Customer Reviews

Love Always, Patsy: Patsy Cline's Letters to a Friend

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I am the secretary for the Always Patsy Cline Fan Organization and I have to say, I'm pretty picky about my Patsy Cline merchandise, info., etc.

This book was so interesting to me because you really found out who Patsy was. She struggled just like the rest of us. It blew me away at how tight things were for her. Although times were tough, she kept going to make her dreams come true.

You could really tell how much she loved Charlie and her new daughter, Julie. Randy wasn't born yet.

It was really easy to read and I couldn't put it down. It's a real treasure to have something like this about someone we don't know much about, because of how short of a time she was with us.

If you are in any way a fan of Patsy Cline, this is a must read for you. It also contains a few new photos.

Enjoy!

When I think of Patsy Cline, I always picture her as perhaps the first great female voice of Country and Pop music and one of the greatest voices of all time, male or female and of any musical genre. I had always assumed that she was one of those talented people that achieved stardom and succes quickly. However, thanks to Treva Miller (Patsy's devoted fan, fan club president and friend) we now can see that stardom and fame didn't come that easily for this gifted signer. Through her correspondence with Treva, Patsy tells the story of the early stages of her carreer. This collection of letters and post cards documents the disapointments and successes that Patsy experienced both in her professional life and in her personal life. Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman do a wonderful job of mixing the contents of the letters with just enough background information to fill in the gaps for the reader. They have also included reproductions of each of Patsy's letters to Treva along with some personal photographs. Rarely do we get an opportunity to take a look at someone's life from this perspective. It's honest and true. Patsy Cline's songs will sound just a little bit different to me from now on.

When I first heard that this book was being published, I awaited patiently but eagerly. My patience was rewarded with a truly sensational personal account of the real Patsy Cline. The letters tell of an ordinary woman and an aspiring young country singer with the hopes and dreams of making it in the country music field and the closeness and personal relationship that occurred between Patsy and Treva Miller Steinbicker. The photos included depict a beautiful, vibrant young woman. Mike Freeman and Cindy Hazen has made it possible for me, in Patsy's own words, to have an up close and personal feel of the young woman with the tremendously powerful voice that I have admired for so long. This book is a definite must read for anyone who has and always will love Patsy Cline. Thanks Mike and Cindy, for a gift that will grace my library.

I just finished reading "Love Always Patsy" and have a greater understanding of one my favorite singers.I did not hurry as I did not want it to end. Finally the fans can see the real "Cline" in her own words. Share her dreams and hopes. See the hard times and struggle to get to the top. It is also nice to hear a few words from her widower, Charlie Dick. Also it is wonderful to see how devoted Treva was to her favorite singer. Also see a dream come true, to actually meet your favorite singer and become friends. Unfortunately Treva Miller past away much to early, fortunately fans can see how Patsy continued writing her fans in the video "Remembering Patsy". It has been a privilege for me to know and befriend "Dear Anne" from this video. I was watching a video interview that Charlie did some year back recently and he commented that Patsy tried to write back to her fans if they wrote. This is what keeps a fan! To many times when fans read bio things have been change or created. It is finally nice to "hear" from the singer. Knowing that Mike and Cindy are fans of Elvis we were assured we would have a book that all fans would enjoy. This would be a great stocking stuffer for a fan of any performer. Because we see the story from a fan's point of view. Maybe we understand the music business better. It has been 40yr but I don't think to much has changed for a new singer. Jimmy Walker Charter member of Always Patsy Cline Fan Club For fan club info write A.P.C., PO Box 2236, Winchester, Va 22601

These letters, literally found in an attic, were written by Patsy at the very beginning of her career and have only just surfaced after forty years. In l955 Treva Miller from rural Tenn. heard Patsy sing and wanted tojoin a fan club. Patsy didn't have one, so Treva started one for her and became Patsy's publicist and as well as her confidant. Together they shared the dream of Patsy's success, though Treva, sadly, did not live to see it.And Patsy of course, didn't live to enjoy it. Patsy's letters here are touching, moving and they make you realize how hard she had to work--music was a man's world--and how much she loved her work. The layout and design of the book are fabulous, making the letters clear and immediate. Hazen and Freeman have added context and explanation unobtrusively wherever needed. Bravo to the editors for this whole new look at Patsy Cline!

I just finished my copy of "Love Always, Patsy" and I must say that it has become my favorite book about Patsy, and I have read all of them you can be sure! You really get a feel for her real personality. The book shows what a struggle she had, and how thankful she was for anything that was done for her. She was so honest and real. I wish more of todays stars could be more like her. And to top it all off, there are pictures that I have never seen before, beautiful pictures! Everyone who loves Patsy should get this book.

If you are looking for a book that tries to analyze Patsy Cline from a woman's perspective, read Margaret Jones' biography. If you want dirt and hack writing, read Ellis Nassour. But if you want to know Patsy Cline, read this book. Patsy wrote it herself with a guiding hand from Mike and Cindy. Patsy tells us in her own words what kind of a woman she is and she shares her dreams and disappointments in a way no other writer can touch.

Mike and Cindy let Patsy tell the story, intruding long enough to clarify a point or identify an obscure reference.

I found, Love Always, Patsy to be quite compelling. I wasn't reading about Patsy Cline the superstar but "Patsy" the young girl working her way up. To be able to do that in her own words left me with a special warmth for the person and all she hoped to achieve. To spend time recapturing a "lost" time in the business of music. A more simple time. I would recommend this book not only to Patsy Cline fans but anyone interested in music, life, biographies, or a hard working housewife.

These letters in Patsy's own handwriting reveal her frustrations, her problems, her exhuberance, her love for Charlie, without adjectives -- plainly from the heart. We also are given a rare unembellished picture of what it was like to make it in the fledgling country music industry. The comments of Charlie Dick, Cindy Hazen and Mike Freeman with Patsy's own words give unexcelled accuracy to the order of events. Great.

Thank you Mike and Cindy for sharing the personal letters of Patsy Cline with all of us. What better way to get to know someone, then to peek into their letters written to someone very special. Not only are the words that she writes very intimate and from the heart, but the paper they are witten on and the way they are written(phrasing and penmanship) give you insight into Patsy's feelings and personality. Since reading this great book, I have become an REAL Patsy Cline fan.