A Million Little Pieces

First, let me point out that I read this book 2 years after the Oprah scandal, so I read this book as a novel, though one influenced by personal account. Next: I loved this book. I can't remember another book where the narrator so completely drew me in, and the emotional rollercoaster was intense. There were about 100 pages near the beginning where I couldn't make more than 5 pages at a time without crying. Every emotion that James feels is brought incredibly realistically to the page.

I won't bother to recount the plot as that is easy to find elsewhere. The other thing I'll discuss is James' style of writing. He capitalizes random words and uses a lot of run-on sentences with missing punctuation. There are also no quotation marks, so show more conversations have to be read through a bit slowly to keep track of who's talking when. These idiosyncrasies bothered me for the first 10 pages or so, but by then I was so engrossed in the read that I didn't even notice them anymore.

Highly recommended. show less

You may be thinking you'd like to read this book to see what all the fuss is about. Don't. First of all, even putting the "scandal" aside (and I'm sorry, but if you read this book and didn't know that 90 percent of it or more was absolute bullshit, you really need to do some work on your critical thinking skills), the writing style is embarrassing -- an overwrought, pseudo-macho mess. Second, if you buy this book, you're just inflating Frey's bank account, which is tantamount to rewarding this asshole for appalling behavior. If you want a story about addiction, read Ellen Harris's Like Being Killed instead.

This is the only book to date that I have ever deliberately destroyed after reading -- put it through the shredder at work.

A bookclub read, this is either a relentlessly gruelling and honest account of the horrors of addiction, or a self-indulgent, repetitive, nasty and dull monologue about vomiting, hallucinating and wondering whether suicide is the better option.

I found nothing to like here: it starts with Frey semi-conscious and amnesiac, spitting, swearing and sulking, with no redeeming features on offer even after he starts to clean up. The supporting characters are no more appealing, thinly drawn and disinteresting (perhaps in part because the narrator is holding himself aloof), unable to engage my sympathy or curiosity.

As if very little happening (at length) to a dislikeable man weren't enough, Frey chooses to capitalize random Nouns and eschews use show more of standard punctuation (especially for speech). The resulting Hodge Podge of inconsistent capitals and no syntactical crutches makes for a subpar stream of consciousness that hurt to read. The Evening Standard's assertion on the cover that "this is brilliantly written, and if you disagree you can fuck off" was frankly red rag to my enraged bull.

This may (or may not - see Google for debate on whether this novel is as autobiographical as it claims) be a searingly honest account of one man's struggle back from the brink. If so, good for him. I hope he's fully recovered and making up to friends and family for being an asshat. It may be an accurate portrayal of the horror of recovery. But it's not escapist or entertaining, and (as I'm not an addict, and don't plan to become one) it's not educational.

There was a tiny chance in a million that I'd find this interesting, touching, even inspiring. Instead, I quit halfway through rather than work up a truly interminable rant to vent at bookclub. Sorry bookclub. show less

On the back-cover the Observer describes this as 'memoir', which surprised me as the look-at-me style of writing and the parade of characters with interesting back-stories read more like literary fiction to me.

The constant repetitions, lack of punctuation and random use of capital letters irritated me but worked brilliantly to showcase 'James Frey' the character: individual, arrogant, cool with a fierce addiction. Similarly the constant use of the present tense and the minute detail was a powerful literary device and spotlighted the narrator's ego and self-obsession.

I have no first-hand experience of being 'in recovery'. From what I gather from an addict this side of the pond, her meetings tend to be largely populated by feckless, show more inarticulate and angry individuals who are also poor. But of course they wouldn't have access to the expensive, residential care depicted here, which attracts judges and mafia bosses.

Having been to the dentist the morning I read that scene, the minute detail made me squirm, to be honest I concentrated on anything but what my dentist was doing, so bravo for James for paying attention.

The style of writing did annoy me but then again it was perfect for the subject-matter. And the seemingly moment-by-moment thoughts and feelings displayed enlightened me to the loathing/fear/self-absorption of someone trying to free themselves from addiction. show less

I decided to read this book due to the controversy surrounding it. I chose to read it as a fiction novel in order to keep myself from being sucked into the “I can’t believe this happened” category.

This story chronicles one man’s journey to become sober. The characters that he meets are eccentric and over-the-top. His struggles with his past and emotional problems are revealed throughout the story during counseling sessions, conversations with other patients, and flashbacks.

SPOILER ALERT

The first third of the book is interesting and at times I couldn’t put it down. As the story continued I became more and more annoyed with the main character. He was intelligent, good-looking, witty, strong, etc. He was the perfect hero which show more at times was difficult to digest due to his supposed past failures and current location. I also had trouble grasping the idea that he could overcome addiction by simple deciding not to be addicted. He ignored the twelve-steps and AA, but due to his apparent overwhelming emotional strength was able to kick drugs without any problems. I found this hard to believe even in a fictional situation.

The story was interesting and easy to get sucked into. The writing style was different, at times irritating, but conveyed the story well. The main character was infuriating throughout most of the book, but the other characters were intriguing and interesting. I think anyone who has dealt with addiction and/or recovery would find this book maddening because it seems to make overcoming addiction simple and clean cut. Not a book for everyone, but it will get the reader’s blood pumping whether from cheering for the main character or from yelling at his ridiculousness. show less

I read this a few months before the scandal broke. I hardly agree with the author that the embellishments were minor. I do see why Oprah chose it - it is a very motivating piece about how one man reclaimed his life from his destructive habits - empowering for anyone who struggles with any sort of addition or destructive cycle. Also written in a very unique style. Given what we know now, I feel it does diminish the power of the book

I read this book before Oprah added it to her Book Club. It matters not to me if it is fiction or non-fiction, as I found it to be a fascinating read. Oprah lost big points when she chose to ambush James Frey on her television show and claim that he "deceived her." Get over it, Oprah. Cry into a million dollar bill. It seems conceivable that James Frey was persuaded to make his book non-fiction by his publisher. With writers having so many other things to worry about, as a reader, I chose to draw my own conclusions.