My Friend Leonard [Mass Market Paperback]

James Frey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the bold and heartbreaking My Friend Leonard, James Frey picks up the story of his extraordinary life pretty much where things left off in his breakout bestseller and Amazon.com Best Book of 2003, A Million Little Pieces, the fierce, in-your-face memoir about Frey's kamikaze run of self-destruction and his days in rehab. Fresh from a stint in jail from pre-rehab-related charges ("On my first day in jail, a three hundred pound man named Porterhouse hit me in the back of the head with a metal tray."), clean-living Frey returns to Chicago and gets sucker-punched with a cruel blow that will leave readers ducking for cover in anticipation of the blinding bender that's sure to come. But then the titular Leonard, the larger-than-life Vegas mobster ("West Coast Director of a large Italian finance firm") whom James befriended in rehab, steps into the story and serves equal parts unlikely life coach, guardian angel, and father figure for the grief-stricken author, adopting him as his "son" and schooling him in the fine art of "living boldly":

Be not bold, be f-cking BOLD. Every time you meet someone, make a f-cking impression. Make them think you're the hottest shit in the world. Make them think they're gonna lose their job if they don't give you one. Look 'em in the eye, and never look away. Be confident and calm, be f-cking bold.

Hurricane Leonard storms into James's life, showering his young charge with multi-course feasts at steakhouses and Italian restaurants, courtside seats at Bulls' games, Cuban cigars, and an elaborate Super Bowl party in Los Angeles, all the while doling out wisdom on life and love and motivating James to stick to his burgeoning writing career. James even has a brief stint as an employee of Leonard's, though occupational hazards--like having a nine millimeter shoved in his face--prove too much for the novice bag man (though he does make enough to invest his earnings in a Picasso drawing). When Leonard drops out of sight for an extended period, his absence leaves readers aching to hear the familiar refrain of "My Son!" just one more time.

Frey sticks to the taut, staccato style that shot through A Million Little Pieces with such raw electricity. Surprisingly, the tone feels equally at home with this book's focus on friendship and extreme loyalty, and works to intensify the always-looming, adrenaline-rush threat of violence and the lure of the Fury that courses like a riptide throughout the book. Ultimately, it's a sense of hope, and humor even, that prevails and makes My Friend Leonard a stand-alone success. Despite his shady pedigree, you'll long to have a friend like Leonard just a phone call away. --Brad Thomas Parsons

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James Frey's List of Books You Should Read

Paris Spleen

Tropic of Cancer

The Great Santini

See more recommendations from James Frey

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Amazon.com's Significant Seven
James Frey graciously agreed to answer the questions we like to ask every author: the Amazon.com Significant Seven.

Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: Tao te Ching by Lao Tsu. Completely changed how I think, behave, live my life. Nothing else comes close.
Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: The book would be the Tao te Ching, the CD would be some compilation of love songs from the 70’s and 80’s, and the DVD would be highlights from the history of the Cleveland Browns.

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: No way I can answer that.

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: I've been working at the same desk since I started writing. It's old and beaten-up and black. The rest of my workroom is empty, except for some crazy sh-- on the wall in front of me: pictures of people I admire, reproductions of artwork I dig, sayings that motivate me, things like--bare your soul, be bold, page a day motherfu--er page a day. I listen to music while I work, have a pile of nicotine gum and a couple cans of diet coke. My dogs are usually a couple feet away from me. I've always worked this way, probably always will.

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: "Loved, lost, laughed, left."

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: Winston Churchill

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: Immortality.

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--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred 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) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Reading level: Ages 18 and up Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Riverhead Trade (May 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 1594481954 ISBN-13: 978-1594481956 Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (400 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He is the author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. He lives in New York.

