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Interviews | July 4, 2009

Jill Owens: IMG Powells.com Interview: Luis Alberto Urrea



luisalbertourreaLuis Alberto Urrea is a poet, novelist, journalist, and essayist who has been writing about the relationship between the United States and Mexico,... Continue »
  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Into the Beautiful North

    Luis Alberto Urrea

My Friend Leonard

by James Frey

My Friend Leonard Cover

Review-a-Day   (What is Review-a-Day?)

"Frey is at his best with dialogue; it is through these tart exchanges that he builds likeable, distinct characters. But too much of My Friend Leonard is dull, repetitive monologue. Frey's habit of stringing adjectives together...and his tendency to run two sentences into one...give his writing a sketchy, imprecise feel." Anna Godbersen, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

My Friend Leonard is the story of an extraordinary friendship formed in the most unlikely of circumstances. When James Frey first meets Leonard in the rehabilitation centre so powerfully described in A Million Little Pieces they are both recovering drug addicts. Despite their highly unreliable track records their shared grit and humour sparks a mutual admiration which quickly transforms into firm loyalty. Leonard himself is charismatic and contradictory; at once a magnetic father-figure and a shady mafia boss. When he leaves rehabilitation it is to return to this dubious yet prosperous life in the criminal underworld of Las Vegas. In contrast, when James leaves the centre his world seems set to implode. Unsure where to turn, James calls Leonard and he answers. Paradoxically, it is in Leonard?s lawless underworld that James discovers the courage and humanity needed to rebuild his life.

Review:

"The book is a gruesome, unpretentious and utterly convincing tale of recovery....[W]hat matters in Frey's work is the truth of his condition and his struggle to tell that truth. When writing about the self-loathing and horror of addiction, he is the best I have read." San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"Reading My Friend Leonard can feel a little like being cornered at a party, someone pouring their heart out to you, lifting up their shirt and showing you their scars, and all the time you're wondering: When can I escape and get a drink?" Newsday

Review:

"[A] raw, often visceral, reading experience. With Frey's emotions so close to the surface, it's impossible not to care about Frey's struggles to reintegrate into society and prosper. Another powerful read from a talented, dynamic author." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"In My Friend Leonard, James Frey describes adjusting to life without [a] protective blanket. The effect is vivid, splashy, mesmerizing. Indeed, he has put the Technicolor back into memoir." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Product Details

ISBN:
9780719561153

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