For two weeks I couldn't wait to get home from work and pick up this book. Mr Frey, thanks for helping me through two weeks of dark cold Seattle evenings.

I loved this book. It was full of interesting characters all connected by their pursuit of happiness in a city that seeks to personify the American dream.

I hate this book. I don't say this very often. I've read thousands of books in my life, from Burgess to Bradbury, from Starship Troopers to The Sun Also Rises. But I have never had cause to hate a book before. I truly despised Bright Shiny Morning. The feeling it left me with was disjointed despair. Imagine you are a kid in a classroom. The teacher asks you a question. You give the wrong answer. She smacks you on the head with a wooden ruler. You are asked another question. You're right this time. She smacks you on the head with the ruler. She doesn't smack you after every answer. She doesn't even smack you every time you are wrong. She is totally inconsistent with her punishments and it never ends until the school year ends.

This is what Bright Shiny Morning is like. Undeserved, unending punishment. Disjointed inconsistency. Brutal. And it continues until the very end.

Do the human race a favor. Buy the book, but please, buy it used. And then burn it.

While maybe not 5-star material (it didn't change my life, give me a new perspective, or make me think about it for weeks after I finished) I found the novel entertaining. But more than that, it felt REAL to me. People can moan on and on again about cliches, but really, the reason they are cliches is because these things really happen! How many of us, if we can categorize ourselves in a few sentences would turn out sounding "cliche"?

I think there are three main categories of people that don't like this book.

One group still feels lied to and "cheated" after it came out that James Frey's first book wasn't 100% factual (but then again also, how many memoirs are? Everything is skewed through someone's bias, it just so happened that there was evidence against some of what he claimed was his life.) These people will never like another thing James Frey writes, not even if its the next Great American Masterpiece.

The second group is angry that Frey presumes to know THEIR city more than they do. They go through the book saying, "Ha! This could never happen! and This description is off!" They just come off sounding elitist and petty.

The last is the group of people that call out "CLICHE!" all the time. The things that happen to these people actually occur, and they happen enough so that it is well recognized. The trouble is making these stories and people three-dimensional and I feel that the cliche-shouters can't look past their discovery of cliches to see if there is actually any dimension beyond that.

You kind of have to weed through those reviews to find the ones that aren't quite so biased. I can't claim that mine isn't, I am human after all, and opinions still are just opinions. However, I found the novel engrossing and the facts interesting, although they did stop the flow of the narratives from time to time. Mainly because the jokey, "hanging out with your buddies" language was disparate with the language of the rest of the novel. But when it comes right down to it, I was interested in the lives of the people and I wanted them to succeed and be happy. I wanted to see what was going to happen to them, and to me, that is what makes a good book.

Simply put, I loved this book. It is a compulsive read that will hook you from page one. It is less a novel than a group of vignettes portraying the lives of several vastly different Los Angeles citizens. The main characters include a closeted-actor whose life is a lie, a young couple fleeing life in the Mid-west only to find that LA might not be the city of dreams they thought it would be, a homeless man struggling with an alcohol addiction, and a Hispanic cleaning lady who dreams of a better future. On the surface they seem like stereotypical LA characters, but the depth and realness that James Fray gives them makes the reader care to know their fate. Interspersed throughout the vignettes is a brief history of Los Angeles, beginning to present. The history serves as an ironic insight into the present state of affairs of LA. There are also chapters like, Fun Facts About LA!!!, that include all sorts of interesting tidbits of information on the city--from the macabre to the bizarre.

Bright Shiny Morning is a fascinating, gritty, and all together beautiful portrait of life in Los Angeles. I laughed, I cried, and I cursed. But most of all, I walked away feeling that I better understood the city of LA and the various people that live there. I will never walk the streets of Los Angeles quite the same way.

I just read the last few pages (almost 500) of James Frey's newest book, 'Bright Shiny Morning', and I can't figure out what to say, or if words are even enough.



Never has a book, since 'The Perks of Being A Wallflower', have I been so incredibly moved by a novel. It's novels like these that tear your heart in half and sew it back together.

This novel has broken me in half. Reading it, I went through the most happiest of times, to the deepest sadness, to actually being afraid, to feeling sick, to feeling every possible feeling. I carried this book with me to work and I work at Wal-Mart, and I always take my breaks at the McDonalds there, and there people would stare at me because I would be reading and making these facial expressions, sad, happy, sometimes I would read something so funny (Especially when you meet the guy named 'Lemonade'... hahaha...) that I would start burst out laughing.

