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My Friend Leonard
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The New York Times bestselling follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller A Million Little Pieces-the heartrending story of a friendship between a newly-sober James and the charismatic, high-living mobster he met in rehab, Leonard.
A Million Little Pieces was the first Oprah Book Club pick by a living author in over two years. It instantly became a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, and a #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller, with over 1.7 million copies in print.
My Friend Leonard picks up right where Pieces leaves off. A New York Times bestseller in its own right before the Oprah pick, My Friend Leonard is James Frey's story of his friendship with Leonard, the larger-than-life mobster who "adopted" James as he left rehab. Leonard, who offers James lucrative-if illegal, mysterious, and slightly dangerous-employment when he needs it. Leonard, of the secret deals, of the surprising passions that belie his violent career choice, of fantastic generosity and ferocious loyalty. Leonard, who has been holding on to some remarkable secrets, and who has invested in their friendship more than James could ever imagine.
My Friend Leonard is, at its core, about the responsibility that comes with loving someone and going out on any number of limbs to care for them. And it is a book that proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human.
A Million Little Pieces was the first Oprah Book Club pick by a living author in over two years. It instantly became a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, and a #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller, with over 1.7 million copies in print.
My Friend Leonard picks up right where Pieces leaves off. A New York Times bestseller in its own right before the Oprah pick, My Friend Leonard is James Frey's story of his friendship with Leonard, the larger-than-life mobster who "adopted" James as he left rehab. Leonard, who offers James lucrative-if illegal, mysterious, and slightly dangerous-employment when he needs it. Leonard, of the secret deals, of the surprising passions that belie his violent career choice, of fantastic generosity and ferocious loyalty. Leonard, who has been holding on to some remarkable secrets, and who has invested in their friendship more than James could ever imagine.
My Friend Leonard is, at its core, about the responsibility that comes with loving someone and going out on any number of limbs to care for them. And it is a book that proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,2005
This edition
- Format
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416 pages, Paperback
- Published
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May 1, 2006 by Riverhead Books
- ISBN
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9781594481956
- ASIN
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1594481954
- Language
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English
About the author
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James Christopher Frey is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated, sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
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I really enjoyed A Million Little Pieces so of course I wanted to read the sequel. It's not a bad book, but I had a hard time staying in it. So much of it kinda dragged on for me. I guess i found most of James life outside of rehab boring. If it hadn't been an audiobook I probably would have put it down and read something else.
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I always have a habit to read reviews after I've read the book and I'm very glad I didn't change that this time. It got to my attention that this book was second in a memoiresce series and I'm glad I didn't knew that. It was no problem jumping into this second one without reading the first but if I had known it was more of a memoir and not a fiction that I thought it was it would probably have ruined my reading experience. It wasn't a bad memoir if I would have read it as such but I found reading it as an fiction made me just following along on the ride without must deeper thought of it and I thought it was a very intriguing read. Not always an easy read but a good one
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Not as good as his first book, but was an okey read
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It always takes me a while to get into James Frey's style of writing, but once I get past it I'm sucked into the books. Sadly, I'm willing to overlook the fact that he made parts of the book up because it's a good read; that said, I found the plot to be totally predictable in the way that only fictional stories can be. Life just doesn't arc that way, and it doesn't operate in a sea of cliches like this book does. It is distracting as you're reading to realize that the improbable parts are likely made up, and therefore detract from the authenticity of the reading experience.
It's a good yarn, though you do come away from it feeling that the author is arrogant and must have been clouded by that arrogance if he thought people would find the book realistic. I don't feel bad for the choices he made in his life, and overall come away feeling as though he's been a very selfish person, including in the writing of this book.
The saddest part is, the REAL story probably would have been good enough. In the end, why not just write what really happened? No one believes the other stuff anyway.
It's a good yarn, though you do come away from it feeling that the author is arrogant and must have been clouded by that arrogance if he thought people would find the book realistic. I don't feel bad for the choices he made in his life, and overall come away feeling as though he's been a very selfish person, including in the writing of this book.
The saddest part is, the REAL story probably would have been good enough. In the end, why not just write what really happened? No one believes the other stuff anyway.
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I thought I might have a hard time reading this book because of the writing style. Run on sentences, lack of punctuation and bad grammar at times. Put all that aside and I can honestly say Frey has captured me. This is a beautiful story of the journey though overcoming addiction, meaningful friendships and love. I am very inspired by the story that I simply could not put down. Well done, James Frey. Well done.
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(4.5 stars) It's been quite a few years since I read A Million Little Pieces. Despite the controversy, I liked it a lot & felt that James Frey was a good writer. A few years later, I read Bright Shiny Morning, liked that one a lot, & felt justified in thinking that he was a good writer. So now I just finished Leonard, and yes, in my book, he's 3 for 3. Am I bothered that a couple of these books were marketed as memoir but later revealed to be fabricated to a degree? Yes, a little bit, because when you read something like this, you really start to root for the underdog & you start to feel like you really know the characters & you almost form a relationship with them. When you discover it's (partially) fiction, there's a little bit of let-down. But ultimately, it didn't take away the enjoyment of these books for me. True or not, James Frey is a good storyteller.
I honestly don't remember a lot of detail about Leonard in Frey's first book. But in this one, his personality really comes out. He acts as a father to James, comes to his aid when needed, and although is somewhat of a sketchy character as far as his job employment and source of wealth are concerned, he's a likeable guy. This book is read exceptionally well on audio (read by Andy Paris). For those who are bothered by the formatting of Frey's books (his run-together sentences & such), I would recommend the audiobook, where the formatting is mostly a non-issue.
I honestly don't remember a lot of detail about Leonard in Frey's first book. But in this one, his personality really comes out. He acts as a father to James, comes to his aid when needed, and although is somewhat of a sketchy character as far as his job employment and source of wealth are concerned, he's a likeable guy. This book is read exceptionally well on audio (read by Andy Paris). For those who are bothered by the formatting of Frey's books (his run-together sentences & such), I would recommend the audiobook, where the formatting is mostly a non-issue.
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Not sure if this gets 4 or 5 stars from me, but I loved it and totally connected; I laughed and cried and didn't want it to end. Really don't care if it's fiction or not; that's not a motivating factor for me when choosing a book.
To some extent, we are all broken characters who long for that one person, that one tie to bind us together. How do we react when life throws us a curveball (or 10)? Every day is a choice.
To some extent, we are all broken characters who long for that one person, that one tie to bind us together. How do we react when life throws us a curveball (or 10)? Every day is a choice.
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