A Million Little Pieces

Yesterday morning I finished A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.  I literally couldn't wait to read more of this book every day over the past week.  Frey's real life story of his battle with alcohol and drug addiction fascinated me.  Believe it or not, I really related to his story. 

The book starts with a nearly comatose Frey coming back to consciousness in an airplane with no recollection of how he got there.  His parents then take him into drug re-hab and he has to go through de-tox followed by some brutal dental and medical procedures.  As the book progresses Frey comes to terms with his addiction and conquers it. 

Frey's style, which lacks 'proper' punctuation and capitalization, adds to the book rather than detracts from it.  He puts you right into the moments that he lived through.  You get so caught up, that it's really difficult to set the book down.

His follow-up, My Friend Leonard, is on my "to read" list and luckily my sister owns a copy and recently finished it.  Yeah for sisters who read good books & like to share!  (I also borrowed Freakonomics from her recently.)

So what am I reading now?  Well, first I have to tell you that I have the *best* husband.  Knowing that I was feeling miserable with this cold, he went to the library last night and got Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer for me to read.  (I recently finished Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and really liked it and I heard this one was even better.  We shall see!)  And he also picked up Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, the author of Gilead, which is supposed to be an excellent book.  I'm reading it next. 

One final book item. . . has anyone read Wicked by Gregory Maguire?  I'm thinking of getting it for my Grandma for Christmas.  She usually reads Danielle Steele, Anne Rivers Siddons etc.  Do you think she would like Wicked?

Comments

[Scout]

I LOVED A Million Little Pieces and have recommended it to every one of my friends. And, I read Everything is Illuminated this summer for my bookgroup. It's wonderful. Did you know they are making a movie of it?

[Amy]

"Do you think she would like Wicked?" Not if that list is what she usually likes. Try Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (same author) much easier to read, fun and in the same spirit as Wicked.

[Lauren]

Wicked is a little odd. I would guess she'd find it slow. It has interesting ruminations on the origin of evil, but that doesn't seem too similar to Danielle Steele.

[mimsie]

I may have to disagree with Amy. I read Confessions (but not Wicked) and it took me two tries and it really didn't come together for me until the last 3 chapters. And the themes are not very Danielle Steele-y.
Might I recommend a book by Maeve Binchy (ie Tara Road) or Sue Monk Kid (ie Secret Life of Bees) instead?

[Rebekkah]

I read Wicked several years ago (before it became famous, and made into a musical) and enjoyed it quite a bit. I have to agree with mimsie that I thought it was a lot better than Confessions. In fact, I never finished Confessions. I picked it up after reading Wicked, but just couldn't get into it at all.

Hard to say if she'd like it. I got it for my boyfriend's mom a year or two ago, but that's because she is a fan of fantasy books in general.

[Shanti]

I disliked Wicked, but mainly because it took too long to hook me. I had to try several times.

[Folkcat]

I can't compare to any of the authors you mention she likes, since I haven't read them myself. But you should be aware, Wicked is not a book for the meek. It has very adult situations and very intense and extreme character development. People do, well, wicked things to other living beings. And they wind up torturing their own souls as much as they torture others. We watch the changes in the main character from childhood up to her ultimate demise, as she ultimately succumbs to all the bad things that she has experienced.

Wish I could offer a better suggestion, but I don't wind up reading as much as I did years ago. Wicked is one of the few books to cross my path in recent years, and I'm still not sure if I'm glad I read it or not.

[Dani]

I picked up and put down Wicked so many times I can;t even remember how long it actually took me to finish it. I ended up releasing it thru Bookcrossings. I didn't hate it but I certainly didn't love it - and base don the list of authors she likes, I dont think this would be high on her list. Just my $.02 =)

[--Deb]

Aw, what a nice hubby! Gotta love someone who brings home a pile of good books just for you.

[Kelly]

I just finished (in the last couple months) Wicked and the sequel Son of a Witch and I loved both of them-it's heavier reading, much more than meets the eye, but fun as well. That being said, they don't seem to go with what you say she normally reads--but maybe she'll like it as something new and interesting?

[Wendy]

I know what you mean about "A Million Little Pieces" -- it was an incredibly compelling read!

[Cece]

That is so random. A co-worked was at my desk telling me how great A Million Little Pieces is, and I click on your blog, and here you are talking about it also.

Now I've got to read it!

[Michelle]

I'm making out my next library list. Now if I can just figure out how to hold my book and knit...

[Emma.]

Just wanted to say that I loved reading Housekeeping when it first came out,and even really liked the film. It capyured the feel of the book very well,I thought. I want to read it again now !
Can't comment on Wicked. To think,I used to sit up all night to finish a book. Sigh.

[Edith]

Coming a little late to this comment party - I agree with the commenters above that Wicked is v. intense and not at all Danielle Steele-y. As an alternative I highly recommend Rosamund Pilcher - her books are usually set in Britain or Scotland, revolve around family dynamics and I think are examples of great storytelling. Her best-known book is probably The Shell Seekers but I like its sequel September even more. They are also usually available in public libraries if you want to flip through to get a sense of her style.
Cheers,
Edith