mycouponz's Full Review: James Frey - My Friend Leonard
My Friend Leonard continues right where A Million Little Pieces left off. At the end of Pieces, James was in the process of leaving the rehabilitation centre, where he had recovered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. James had also developed some meaningful relationships within the confines of the centre, and was mostly looking forward to what lay ahead. However, before he was to be set free, he had to spend some time in a jail to right previous wrongs he had committed. Frey ended the first book by divulging how the characters end up, and in doing so he gives away some of the plot from the second book. Not quite enough to ruin it, mind you, but it wouldn't have hurt to put a spoiler alert for those who were intent on reading the second book.
One of those friendships was with a man by the name of Leonard. A recovering crack addict, Leonard becomes a father figure to James, looking out for him and providing meaningful advice. When James gets out, Leonard is still there for him, providing stability and continuing to take the kid under his wing. James goes through a series of hardships, including losing someone who was very important to him, and through all the turmoil, he is very lucky to have Leonard, and he realizes it. Basically, Leonard is just the type of friend everyone could use. This book is as much about Leonard as it is about James. Much as I like learning about James, Leonard is just as interesting, if not more. He's someone who enjoys the excesses of life - food, relaxation and Mercedes-Benz. Leonard's not always politically correct - he does things his way. He's a very imposing character for sure.
As I found in the first book, what really makes this book great is the diversity of the characters. They have very different personalities, and react to their own experiences in different ways. After all he's been through, it was amazing to me to learn how James approaches life after addictions. His mindset is different from most, however, he says that after entering rehab, the vast majority of people go on to resume their addictions. If I remember correctly, Leonard and James end up being the only two characters from the first book that stay 'sober'. And even more surprisingly, they do not look back. Once they're out, it's full speed ahead for both of them.
I found this book just as touching as the first. Avoiding the temptations in front of him proves to be quite a challenge for James, especially since he insists on doing things his own way. For example, every night he goes to bars with his friends where he usually ends up shooting pool. He buys himself a bottle of liquor which he keeps in his car - just in case the need arises. James continues to build on his relationship with his parents, and starts relating to them.
Throughout My Friend Leonard, James really learns the importance of his friends and family to his life, not the least of which is Leonard. They have a very unusual relationship, and Leonard has taken to calling James "my son". It's not until late in the book that James discovers just how much he values Leonard's support, as shortly after losing contact, James life seems to take a sudden turn. I'll stop myself before I give too much away.
I enjoyed this book enough that I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The way James picks up the pieces of his life, goes on to bigger and better things and his meaningful relationships in the second book all make it a great read. And for me to not be able to put the book down, well it takes a special book to do that.
If you read this book, be prepared for plenty of obscenities. To be sure, Leonard and James are not the most polite people you've ever met. By the end of the book, they've both seen the best and the worst that this world can offer, so I suppose you couldn't blame them. Frey's habit of repeating stuff wore on me, and didn't bother me as much as it did in the first book. This book was published in 2005 - two years after the original, which I suppose means that there's still a possibility of a third book in the series being published. However, based on the way this book ends, as much as I'd like to read another Frey book, I wouldn't count on it.
Once again, I do have to point out that I don't know how much of James' story is made up. Once again though, it didn't bother me - this was a real page-turner. It took me about a week to get through the 350+ pages. Usually when I rent out a book, I'm lucky if I get through half of it in the month , but I found My Friend Leonard to be quite captivating. Once I started reading, I just could not put it down. The story really piqued my interest, and I only hope I can find another book just as good to replace this one.
Perhaps the most unconventional and literally breathtaking father-son story you'll ever read, My Friend Leonard pulls you immediately and deeply into ...More at HotBookSale
From the author of the bestselling A Million Little Pieces comes the story of his friendship with a highly unorthodox father figure--a high-living, re...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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