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 enlarge | Author: James Frey
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy Used: $8.33
You Save: $18.62 (69%)
New (60) Used (48) Collectible (9) from $8.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  132 reviews
Sales Rank: 5280
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.9 x 1.7
ISBN: 0061573132
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061573132
ASIN: 0061573132
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Free tracking of all orders so you know where it is and that it was delivered. Please no correctional institutions. On occasion we may substitute a hardback for a softcover as inventory allows
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| Customer Reviews:
 Bright Shiny Book October 21, 2008
Everyone remembers the controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces, James Frey's first book. Published as a memoir, it was later revealed that much of the book was fabricated to protect those Frey wrote about.
In the end, however, the controversy doesn't matter. Frey's books A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard did what all good books should do: they evoked emotion, touched long forgotten places inside of us and inspired people to live better lives.
So despite the controversy, I was excited to get my hands on Bright Shiny Morning. I wanted the book to be wonderful, breath taking, as incredible as A Million Little Pieces. Thankfully, Bright Shiny Morning is so much more than that.
Bright Shiny Morning, Frey's first work of fiction, is a novel about people living their lives in the fast paced city of L.A. It's told in James Frey's typical breath taking, beautiful prose and pulls you right in.
The book isn't an ordinary novel as can be expected with Frey's writing. Instead of a linear narrative, we are presented with a few reoccurring characters:
Dylan and Maddie, two teenagers who are madly in love. They run away to be together and find out about the darker side of life and love too soon.
Esperanza, a Mexican American, who takes a job as a maid in the house of Ms. Campbell, a woman so mean and rude that she borders on being abusive.
Amberton Parker, famous award winning actor who hides a secret so incredible that it could ruin his career if it was released.
Joe, a homeless man, who befriends a fifteen year old girl who is new to the streets and addicted to meth.
Sprinkled through out their stories are vignettes of other people, other characters who fill the city streets. As well, we learn factoids about Los Angels, about the city that serves not only as a backdrop for this novel but is essentially the largest character in the book.
James Frey has penned no mere novel. Instead he has given us one of the most intense studies of human nature. In this book is pure emotion sprawled across the page for us to read and it almost seems unseemly, looking into the characters lives as we do.
What I love most about Frey's writing is that it's real, it evokes emotion, it haunts you after you've turned the last page and closed the book. This is the true power of the written word, the ability to stay with the reader after the book is finished.
Frey has this in spades.
In Bright Shiny Morning, Frey proves that he is not only the subject of controversy. He is a writer and a true wordsmith. Bright Shiny Morning is, hands down, one of the best novels I have ever read. Ever.
If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for? You have no idea what you're missing.
A very powerful book! October 9, 2008
I must admit, when I first started reading it, I thought, " What's with the run-on sentences. Will this be some 'arty' attempt at writing?". It turned out to be one of the best books I've read in awhile (and I usually read 3 per week). I have not read the other reviews, and I'm sure others have covered the story details. The book will be most appreciated by people who are sensitive to other people's feelings, hopes, and dreams. Of all the charactors, only one is a "villan". Reading this makes me not want to visit LA again, far less LIVE there.
Wonderfully Different September 21, 2008
I was at first taken aback by the unusual writing style and the fact that the story seemed to jump around, but soon grew comfortable and found that the book flowed beautifully for me. The author skillfully weaves the history of Los Angeles with the lives of a variety of current-day residents. I highly recommend this book.
Good read, page turner September 19, 2008
Nice surprise, very good book, interesting look at the lives of street people or stars in LA.
TZ
I still like James September 15, 2008
i have long waited for james new book after reading his 'memoir' the million pieces and leonard book. it's a very different thing but i still like it
it's about LA, i can see there are lots of research and ground work done
but...it's the message it's bringing out touches me still
colors, races, dreams, destruction, lust, obsession, love, abuse, violence...which cities do not have these elements, but LA seeems to have an exagerrating amount of these adding all up
james bring it to our attention and in a very vivid way
he is so good at bringing us VIVID pictures through words
i want to read his 4th books
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