Reviews
"From the get-go, [Frey's] book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." -The New York Times Book Review "One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." -People "A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." -Philadelphia Inquirer "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." The New Yorker "We finishA Million Little Pieceslike miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive."Minneapolis Star-Tribune "One of the most compelling books of the year… Incredibly bold…Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." The New York Post "Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination."Entertainment Weekly "Incredible… Mesmerizing…Heart-rending." Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A rising literary star… has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [A Million Little Piecesis] stark… disturbing… rife with raw emotion..." Chicago Sun-Times "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." Elle Magazine "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies… A compelling book." New York Magazine "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." New York Press "Incredible… A ferociously compelling memoir."Cleveland Plain Dealer "Insistent as it is demanding… A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted… A critical milestone in modern literature." Orlando Weekly "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." Charlotte Observer "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." The Oregonian "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." City Paper(Washington, DC) "Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." Iowa City Press-Citizen "An exhilarating read . . . Frey's intense, punc, "From the get-go, [Frey's] book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." - The New York Times Book Review "One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." - People "A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." - Philadelphia Inquirer "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." The New Yorker "We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." Minneapolis Star-Tribune "One of the most compelling books of the year… Incredibly bold…Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." The New York Post "Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination." Entertainment Weekly "Incredible… Mesmerizing…Heart-rending." Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A rising literary star… has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [ A Million Little Pieces is] stark… disturbing… rife with raw emotion..." Chicago Sun-Times "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." Elle Magazine "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies… A compelling book." New York Magazine "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." New York Press "Incredible… A ferociously compelling memoir." Cleveland Plain Dealer "Insistent as it is demanding… A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted… A critical milestone in modern literature." Orlando Weekly "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." Charlotte Observer "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." The Oregonian "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." City Paper (Washington, DC)"Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." Iowa City Press-Citizen "An exhilarating read . . . Frey's intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy." Time Out New York "Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision . . . As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify, . . . he gets that down too." St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Frey comes on like the world's first recovering-addict hero. . . . [His] criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling." GQ "[A] gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose." Details "Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves . . . undeniably striking. . . . A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize [the] author's addiction or his thorny personality. . . . A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass." Salon, " From the get-go, [Frey' s] book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing - a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." -- "The New York Times Book Review" " One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." -- "People" " A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." -- "Philadelphia Inquirer" " A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." - "The New Yorker" " We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." "- Minneapolis Star-Tribune" " One of the most compelling books of the year... Incredibly bold... Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." - "The New York Post" " Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination." " - Entertainment Weekly" " Incredible... Mesmerizing... Heart-rending." - "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" " A rising literary star... has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [A Million Little Pieces is] stark... disturbing... rife with raw emotion..." - "Chicago Sun-Times" " Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." - "Elle Magazine" " We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies... A compelling book." - "New York Magazine" " An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." - "New York Press" " Incredible... A ferociously compelling memoir." "- Cleveland Plain Dealer" " Insistent as it is demanding... A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted... A critical milestone in modern literature." - "Orlando Weekly" " At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." - "Charlotte Observer" " A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." - "The Oregonian" " A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." - "City Paper" (Washington, DC) " Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery andreconciliation." - "Iowa City Press-Citizen" " An exhilarating read . . . Frey's intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy." - "Time Out New York" " Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision . . . As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify, . . . he gets that down too." - "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" " Frey comes on like the world's first recovering-addict