My Friend Leonard

Written by James Frey

Narrated by Andy Paris

New York Times best-selling author James Frey pens the candid memoir of his recovery from drug and alcohol addictions with My Friend Leonard. After a stint in jail, James is rocked by further tragedy. Teetering on the brink of breakdown, he turns to a friend from rehab, Leonard. A largerthan- life mobster, Leonard becomes James' loyal and generous adoptive father, teaching him to "live boldly." The powerful narration of Andy Paris will make listeners wish for their own friend like Leonard.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 21, 2005
• ISBN: 9781436112024

James Frey

James Frey is originally from Cleveland. All four of his books, A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard, Bright Shiny Morning, and The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, were international bestsellers.

Reviews for My Friend Leonard

[murphyjesus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first book left me curious. This was a good read, but I'm done now.

[Jessica Hitchens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Omg. Frey did it again. I def. Cried at the end! Read a million little pieces, then read this!!

[brone_2 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was'nt fiction it was fantasy.

[amineaitkaci · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Nice to continue the previously started story, but the beginning is a bit too much for me. Gets a little better as it goes.

[indygo88 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been quite a few years since I read A Million Little Pieces. Despite the controversy, I liked it a lot & felt that James Frey was a good writer. A few years later, I read Bright Shiny Morning, liked that one a lot, & felt justified in thinking that he was a good writer. So now I just finished Leonard, and yes, in my book, he's 3 for 3. Am I bothered that a couple of these books were marketed as memoir but later revealed to be fabricated to a degree? Yes, a little bit, because when you read something like this, you really start to root for the underdog & you start to feel like you really know the characters & you almost form a relationship with them. When you discover it's (partially) fiction, there's a little bit of let-down. But ultimately, it didn't take away the enjoyment of these books for me. True or not, James Frey is a good storyteller. I honestly don't remember a lot of detail about Leonard in Frey's first book. But in this one, his personality really comes out. He acts as a father to James, comes to his aid when needed, and although is somewhat of a sketchy character as far as his job employment and source of wealth are concerned, he's a likeable guy. This book is read exceptionally well on audio (read by Andy Paris). For those who are bothered by the formatting of Frey's books (his run-together sentences & such), I would recommend the audiobook, where the formatting is mostly a non-issue.

[diananagy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. Once I started reading it I just could not put it down. It was one of the best books that I have read! So touching, so loving, so wonderful! Would definitely recommend and would likely read it again that's how great it was!

[chrisweir-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Was a good book overall. Almost put it down after the first little bit, glad I stuck with it. Having not read the first book at this point I was not like some of the other reviewers and did not cry at the end. This follows James after he leaves rehab and tries to rebuild his life. He gets much help from his friend Leonard whom the book is titled. James does not fall back into his old ways even though many trials and tribulations come his way.

[branimal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

James Frey followed up "A Million Little Pieces" masterfully. I still have yet to read Frey's first fictional novel but after finishing his second memoir (admittedly not 100% true), I have hope that he might be one of my favorite authors. There's just something about his writing style that I find refreshing and easy to fly through. I finished this in about a week as I had a hard time putting it down - great read.

[poetreegirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The sequel to A Million Little Pieces follows the life and death struggle of James as he fights to maintain his sobriety. It is an honest portrayal of the recovery process and the long-term effects of addiction.

[effixioussundown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I ran out to get this book over paid for it cause i wanted it so bad its a tear jerker the charachters are so deep as you read you want to know what happen s even more the book was a times a little dull and sometimes shoking the lovable charactersd grew on me very quickly and i would recommend this book glad i bought it glad i read it.

[presto_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

James is released from prison, but only to face another tragedy. He rebuilds his life, watched over by his "guardian angel", Leonard. Engaging and affectionately written.

[taletreader_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Did I cry with this book? Yes. Would I have cried if I hadn't read "A Million Little Pieces" first? Probably not. The point is, I cried and you will too if you understand the depth of their relationship. Frey's writing is a little distracting, especially since there are no "paragraphs," per se, and because he tends to have sentences that aren't completely sentences. Either way, you eventually get into the story and the writing loses its grip on you. The story is one you have to have understood prior to reading the book. It continues where "A Million Little Pieces" left off and ends leaving you...well, in a million little pieces. No one can dislike the character Leonard, and even if he is fictional, I could care less.