It looks huge, but the lines are double spaced and the pages just fly. Sometimes though, I was so afraid to find out what was going to happen (because reading Frey's novels, you quickly learn to understand you can never know what to expect...) that I would actually find myself re-reading the same stupid sentence over and over cuz I was so afraid! Lmao! I'm dead serious.

Also, the way Frey writes is beautiful. It's the worst writing ever, lol, he writes like a photographer would, in a wierd way, he takes snap shots of thoughts and prints them, not caring if they look funny without commas or periods or bunched up, and it takes a while to get used to it, unless you read his other books.

There's one part where I found myself reading ten pages of the most boring thing in the world, about highways, but the chapter after that was so incredibly amazing and it all connected with the previous ten pages arggggh I wish I could just read it to you.

This book follows four main narritives, it has the story of a bum who wants to help a poor drug addicted girl, a spanish girl who hates herself, a gay celebrity that hides this fact from the world, and best of all, Dylan and Maddie, a teenage couple who ran away from a bunch of horror to be in love with each other, who I now am incredibly in love with.

I don't know if you read his first novel 'A Million Little Pieces', but forget about all the bad publicity. He wrote a memoir and threw a bunch of crap in it to make it have a better moral, a moral of hope, and he had no idea that he was going to be famous, he didn't want a huge scandal. (I, as an artist, understand this.) Even if you think what he did was unfair, forgive him, and please please read this novel. Lol you will thank me for suggesting it, I swear it. I read, typically, about 2-3 novels every month, and this is the first novel in a long time (three years) that actually made me cry at the end, in a happy way, in a sad way, in a wonderful way.

Oh, and I'm moving to L.A. now. Lol. Who's with me? Thanks James for infecting me with your L.A. dream thing lol.

I give 'Bright Shiny Morning' a 6 out of 5 stars. :)

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.

This is honestly, 100% the best book I have ever read! There isnt one thing about it that I would change because it all worked together to even out the book and make it unforgetable... Rarely a book comes along that sticks in your head and you can never get it out... this book was that for me... It was so well written, in a high school creative writing project kind of way... It really made me feel like i understood the inner workings of LA... I finished the book several months ago and it is still stuck in my head! I didnt read "A million little pieces" or any of his other books before this one, I had no opinions of the author before this book. I honestly reccomend reading it. It dose have some rough spots, it gets a little graffic just be ready for that... but, honestly... incredibible book!!!! READ IT!

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.

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.

Nice surprise, very good book, interesting look at the lives of street people or stars in LA.

TZ

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

Frey is yet another easterner--Cleveland born, NYC resident--who finds the need to tell us Angelinos what we're about. Only he's brought nothing new to the party. Some reviewers have already pointed out the most egregious cliches. But the worst of them are not only cliched, but essentially false. E.g., a transplanted New Yorker brought west to run an art gallery is run over crossing the street by an MTA bus because the driver "wasn't used to seeing pedestrians". When we lived in Hollywood, my wife worked in the North Valley and had to use our only car. I walked. All over. I even used public trans(!). Never got run over. Not even close. One of the first things drivers in Cali are taught is that pedestrians *always* have the right of way, crosswalk or no.

I've lived for the past 15 years in NYC. Here I've come a lot, lot closer to getting run down, both as pedestrian and bicyclist (in fact I got hit twice while bicycling). Pedestrians have a far, far more problematic relationship with motorists than in LA.

Another point of contention is that hoariest of assertions: "It calls. It calls. It calls!"

Really?

How 'bout NYC? It calls (I run into a tankload of Angelinos and other Californians here). So does Chicago. So does any major metropolitan center. Frey is just showing off his regionalism here.

Other points that may seem niggling demonstrate disrespect for basic facts: e.g. according to Frey you can buy a handgun one day and pick it up the next in LA. That's not true. There's been a 14 day waiting period for handgun purchases in California since shortly after RFK's murder.

Frey's style is interesting, but he has yet to master the minimalist punctuation the way Cormac McCarthy has. In Morning it's more of a nuisance than a means of improving flow.

Andy

I found most of the book to be self involved and uninteresting, but perhaps that was the point since it was about LA. There were about 3 story lines I was interested in , and I did skim thru the book to read about those characters. Otherwise I found most of it bland and banal , with the story lines just above a Danielle Steel novel.
The most annoying thing was , when I was recently in Britain , I saw an interview with James Frey on the BBC. He explained that some of the "facts" about LA , that begin many of the chapters, are entirely made up , and false. It seems someone has a wee bit of problem with the truth.