hero. . . . [His] criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling." - "GQ" " [A] gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose." - "Details" " Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves . . . undeniably striking. . . . A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize [the] author's addiction or his thorny personality. . . . A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass." - "Salon", "Gripping.... A great story.... You can''t help but cheer his victory." - Los Angeles Times Book Review "James Frey''s staggering recovery memoir could well be seen as the final word on the topic." - San Francisco Chronicle "The most lacerating tale of drug addiction since William S. Burroughs'' Junky ." - The Boston Globe "Frey's book sets itself apart ... spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing - a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." - The New York Times Book Review "Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story." - People "Ripping, gripping.... It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint.... Engrossing." - Philadelphia Inquirer "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." -The New Yorker "We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." -Minneapolis Star-Tribune "One of the most compelling books of the year.... Incredibly bold.... Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." -The New York Post "Thoroughly engrossing.... Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page.... Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination." -Entertainment Weekly "Incredible.... Mesmerizing.... Heart-rending." -Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A rising literary star ... has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [ A Million Little Pieces is] stark ... disturbing ... rife with raw emotion." -Chicago Sun-Times "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." -Elle "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies.... A compelling book." - New York "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." - New York Press "Incredible.... A ferociously compelling memoir." -The Plain Dealer "Insistent as it is demanding.... A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted.... A critical milestone in modern literature." - Orlando Weekly "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful.... Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." - Charlotte Observer "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process.... The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." -The Oregonian "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting.... Compulsively readable." -City Paper (Washington, DC) "Powerful ... haunting ... addictive.... A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." -Iowa City Press-Citizen "An exhilarating read.... Frey's intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy." - Time Out New York "Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision.... As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify ... he gets that down too." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Frey comes on like the world's first recovering-addict hero.... [His] criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling." - GQ "[A] gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose." - Details "Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves ... undeniably striking.... A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize [the] author's addiction or his thorny personality.... A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass." -Salon, "From the get-go, ÝFrey's¨ book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing - a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." --"The New York Times Book Review" "One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." --"People" "A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." --"Philadelphia Inquirer" "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." -"The New Yorker" "We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." "-Minneapolis Star-Tribune" "One of the most compelling books of the year... Incredibly bold...Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." -"The New York Post" "Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination."" -Entertainment Weekly" "Incredible... Mesmerizing...Heart-rending." -"Atlanta Journal-Constitution" "A rising literary star... has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. ÝA Million Little Pieces is¨stark... disturbing... rife with raw emotion..." -"Chicago Sun-Times" "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." -"Elle Magazine" "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies... A compelling book." -"New York Magazine" "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." -"New York Press" "Incredible... A ferociously compelling memoir." "-Cleveland Plain Dealer" "Insistent as it is demanding... A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted... A critical milestone in modern literature." -"Orlando Weekly" "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." -"Charlotte Observer" "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." -"The Oregonian" "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." -"City Paper" (Washington, DC) "Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." -"Iowa City Press-Citizen" "An exhilarating read . . . Frey's intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy." -"Time Out New York" "Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision . . . As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify, . . . he gets that down too." -"St. Louis Post-Dispatch" "Frey comes on like the world's firstrecovering-addict hero. . . . ÝHis¨ criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling." -"GQ" "ÝA¨ gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose." -"Details" "Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves . . . undeniably striking. . . . A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize Ýthe¨ author's addiction or his thorny personality. . . . A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass." -"Salon", "From the get-go, [Frey's] book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." -The New York Times Book Review "One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." -People "A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." -Philadelphia Inquirer "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." The New Yorker "We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." Minneapolis Star-Tribune "One of the most compelling books of the year… Incredibly bold…Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." The New York Post "Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination." Entertainment Weekly "Incredible… Mesmerizing…Heart-rending." Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A rising literary star… has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [A Million Little Pieces is] stark… disturbing… rife with raw emotion..." Chicago Sun-Times "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." Elle Magazine "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies… A compelling book." New York Magazine "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." New York Press "Incredible… A ferociously compelling memoir." Cleveland Plain Dealer "Insistent as it is demanding… A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted… A critical milestone in modern literature." Orlando Weekly "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." Charlotte Observer "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." The Oregonian "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." City Paper (Washington, DC) "Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." Iowa City Press-Citizen "An exhilarating read . . . Frey's, "James Frey has written the War and Peace of addiction. It lends new meaning to the word 'harrowing' and one sometimes shudders to read it. But deep down, beneath all the layers and the masks, there lives something unconquerable in Frey's hurt spirit... And the writing, the writing, the writing." -Pat Conroy "A Million Little Pieces is as intense and perfectly detailed an account of a human quitting his drug and alcohol dependency as you are likely to read. And James Frey is horribly honest and funny in a young-guard Eggers and Wallace sort of way, but perhaps more contained and measured. He is unerring in his descent into a world where the characters need help in such extremely desperate ways. Read this immediately." Gus Van Sant "A Million Little Pieces is this generation's most comprehensive book about addiction: a heartbreaking memoir defined by its youthful tone and poetic honesty. Beneath the brutality of James Frey's painful process of growing up, there are simple gestures of kindness that will reduce even the most jaded to tears. Very few books earn those tears -- this one does. It will have you sobbing, laughing, angry, frustrated, and most importantly, hopeful. A Million Little Pieces is inspirational and essential. A remarkable performance." -Bret Easton Ellis, "From the get-go, [Frey's] book sets itself a part, its narrative unspooling in short, unindented paragraphs and barely punctuated sentences whose spare, deadpan language belies the horror of what he's describing - a meltdown dispatched in telegrams." --"The New York Times Book Review" "One of the best stories of transformation I've ever read. . . . Anyone who has ever felt broken and wished for a better life will find inspiration in Frey's story. This won't be the last we'll hear of him." --"People" "A ripping, gripping read. It's a staggeringly sober book whose stylistic tics are well-suited to its subject matter, and a finger in the eye of the culture of complaint . . . Engrossing." --"Philadelphia Inquirer" "A frenzied, electrifying description of the experience." -"The New Yorker" "We finish A Million Little Pieces like miners lifted out of a collapsed shaft: exhausted, blackened, oxygen-starved, but alive, thrillingly, amazingly alive." "-Minneapolis Star-Tribune" "One of the most compelling books of the year... Incredibly bold...Somehow accomplishes what three decades' worth of cheesy public service announcements and after-school specials have failed to do: depict hard-core drug addiction as the self-inflicted apocalypse that it is." -"The New York Post" "Thoroughly engrossing . . . Hard-bitten existentialism bristles on every page . . . Frey's prose is muscular and tough, ideal for conveying extreme physical anguish and steely determination."" -Entertainment Weekly" "Incredible... Mesmerizing...Heart-rending." -"Atlanta Journal-Constitution" "A rising literary star... has birthed a poetic account of his recovery. [A Million Little Pieces is]stark... disturbing... rife with raw emotion..." -"Chicago Sun-Times" "Frey will probably be hailed in turn as the voice of a generation." -"Elle Magazine" "We can admire Frey for his fierceness, his extremity, his solitary virtue, the angry ethics of his barroom tribe, and his victory over his furies... A compelling book." -"New York Magazine" "An intimate, vivid and heartfelt memoir. Can Frey be the greatest writer of his generation? Maybe." -"New York Press" "Incredible... A ferociously compelling memoir." "-Cleveland Plain Dealer" "Insistent as it is demanding... A story that cuts to the nerve of addiction by clank-clank-clanking through the skull of the addicted... A critical milestone in modern literature." -"Orlando Weekly" "At once devastatingly bleak and heartbreakingly hopeful. . . . Frey somehow manages to make his step-by-step walk through recovery compelling." -"Charlotte Observer" "A stark, direct and graphic documentation of the rehabilitation process . . . The strength of the book comes from the truth of the experience." -"The Oregonian" "A virtual addiction itself, viscerally affecting . . . Compulsively readable." -"City Paper" (Washington, DC) "Powerful . . . haunting . . . addictive . . . A beautiful story of recovery and reconciliation." -"Iowa City Press-Citizen" "An exhilarating read . . . Frey's intense, punchy prose renders his experiences with electrifying immediacy." -"Time Out New York" "Describes the hopelessness and the inability to stop with precision . . . As anyone who has ever spent time in a rehab can testify, . . . he gets that down too." -"St. Louis Post-Dispatch" "Frey comes on like the world's firstrecovering-addict hero. . . . [His] criticism of the twelve-step philosophy is provocative and his story undeniably compelling." -"GQ" "[A] gruesomely absorbing account, told in stripped-down, staccato prose." -"Details" "Frey has devised a rolling, pulsating style that really moves . . . undeniably striking. . . . A fierce and honorable work that refuses to glamorize [the] author's addiction or his thorny personality. . . . A book that makes other recovery memoirs look, well, a little pussy-ass." -"Salon"
