives hints to what's ahead in that chapter. Sometimes the Elvis references throughout the story itself feel a bit unnatural, forced into the story just to get the Elvis theme in there enough, but at other times it's as entertaining as EP fans might hope for. The dialogue, at times, seemed like it relied too much on platitude-heavy conversations that just didn't sound like how the average person would converse and the humor, though it had its good moments, also had parts where the joke didn't quite land. The ending was largely predictable but there was one small surprising twist in the story's closing. The ending did turn more preachy than I was expecting. Having religion mentioned is not necessarily out of place in this kind of story, as Elvis Presley himself was a deeply religious man, but even so it got a bit heavy-handed there near the end, I have to say... to the point of making the closing scenes somewhat cringey and laughable. It felt as if Ellis was really reaching to tie in the godly aspect.. but it ended up coming off clunky and unnatural.

All in all, it wasn't a bad little trip to take with these ladies but something about it in general felt a wee bit flat for me. And maybe part of my minor dissatisfaction comes from how tiresome I sometimes found Claudia and Ivy (for different reasons). I appreciated that some tougher topics were addressed along with the light-hearted, comical moments but in the end felt the more serious bits were still played a bit too safe for me.

[Julie Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claudia’s husband Stu has passed away. Claudia can’t seem to part with any of Stu’s things, including a huge bust of Elvis Presley.

Claudia relegated Elvis to the attic for the past 20 years. While going through Stu’s things she finds him(Elvis) along with a note from Stu stating that Elvis needs to be returned to Memphis.

Claudia, her Aunt Rae and Ivy(Stu’s best friend Ben’s daughter) set out from Dallas to Memphis to try to find out where Stu originally got the Elvis bust. Each woman has a reason for being on this trip.

Rae had a relationship with Elvis when she was a young woman. While on this trip she reveals little by little bits and pieces of her life. Ivy has a secret of her own. One that will change her life forever. Claudia has lost her faith in God and is still tied to the memories of her husband.

Will each woman find the answers they are in need of? Will they eventually find where the Elvis bust belongs? Will Claudia find her faith again? Will Ivy make the right choices for her life?

I can’t say this was one of my favorite books to read. I thought it was dis-jointed in parts. I couldn’t tell who was talking to whom or even sometimes who was doing the talking! I thought the spiritual content was pretty weak. There was talk of having faith in God, but never how to have that faith. When the characters visit the “church” that the Elvis bust supposedly came from and talk about seeing “the ghost of Elvis” started the book pretty much lost me. Even with all of that though I did feel a connection and enough interest in the book to finish it and find out what happens to everyone. If you are looking for a deeper spiritual message this is probably not for you.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many books out there and so little time to read them all. This is one story I recommend you take the time to enjoy. While there is nothing fluffy about this book, it does have it's humorous moments. There are also some very deep moments and emotional ties that develop between these friends whe secrets come out that challenge their beliefs. I found some of the struggles they dealt with to be very true-to-life. And when it comes to grief and loss, I dare say I don't think I've read anything more real and honest than Claudia's perspective. I've read a lot of stories where people were angry with God for losing a loved one, but Leanna Ellis makes this one feel...real. It's hard to explain, but if you know someone who is angry and feels far away from God because they can't seem to let go, this would be a great book to give them to help them work through that.

But this story is more than just a glance into someone's pain, it's a compelling tale of three women who all have serious issues to deal with. The dialogue is natural and feels so real. The way the author brings these issues to the forefront through the story is incredibly well-done. You can actually learn something about your own heart and your own relationship with God from reading this book. That's a skill few authors have, and that's what makes it fabulous Christian fiction in my book. I highly recommend it.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was good and the editing better than most I've read in a e-book for a while, but the story is just a little wierd and a bit too conversional for my taste.
This is a story about a woman who has been a widow for a while, maybe a year and a half. She has also lost her mother, not so long before her husband and her father when she was young. The scene begings really at a garage sale of both her husband's and her mother's things, that her aunt and her boss, also her husband's best friend in life, have convinced her to have to help her "move-on".

In the attic is a bust of Elvis Presley. Her husband, Stu, was an avid fan; her, not so much. She finds a note from Stu asking her to return the bust to Faithland. Her aunt "knew" Elvis and her boss and his daughter, Ivy (15 years old)need a break from each other (he is raising her on his own as her mother left when she was a baby). The three of them head off for Tennesse to discover just where the Elvis bust goes and who owns it.

Each woman has her own secrets and demons to deal with and the reader discovers them as the story unfolds; and a strange, albeit possible, set of stories they are. The writer wants to investigate faith and belief and does it with this story. The basis of her theology is that belief is a choice.
Whether I agree or not, matters not - I am not sure that she succeeded in her thesis. That aside it was an ok read.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 3 out of 5]

At a garage sale to clear out her deceased husband's stuff, Claudia comes across the large bust of Elvis that had been hidden away in the attic. Along with the bust was a note that seems to imply that she should return the bust to its home in Memphis. So Claudia, her aunt Rae, and a friend's teenage daughter head out to Memphis in a classic Cadillac with Elvis in the backseat.

This is a road trip story, but its really a story of love and grief and loss and how family and faith can help in the recovery. There are a few twists and turns, but unfortunately most of them will not be surprises for the reader. I had it figured out far before the end. In addition, there is some pretty heavy-handed preaching about the role of God and faith in life. But despite all that, this is a pretty enjoyable read. I read it on my Kindle on an airplane and it was a good choice for that situation. The plot is easy to follow, it contains some endearing characters, there are some funny parts, there is plenty of kitsch for the Elvis fan, and Claudia's voice is believable. Not bad at all considering I found the book on the free list from Amazon. What a great way to discover a new author!

[Judy Iliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claudia is searching. She's not exactly sure what she needs or wants, but she knows things aren't as they should be. She lost too many people in her life, the latest being her husband who died in his middle 40s. Claudia is not the only one who is "lost". There's her Aunt Rae who epitomizes the free spirit of the 60's and Ivy who is 15. Claudia's husband loved everything Elvis. As she is getting ready for a yard sale to get rid of the things she's kept that were her husband's and others that were he mother's, she discovers a note her DH wrote to her tucked in the box with a huge bust of Elvis. He basically tells her she needs to take it back to where it belongs.

Claudia, Ivy, and Rae leave Texas for Memphis to return the bust. While searching for the rightful owners of the bust, all 3 women search for what will give them peace or some kind of closure.

While this book won't make it to my top 10 for the year, it still was an enjoyable read. If you want something fun to read, as well as enlightening to a certain point, I would suggest this book.