|
This item may be
Check for Availabilityout of stock. Click on the button below to search for this title in other formats.  More copies of this ISBNMy Friend Leonard
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 & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Perhaps the most unconventional and literally breathtaking father-son story you'll ever read, My Friend Leonard pulls you immediately and deeply into a relationship as unusual as it is inspiring. The father figure is Leonard, the high-living, recovering coke addict "West Coast Director of a large Italian-American finance firm" (read: mobster) who helped to keep James Frey clean in A Million Little Pieces. The son is, of course, James, damaged perhaps beyond repair by years of crack and alcohol addiction-and by more than a few cruel tricks of fate. James embarks on his post-rehab existence in Chicago emotionally devastated, broke, and afraid to get close to other people. But then Leonard comes back into his life, and everything changes. Leonard offers his "son" lucrative — if illegal and slightly dangerous — employment. He teaches James to enjoy life, sober, for the first time. He instructs him in the art of "living boldly," pushes him to pursue his passion for writing, and provides a watchful and supportive veil of protection under which James can get his life together. Both Leonard's and James's careers flourish... but then Leonard vanishes. When the reasons behind his mysterious absence are revealed, the book opens up in unexpected emotional ways. My Friend Leonard showcases a brilliant and energetic young writer rising to important new challenges-displaying surprising warmth, humor, and maturity — without losing his intensity. This book proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human. Review:"Frey achieves another stylistic coup as he develops a narrative thread begun in 2003's A Million Little Pieces. He chronicles his journey out of the terrifying darkness of addiction, and the friend he meets along the way, Leonard. A gangster, raconteur and mentor, Leonard was introduced in Pieces as one of Frey's new rehab friends. Here, he pushes Frey out into the world, pampering him one moment, giving him tough love the next. As in Pieces, Frey's style throughout is loose, untraditional yet perfectly crafted: '[Leonard] offered me his hand and said good, I'm fucked up too, and I like fucked-up people, let's sit and eat and see if we can be friends. I took his hand and I shook it and we sat down and we ate together and we became friends.' There's something mesmerizing about the endless tumble of words, the nonstop spilling out of Frey's troubles and triumphs. In the hands of a less capable writer, all of this cool, tight narration might numb the reader and distance the experience. Instead, this book packs a full-body emotional wallop. Frey's eye is keen for detail: the inside of a county lockup; the flat, gray Chicago winter; an out-of-control Super Bowl party in Los Angeles; the grind of living day to day — all come alive in his sparse, powerful prose. At its core, this is an examination of a friendship. Frey's extraordinary relationship with Leonard is alive, a flesh-and-blood bond forged in the agony of rehab and sustained through honesty and trust. Agent, Kassie Evashevski at Brillstein/Grey Entertainment. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) 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:"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 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:"While this memoir addresses serious issues that would ostensibly interest readers (love and loss, suicide, sexual orientation, AIDS, and criminal activity), Frey's writing style utterly fails to engage." Library Journal 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) Synopsis:From the author of the bestselling A Million Little Pieces comes the story of his friendship with a highly unorthodox father figure, the high-living, recovering coke addict, "West Coast Director of a large Italian-American finance firm" (read: mobster).
About the AuthorJames Frey is the author of the memoir A Million Little Pieces. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!Average customer rating based on 4 comments: 
View all 4 commentsProduct Details
Other books you might like
Related Subjects
Biography » Entertainment and Performing Arts
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
Follow us on...
|
||||
Don't Miss