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Customer Reviews

400 Reviews 5 star:  (226) 4 star:  (58) 3 star:  (23) 2 star:  (20) 1 star:  (73)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (400 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 34 of 41 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, this book makes the first book less believable., December 2, 2005 By  Jason Smith "clockwatchers" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover) Like many others, I found out about James Frey through Oprah and her book club. I read A Million Little Pieces quickly and intensely. I didn't question it at the time. I just wanted to finish it and see what happened to all the interesting characters. I immediately bought the follow-up and had it delivered with the 2 day option. I couldn't wait for the book to arrive. Then, I started thinking more about AMLP and wondering how true some of the parts might be, like the part where they have the boxing match and the authorities leave and they are allowed to bet and eat as much as they want from a catered company. I started to realize there might be some over-elaboration from Frey. Maybe he made some of it up, maybe a lot more than some of it. Then MFL arrives and I read it quickly. It lends itself to being read quickly because it is so repetitive. I agree with other reviews that say his style works much better as an addict than as a person who is distanced from that addiction. This style becomes difficult and tedious. I tire of it I take a break from reading I care less about what happens to the characters get a cold tasty cola. Skip a few pages. The writing becomes a parody of itself at times. It worked before but it doesn't in this book. In the "real world" Leonard becomes a much less believable character to me. Snapper is one dimensional at best. I lose interest in his loves he can't get it up with his beautiful new girlfriend he won't tell her why he still misses Lilly cries buys flowers cries. We hug. We seperate. We order steak, creamed spinach and a nice cold tasty cola. OK, you get it. I'm disappointed I hoped for better I feel like it was made up makes the first book less believable stop now stop stop. 20 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Forget the controversy - this is just bad writing, January 13, 2006 By  Sara Holding (Connecticut) - See all my reviews This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover) (...) Forget that this story is just SO unbelievable from Day 1. I know the disclaimer says they changed names and sequences of events - but every character in this book rings untrue. From Lilly, the crack whore who hangs herself hours before James can make it to her side... Porterhouse, the 300-lb, illiterate murderer who laughs and cries at the classic stories James reads him ... to Leonard, James' mobster "father" who is so touched by art in galleries that tears stream down his face. Let's not forget his wisecracking bodyguard/driver, Snapper. The girl from one of the top families in town dating James even though he has no job and no pedigree. Good Lord! These characters could come right out the screenplay Christopher Moltisanti wrote in the first season of The Sopranos. The dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read. "James, I want you to be my son. I will introduce you as my son and you will be treated as such. All I ask in return is that you keep me involved in your life. If you ever have any issues with your real father, I must insist you defer to him." "I will send fresh red roses every week to this grave!" I found myself wincing at some of it. I know as a frat boy, Frey probably dreamt of running with the tough guys, and this is his way of realizing that dream. However, he should admit this is just fiction. James admitted he never spent any real time in jail. It's not a memoir in the way that the book-buying public thinks of the genre, and it's really bad as fiction. 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Still Think He's A Great Writer, May 23, 2006 By  Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)    Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover) I know the book and it's predecessor are all a big heap of lies, but if you approach it as strictly fiction, there's no denying the guy's a really great writer.Frey's frenetic style is the same as in "...Pieces", and although it's not the brutal foray into addiction recovery, it still manages to be both compelling and fast paced, as he pieces his life together after rehab and continues forging his relationship with gangster Leonard. Moralizing about integrity and honesty aside, I'll be interested to see what Frey produces next regardless of whether it's in the fiction, bio, or big fat liar section		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars A great read This is one of my all time favorite books. I picked it up in the airport bookstore, knowing nothing about James Frey and the controversy over a Million Little Pieces and never... Read more Published 1 month ago by matotcky 5.0 out of 5 stars Dont Matter,The Guy could write. This by far my most favorite book,when anyone asks me to recommened a book I always name this one.I have this listed as my favorite book on Yelp. Read more Published 1 month ago by ThereSA 3.0 out of 5 stars Now that Queen Oprah's wrath has subsided . . . It's interesting to see how Frey's star count seems to have increased considerably now that Oprah's (and her "blind disciples'" - as another commenter put it) wrath has faded and... Read more Published 6 months ago by Rhett 5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful novel Just got back into the swing of reading. Million Little Pieces was a great book, a real page turner. His writing keeps you coming back to more!! Read more Published 7 months ago by Pamela phillips 5.0 out of 5 stars I don't care what it is fact or fiction...I love this book! As I said in my title....I don't care what kind of book this is...it may be fact or it may be fiction either way I love this book and the story that it tells. Read more Published 10 months ago by Sarah Thompson 4.0 out of 5 stars i loved this book! fiction or non, great addition to the million little pieces book. really shows more into his relationship with leonard. Read more Published 12 months ago by D. Brown 5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE it This book is amazing. I actually read it before reading A Million Little Pieces, so dont worry if you havent read AMLP yet. Read more Published 13 months ago by Lacii 5.0 out of 5 stars Upset with other reviews! I don't care if he never witnessed, or felt, a single thing in this book. The way that he writes is genius, and unlike anything I've ever read. Read more Published 13 months ago by Tess 5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing One of the best books I have ever read. This was an amazing tale. I loved his prose and style. I could not recommend a better book! Published 14 months ago by Tony 5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!! Before reading this book you need to read, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, by the same author because this is the book that follows it. Read more Published 15 months ago by Shawna Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
On my first day in jail, a three hundred pound man named Porterhouse hit me in the back of the head with a metal tray. Read the first page

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New York, Michigan Avenue, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Pageant of the Masters, Four Seasons, Local Option, Paul Bowles, Sons of Cholo, Gene Hackman, Lake Michigan, Laurel Canyon, New Mexico, Super Bowl

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 3 books:

• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey in Back Matter
• The Sheltering Sky (P.S.) by Paul Bowles on page 256
• Under the Influence by University Press of America on page 33

 

1 book cites this book:

• The Worst Person in the World: And 202 Strong Contenders by Keith Olbermann on page 14

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This product's forum Discussion Replies Latest Post "My Fake Friend Leonard" 1 Nov 16, 2011 "My Fake Friend Leonard" 1 Apr 9, 2009 Giving the truth a bad name 0 Jul 6, 2006 it's a book!! 0 May 23, 2006 fraud 15 Mar 27, 2006 Welcome to the My Friend Leonard forum 2 Jan 7, 2006 › See all 6 discussions...   Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   Guidelines Active discussions in related forums Discussion Replies Latest Post Health forum Am I screwed? I have seasonal depression and badly need help. 607 12 minutes ago Health forum What do you like or not like about AA? 15 14 minutes ago Health forum Can an alcoholic learn to drink moderately? 2035 18 minutes ago Health forum Phrases that drive you nuts! 2064 50 minutes ago Biography forum Unique book on Beethoven today 0 7 hours ago Biography forum Exaggerating the truth...is it still a memoir? 49 12 hours ago Memoir forum Memoirs of Women Misfits 42 19 hours ago Memoir forum Looking for reviews 1 1 day ago Search Customer Discussions Only search this product's forum

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594481954
• ISBN-13: 978-1594481956
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (400 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He is the author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, this book makes the first book less believable., December 2, 2005

By 

Jason Smith "clockwatchers" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover)

Like many others, I found out about James Frey through Oprah and her book club. I read A Million Little Pieces quickly and intensely. I didn't question it at the time. I just wanted to finish it and see what happened to all the interesting characters. I immediately bought the follow-up and had it delivered with the 2 day option. I couldn't wait for the book to arrive. Then, I started thinking more about AMLP and wondering how true some of the parts might be, like the part where they have the boxing match and the authorities leave and they are allowed to bet and eat as much as they want from a catered company. I started to realize there might be some over-elaboration from Frey. Maybe he made some of it up, maybe a lot more than some of it.
Then MFL arrives and I read it quickly. It lends itself to being read quickly because it is so repetitive. I agree with other reviews that say his style works much better as an addict than as a person who is distanced from that addiction. This style becomes difficult and tedious. I tire of it I take a break from reading I care less about what happens to the characters get a cold tasty cola. Skip a few pages. The writing becomes a parody of itself at times. It worked before but it doesn't in this book. In the "real world" Leonard becomes a much less believable character to me. Snapper is one dimensional at best. I lose interest in his loves he can't get it up with his beautiful new girlfriend he won't tell her why he still misses Lilly cries buys flowers cries. We hug. We seperate. We order steak, creamed spinach and a nice cold tasty cola.
OK, you get it. I'm disappointed I hoped for better I feel like it was made up makes the first book less believable stop now stop stop.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Forget the controversy - this is just bad writing, January 13, 2006

By 

Sara Holding (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover)

(...)
Forget that this story is just SO unbelievable from Day 1. I know the disclaimer says they changed names and sequences of events - but every character in this book rings untrue. From Lilly, the crack whore who hangs herself hours before James can make it to her side... Porterhouse, the 300-lb, illiterate murderer who laughs and cries at the classic stories James reads him ... to Leonard, James' mobster "father" who is so touched by art in galleries that tears stream down his face. Let's not forget his wisecracking bodyguard/driver, Snapper. The girl from one of the top families in town dating James even though he has no job and no pedigree. Good Lord! These characters could come right out the screenplay Christopher Moltisanti wrote in the first season of The Sopranos.

The dialogue is some of the worst I've ever read. "James, I want you to be my son. I will introduce you as my son and you will be treated as such. All I ask in return is that you keep me involved in your life. If you ever have any issues with your real father, I must insist you defer to him." "I will send fresh red roses every week to this grave!" I found myself wincing at some of it.

I know as a frat boy, Frey probably dreamt of running with the tough guys, and this is his way of realizing that dream. However, he should admit this is just fiction. James admitted he never spent any real time in jail. It's not a memoir in the way that the book-buying public thinks of the genre, and it's really bad as fiction.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Think He's A Great Writer, May 23, 2006

By 

Brett Benner (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Friend Leonard (Hardcover)

I know the book and it's predecessor are all a big heap of lies, but if you approach it as strictly fiction, there's no denying the guy's a really great writer.Frey's frenetic style is the same as in "...Pieces", and although it's not the brutal foray into addiction recovery, it still manages to be both compelling and fast paced, as he pieces his life together after rehab and continues forging his relationship with gangster Leonard. Moralizing about integrity and honesty aside, I'll be interested to see what Frey produces next regardless of whether it's in the fiction, bio, or big fat liar section