Customer Reviews

My Friend Leonard

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

An impassioned and gripping writing style combined with raw emotional honesty creates a superior reading experience. Connecting the dots between addiction and friendship with manic bi-polar peaks and valleys, MY FRIEND LEONDARD is the best book I have read since MY FRACTURED LIFE. Part journey and part destination, MY FRIEND LEONARD is 100% gripping, 100% moving, and 100% real. Other recommendations: RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, MY FRACTURED LIFE, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, and THE GLASS CASTLE.

I hate to read books and James Frey keeps me wanting more. After finishing A Million Little Pieces I was upset to be done wanting to know so much more. Thankfully there was another!! This book was equally as good in my opinion, having finished the book in only 4 days. You can't help but feel for an individual having gone through so much sadness in this second book and still staying away from temptation. I would like to read a book by James now that he is a father. What would you teach your children?

Just as in James Frey's first book, A Million Little Pieces, I was able to get into his head and feel like I was a part of his life. I cried for him, cheered for him, felt for him. Although I'm away that some of the story is fictional, it is still a great read.

I read it in less than 48 hours and couldn't put it down. Once again we fall in love with a new cast of flawed heros and watch James love and lose and persevere. Once again we can feel it very deeply.

An amazing piece of writing. Worth picking up and impossible to put down.

Much can be learned from this honest and forthright account of a life dealing with addictions. The stroy is enthralling and you are caught up in the whirlwind to fight off the addictions and see that the author becomes the winner. A very inspirational book similr in ways to that of Nightmares Echo and Smashed. Also one has to say that of course it has pieces of A Million Little Pieces as well as in parts like that of Running With Scissors. For a book that will blow you away with courage and determination read this book as well as those listed above.

If you have not already read "MY FRIEND LEONARD" stop reading this review and buy it. NOW! "MY FRIEND LEONARD" is as good as the very best anti-hero lit and memoires of our time. If you loved with a vengence "MY FRACTURED LIFE", "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS", "DRY", "BASKETBALL DIARIES", and "SMASHED" then hurry up and buy "MY FRIEND LEONARD." You will not regret it!!!

He does it again
Mr. Frey does it again with this remarkable book, MY FRIEND LEONARD. As with A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, he keeps you glued to his writing and even through the difficult parts you will find yourself lost in the book. Also recommending: NIGHTMARES ECHO, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, DRY

James Frey has a way of connecting with his readers like no other Author I have read before with the possible exception of Jackson McCrae ("Katzenjammer: Soon to be a major motion picture.") The new, much anticipated, fabulous "My Friend Leonard" could be anybody's life. Like "A Million Little Pieces," they are both so far on the outskirts of reality, yet speak to the masses in a relatable and character building matter. In his first publication James Frey stands up as the black sheep of his family with no apologies. This one however shows him peeling of the war scars of the past decade and crawling up out of his dank dark past to take on the real world with all that entails. "My Friend Leonard" was both touching and eye opening. Just when you think you know the conclusion, he throws you for a loop and displays a writer/friend anyone of his many admiring readers would be grateful to call their own. He did it with his first book and has done it with "Leonard". Throwing the sophomore curse out the window along with many of his past hang ups. James.... thank you for sharing your trip through the vacation spot we call friendship. You have made the bond of human spirits worth visiting, despite what the under current may decide to bring to the table. Must also highly recommend the novel "Katzenjammer" by McCrae and the novel/memoir "Dry" by Borroughs. It's all good. Enjoy.

This is an amazing story. Worth picking up and impossible to put down. I read it in less than 72 hours, which is a good timing for me considering my very busy schedule. On the negative side I do not like the new fashion of being "cool" by omitting punctuation and repeating words and phrases. I think literature should adhere to the old good rules of writing. On the other hand I am not bothered with Mr. Fray's recent unpopularity resulting form A Million Little Pieces affair... I liked both pieces.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that this one was even better written than "A Million Little Pieces" was. But don't get me wrong - I loved that book too. I like the simple way James writes. He uses minimal punctuation and run-on sentences but some how the words just seem to flow. He seems to write how he would think. (People don't exactly think in sentences with proper punctuation).

There has been a lot of controversy around James Frey and "A Million Little Pieces." But who really cares? What he did was wrong. Yes, he should have wrote a disclaimer stating that not everything in the book happened the way he wrote about it. BUT- who's to say that hundreds, if not thousands of other authors haven't exagerated a little in their memoirs? Why center Frey out?

I give this book 4 stars out of 5. I would have given it 5/5 but I got a little frusterated in the beginning of the book when things weren't explained clearly. Maybe it was his idea of suspense but it drove me nuts. I'm looking foward to seeing more from Frey. To me, a good story is a good story, no matter what.