[loralu_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was what I originally thought to be a very intriguing memoir, and then I found out it was fiction. unfortunate. still a good read.

[thelittlereader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

after reading a million little pieces, i wanted more, felt as though the story left too much hanging and unanswered. although not as riveting as the first book, my friend leonard does fill in pieces of the story left out previously and gives a more formal close to the story of frey and his life after rehab.

[ratsoup · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Never finished reading it.Boring boring boring.

[vintage_vermin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really good follow up and just as insightful and gripping as AMLP. The only thing I didn't enjoy is how many women he seemed to get through and how he described them all in the same way - I felt it ruined the romance with Lily from AMLP.

[jgoto_4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In My Friend Leonard, James Frey's sequel to A Million Little Pieces, he has the same disregard for traditional grammar and punctuation that exists in his first book. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work in this memoir. Rather than helping take the reader into the mind of a troubled alcoholic, the technique just emphasizes the fact that the novel is poorly written. The story has none of the urgency of A Million Little Pieces and generally speaking, it was a big disappointment.

[estellen_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

James Frey's indiscretions aside - his books are still lyrically written, touching and amazing. My friend Leonard is the perfect follow-up to A Million Little Pieces. It follows James on his path to recovery from drugs and the suicide of his girlfriend. Leonard is the shadowy father figure and is perfectly loveable - picture Tony Soprano mixed with Tuesdays with Morrie. One can't help but read this book with a nagging suspicion that it may be faked - yet it's utterly enjoyable and an easy read.

[amanda_anders_614865 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this follow up as it filled in alot of gaps from the first story. I think Frey weaves an elaborate and exciting world in which I enjoyed stepping into.

[mermania27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was another literary triumph for Mr. Frey. I actually cried towards the end. His style of writing is enticing and best of all, interesting. I would love to read more of his work...if only there were more.

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book takes off where "Million Little Pieces" leaves off, with James in prison. Like MLP, portions of this memoir were shown to be embellished, but it was still a powerful read. In his typical stream of consciousness style, James addresses the issues that he had to deal with as a broke recovering alcoholic and drug addict. The primary focus of the book is his relationship with Leonard, a mafia tough guy that he met in rehab. Leonard takes on the role of paternal role model, and James acts as son while choosing to live his own life, making decisions that work for him. This is a vivid story of male friendship, with all of its facets, from respect to responsibility to heartbreak.

[libraryscat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book follows the author after rehab. Not as good as the first book, but glad I read it.

[champagne_high · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved hearing more about Frey's struggles in alcohol and drug recovery. I am not sure how much of this book was truth, but either way it was a really quick read and I couldn't put it down.

[hlselz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didnt think, was quite as good as Pieces, but still quite an adventure.

[miranda_d_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the charactor Leonard in AMLP, but here the charactor is transformed into a somewhat laughable stereotype of the excessive gangster. Leonard's appeal may have partially been that we didn't know a lot about him, so we weren't sure how his actions meshed with the person that he really was. Frey may have actually done a disservice by revealing too much about Leonard in this book. This book was still incredibly enjoyable, I whipped through it in two days (staying up far too late some nights to read!). If you enjoyed AMLP (controversy aside) pick up My Friend Leonard and continue the journey, but don't expect that same emotional depth out of this book as his first.

[nch05 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I suppose I just don't like James Frey's writting style. Everything that he says just seems to erk me. Maybe I just dont like him and his life so I guess reading his memoirs isnt a very good idea.

[talymac2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book very much, I almost liked it better then the first book. I was happy with how James and Leonard stayed so strong. I really recomend this book.

[tanyatomato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good author that made you care about the characters. It is supposed to be a biography, but it came out that James Frey is a fake. I couldn't even finish his other one, but I love the character of Leonard so this one is much more interesting.

[mighteq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great book that continues where the first one left off. Not really sure if everything in this book is the truth, I'd call it more fiction, but still a great emotional touching story of friends who develop into a father/son relationship. But darn it! I still want to know what exactly Leonard does for a living!!!!

[ksinge01 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved reading this second book by James Frey. I was interested in what happened to James, his friends (especially Leonard) after his first book.