This is a great book. Especially if you are from LA and can relate to a lot of what the characters experience. Its true that a few pages are a bit too detailed and you end up skipping over some of the useless info, but as far as character relationships and story lines go- I was captivated. Read all 500 pgs in a week and wish there was more. Id like to see individual spin offs on some of the stories as well.
Good read if you enjoyed his other books... similiar style.

This is an amazing book about people (Angelenos) and a place (Los Angeles) that I have not given much thought to before now. What a history Los Angeles has. What a diverse population James writes about in this unusual novel. I learned so much about the residents of LA and people, in general, from this book, their thoughts, intentions and motives. All, just people, looking for love, in one way or another. James Frey writes an incredible book that had me reading far into the night, fascinated by this interesting trip to LA and all it's madness.

Bright Shiny Morning is a must-read. I think James Frey is a great writer, whose language is easy for me to relate to as a young adult but also beautiful and intricate in its own way. He has never disappointed me with any of his novels. I believe this book deserves more spotlight because it truly is a wonderful glimpse into the lives and minds of several different individuals connected by one city. I believe these insights allow us to look at ourselves and the world around us in a different way. I love the style in which he writes-it allows you to just breeze through the book. READ IT.

PS. must must must read My Friend Leonard.

I loved this book. It was my summer beach book - read only on weekends between July 4th and today - Labor day weekend. I love the way in which this writer pulls us in with his style. I am so sick of typical "beach reads"! Crime novels retold with same story - different names. Or even more vomit-inducing "NYC single girls" and their struggles to date a decent man - yawn. This book was vibrant, exciting, told in a richly detailed way. I've never been to LA - but I now feel I know it well. Buy this book - you will not be disapointed!

James Frey is a very talented writer. His style is identifiable, and some of his writing is annoying. He oftentimes writes in run on sentences. And he loves repeating phrases within a sentence to make a point. But, he knows how to write characters and how to make them completely believable.
The main characters in this book are fully developed. There are four story lines that weave their way throughout the book never intersecting. Yet in between their stories, theres about a hundred pages of information both about Los Angeles, and about the types of people who are drawn their.
Los Angeles is as much a character as any of the people. It destroys, adulates, taunts and seduces hundreds of people from all walks of life from all over the world.
I wish after he made his point about L.A., that he would have focused more on the main characters and less on random stories. Especially ones that were about nameless, generic people.
That said, I'm a fan.

I read this large read in only a few days and thought that it was beautifully written. The characters were precise, unique and captivating even characters who only made it in for a few sentences.
I am a fan of James Freys style of writing and he really brings it home with this one.

I read this large read in only a few days and thought that it was beautifully written. The characters were precise, unique and captivating even characters who only made it in for a few sentences.
I am a fan of James Freys style of writing and he really brings it home with this one.

James Frey is a very talented writer. His style is identifiable, and some of his writing is annoying. He oftentimes writes in run on sentences. And he loves repeating phrases within a sentence to make a point. But, he knows how to write characters and how to make them completely believable.
The main characters in this book are fully developed. There are four story lines that weave their way throughout the book never intersecting. Yet in between their stories, theres about a hundred pages of information both about Los Angeles, and about the types of people who are drawn their.
Los Angeles is as much a character as any of the people. It destroys, adulates, taunts and seduces hundreds of people from all walks of life from all over the world.
I wish after he made his point about L.A., that he would have focused more on the main characters and less on random stories. Especially ones that were about nameless, generic people.
That said, I'm a fan.

Bad, bad, bad. 100% bad. Terrible writing. Not a sentence worth reading on any page. On any page. On any page.

I devoured Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey. Having lived in Santa Monica in the early 80's, I liked how he wove interesting facts about LA and the surrounding communities throughout the book. People unfamiliar with the area could find it annoying, since there was fact after fact, but I enjoyed the book and look forward to his next one.

Months after the book's release, I am writing a review. The reason for this prolonged response is my skepticism in reading another one of Frey's books. It took me this long to decide to even read the book for obvious reasons.

Somehow the world was duped by James Frey. There is an uneasiness in that, an unacceptability in the unfolding of Frey's story. Our righteousness, our ethics tell us he is not worthy as a result of his major faux pax. Does this "San Andreas Fault Line" crack in the foundation entirely erase the fact that his writing is remarkable, even unforgettable?

