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A Million Little Pieces (Paperback) (平装)
by James Frey
| Category:
Addiction, Memoir |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
MSL Pointer Review:
A Million Little Pieces is an uncommonly genuine account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented literary voice.
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AllReviews |
  1 2 Total 2 pages 15 items |
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J. Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
I read this book when it was first published. This was long before issues of its factual accuracy were being debated.
This book is worth reading: not at a guide on how to deal with addiction, and not really as a commentary on how addicts interact.
Its strength is it description of one man's journey through his addiction, and the insights he has gathered along the way.
Frey's recollections should not be completely discounted because they do not coincide with those of others. Nor should he be lambasted for expressing views different from the conventional wisdom of dealing with addictions.
Frey describes his journey, and the accuracy of that description can be debated. But look at the destination, and rejoice with him that he has survived - and thrived.
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Lauren Kwiatkowski (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
I like reading books with a heart-punch. I have the bruised ribs and a fat lip from the heart-kick-down-the-stairs James Frey brought in A Million Little Pieces. Although the first thing everyone's mind skitters to is the recent "expose," I say only this: I don't care. The fictional non-fiction niche predates Frey by far: Henry Miller, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Dave Eggers. Factually accurate or not, Frey had a story in his head that he told with such conviction that I would like to pin a vivid blue ribbon, the tallish shade of A Million Little Pieces' cover, on my coat in his honor. One of my favorite quotes, by W.I. Thomas, is "That which we treat as real, is real in its consequences."
Frey weaves through characters, sometimes as a too-fast pace and others deliberately, reflecting both the frenzied in-and-out of rehab and the grip of desperation of a man scared and lonely. Vivid characterization blooms as he introduces the reader to his various roommates, good and bad faculty, his lovely rehab girlfriend, Lilly and his friend, mobster-with-a-heart-of-gold, Leonard, whose further relationship he details in his 2005 follow-up My Friend Leonard. Relationships are central to both the story and Frey's recovery, as he initially tries to convince the reader and himself that he doesn't need anyone else.
Frey ignores most grammatical sentence structure and punctuation a la Requiem for a Dream's Hubert Selby Jr. as he recounts his time in rehab and the life that brought him to the treatment facility. What could have been a chronological "Dear Diary, this is what we did today in therapy" chronicling is eschewed in favor of disoriented meditation, repetition, and fragmented water color washes of story that build into a complete work. I felt as addicted as Frey, whose vices included alcohol, cocaine, crack, gasoline, and glue; sneaking a few compulsive pages work, despite my trainer pulling me aside and telling me to nix the reading.
Despite everything I should despise Frey for, I found his rage, his desperation, and his willingness to portray himself in a horrifying light strangely attractive. Even tired gimmicks [paragraphs opening with a scene of drug abuse relapse, only to discover it was just a dream] are somehow forgiven. The epilogue seemed contrived and convenient, but I still wept with the news it brought. Early in Frey's stay at the treatment center, a doctor tells him, "if you start drinking or using drugs regularly, you will be dead within a few days." He lived to write the book; we know how it ends. I read it anyway, and could not stop.
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Mary (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
I read this book while on vacation, knowing that it is a work of fiction that James Frey initially masqueraded as a non-fiction biography. I thought I might still get a lot out of it, and just think of it as fiction. I didn't. It is poorly written. There are some nice character developments, but the language just doesn't flow. And throughout the book I felt angry that he would target vulnerable people, con and manipulate them and use them. He made millions of dollars from unsuspecting readers, and who knows how many people have drawn away from AA and an effective recovery program because they believe his made-up experience. He is the salesperson who knowingly sells you a lemon--definitely not the real deal. Even after being confronted, he did not grasp the difference between truth and fiction. Thank goodness thesmokinggun.com started investigating his legal claims and blew the whistle on him. Perhaps if he had lowered himself to use the twelve step recovery program, he would have confronted his own patterns and done something to change them. As it is I believe that his lies trivialize the incredible journey that real-life recovering addicts take. Do not support this man. Do not buy this book |
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M. Rice (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
I understand that some people looking for guidance in James Frey's former situation may feel let down by his exaggeration of the events of his life. I do feel, however, that he did an amazing job of sharing his life's experiences with substance abuse.
As with this book, and all things in life, why do we always feel the need to condemn? James's book is fabulous. It is filled with poignant moments that have nothing to do with jail time, being a tough guy, or root canals without anesthesia.
There have been moments that I was so captivated by his style of writing and the events he was describing, that I felt I was there. James Frey is an amazing author. If James had his book reclassified as fiction to "validate" it for those living in their polished glass houses, I can't help but believe it would only appeal to a larger audience and become even more popular.
My thanks to James for writing with such poignancy and style, and for developing vignettes that hold the reader captive. As an avid reader, I feel I am qualified to state that this is truly one of the best books I have ever read. I read it as if it were fiction, but the pain of addiction shines through as truth. Whether the addiction be drugs, alcohol, food, people, or behaviors - James has left us no doubt as to the immeasureable degree of the pain one experiences trying to find their way to wholeness.
How about we celebrate James's accomplishments instead of his embellishments?
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M. Bartel (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-31 00:00>
It would have been a compelling piece of non-fiction but as everyone knows there isn't much that is true in it. Even Oprah finally figured it out.
Before I had completed it - it seemed a bit far-fetched. Mr. Frey on the verge of death was able to intimidate mafia bosses and tough guys of all sorts. He was able with his iron will to rescue maidens from crack houses withstanding the temptations.
So it wasn't a big surprise to read the online article that discovered that anything that could have been documented such as arrest records, didn't exist or the events were dramatically different from Mr. Frey's recollection.
So I’m unhappy to have added to Mr. Frey's wealth with my purchase.
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1 2 Total 2 pages 15 items |
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