A Million Little Lies [Paperback]

James Pinocchio (Author), Pablo F. Fenjves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

James Pinocchio wakes up in the back of a New York City taxi with a combination lock piercing his left ear and no idea how it got there, or what the combination is.

The following day, his wealthy parents decide they've had enough, and they send him off to Sleepy Hollow, the famous rehab facility in Upstate New York. While there, Mr. Pinocchio meets all sorts of Fascinating Characters, one more Unbelievable and Amazing than the next, and they challenge him to confront his Deepest, Darkest Fears. The experience leads Mr. Pinocchio to the very edges of despair, but at a critical juncture he finds hope in the arms of a Bad Woman.

The love affair ends tragically, alas, and, like many parts of Mr. Pinocchio's story, stretches credibility to the breaking point, but the harrowing adventure -- which involves a great deal of pain, a smattering of dirty sex, and endless amounts of girlish crying -- eventually leads to Redemption and Healing. But not for Mr. Pinocchio

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

At the age of 23, James Pinocchio wakes up in the back of a New York taxi with a combination lock piercing his left ear and no idea how it got there, or what the combination is. The following day, his wealthy parents decide they've had enough, and they send him off to Sleepy Hollow, the famous rehab facility in Upstate New York. While there, Mr. Pinocchio meets all sorts of Fascinating Characters, one more Unbelievable and Amazing than the next, and falls in love with a trashy woman who ultimately betrays him. The love affair ends tragically, of course, and, like many parts of Mr. Pinocchio's story, stretches credibility to the breaking point, but the experience-which involves a great deal of pain, some dirty sex, and endless amounts of girlish crying-eventually leads to Redemption and Healing. But not for him.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061171468
• ISBN-13: 978-0061171468
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh Out Loud Funny., May 14, 2006

By 

Kelly Houser (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Million Little Lies (Paperback)

James Pinnochio's hysterical parody of James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" will cause any reader who followed the Frey controversy to collapse in giggles. Starting with the cover art of a baby's foot covered in ice cream sprinkles, and extending through every Frey nuance, "A Million Little Lies" is just one funny book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good laugh.

27 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I drink Pinot Noir. I Dance. I am Garbage., April 1, 2006

By 

Joshua Axelrad - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Million Little Lies (Paperback)

'A Million Little Lies' may look like a cheap James Frey parody thrown together in about a week by some hack hoping for a quick buck -- and it is -- but the hackwork is so funny and captures Frey's pseudoliterary ticks so exactly that I laughed out loud on the New York subway. This resulted in a seat becoming available. Thank you, James Pinocchio!

28 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 999,998 too many, March 30, 2006

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Million Little Lies (Paperback)

As an extended riff on James Frey's book, 'A Million Little Pieces', this is actually not poorly done. At lots of little turns in the plot, there are direct parallels to the hero of Frey's book.

First, some background, for those not in the know. James Frey wrote a book, 'A Million Little Pieces', that was presented as a tough-to-read memoir of his own experiences. It was an Oprah selection. It had wide acclaim. Unfortunately, the longer the book was in the spotlight, the more its credibility was called into question, until Frey finally admitted it was not the all-the-truth-all-the-time narrative he'd originally presented it as being.

It has since become the object of jokes and derision. This book by Pinocchio (a pen name for Pablo Fenjves) is one of these efforts. Pinocchio wakes in pain not remembering how he got where he was, and goes through mock-parallels of the harrowing events Frey describes (drug addiction is subtituted by addiction to a more frivolous living, etc.).

In the end, it is really a bit too much. While Frey's book had at least the virtue of trying to deal with difficult subjects in a serious way (albeit with an ultimately fatal flaw in the execution), I am lost of the point on Pinocchio's book. Like the children's story of Pinocchio, which could be told in a much shorter page length, a parody of Frey's book could also be more effective as a cautionary tale if presented in a different way.