Therefore, we must look beyond his untruths in his debut, "A Million Little Pieces," which was an extraordinary piece of literature, fiction or non-fiction. He is a compelling writer, one cannot dispute from the frenzy created even before the truth emerged, in his first and very controversial work.

I didn't want to give him credence either, and didn't run to pick up this book as a result. However, when thought through, credence isn't a requirement for reading his books, and that's the bottom line. His books, fragmented or not, true or not, literary genius or not, are, whether we like it or not, definitively unputdownable. There warrants the only reason why one should read his book(s), and discounts the many other reasons not to.

He is a gifted writer, who just happens to have had a major character flaw unveiled upon the world like a "bright shiny morning" for all to see.

I was hesitant to read this book, I had no interest in anything to do with Los Angeles since I knew it only as a vapid one industry town, and only marginally interested in James Frey's writing. So I borrowed it from the NYC Public Library. After reading it, loving it so much I need to own this book, to have the ability to share with others!

This is an extraordinary book filled with heartbreaking tales of ordinary people. It is James Frey's ability to transform the that state and dig deep into the American psyche exposing us to the most unlikable tragic people, but making us care about all of them.

Every mother should give this book to a child lured to California to be in the "Industry". This book reads as a cautionary tale to never follow ones dreams to LA. Figure out how to fulfill your dreams elsewhere.

James Frey, you rocked my world, I now feel empathy towards that wasteland inching into the Pacific and all the saddest lonesome people in LA.

I have to admit I was unsure of buying another book by Mr. Frey. But I was so curious about the book after reading reviews, etc. As a voracious reader, I am particular about spending my "book time" on anyting I don't enjoy. This book....this wonderful book....took me to a place that I've never witnessed. Introduced me to characters that were real and I cared about or despised. This book makes you FEEL. Bravo, Mr. Frey, bravo. Thanks for a crazy, frantic, engrossing ride.

James Frey's,Bright Shiny Morning, is a wonderful read that scatters information about this unique City and how it's magnetic lure continues to seduce and destroy. Go west, young man or woman, continues to be the dreamy answer of many and Frey's show and tell spares no punches. It's a tough town that he disects with a host of fictional characters and a ton of factoids and history, all interlaced in a way that keeps the pages turning and the interest level high. This is a better tour guide of what to expect of LA than could ever be found at Fodor's, or even the now defunct LA Confidential. Frey delivers and any reader should be glad to receive.

Bright Shiny Morning is the story of four groups of people, broken up by a lot of useless information and the beginnings of other stories that never go anywhere. The four stories include a homeless alcoholic, two teenage runaways from Ohio, a secretly gay movie star in a fake marriage (think Tom Cruise), and a Hispanic girl who works as a nanny. These stories are interesting and James Frey definitely knows how to tell a story. I was immediately dragged into two of the four. The other two I didn't care for because I didn't like the characters.

The rest of the book contains, like I said, a lot of useless information. Does anyone really want to read 20 pages of useless facts about Los Angeles? This is the kind of thing you get as a forward in your email, not spend $25 on. There are also a lot of characters introduced, but then never heard from again. I would have been interested to find out more about the gun salesman or the rape victim who purchased the gun after seeing her assailant at the fast food restaurant. Alas, not in this book.

I will say that the book was difficult to put down. I kept skipping past the useless (in my opinion) pages to get back to the main characters. It is difficult to read at times and not all of the stories have happy endings.

While not a perfect book, it does showcase Mr. Frey's talent and I hope that more is to come.

I want to make it clear I have yet to read the other works he's done, even the one with all the controversy surrounding it. I gave this author a fresh start and I wasn't disappointed.
The flow of the book was good, I liked the "facts", the history of L.A., and the intermittent stories of people who have gravitated toward it. A few people think it's characters are cliche or unbelievable, but I have a friend right now contemplating the "pick up and move to be an actress" bit. I should probably pass this book along and let her know what she's up against.
The personal character stories are excellent-I felt most compatible with Dylan & Maddie, my heart breaking along with hers at the outcome of simply wanting a better life.
I was engrossed the entire time and I highly recommend it. Bravo.

When I was 19, I took a class in undergraduate about Los Angeles based fiction. It was an interesting class, I only wish this book had been around during that time so that it could have been part of the required reading.

I come from a family of voracious readers, I started with Jurassic Park when I was only ten years old, and haven't stopped reading since. I have read Hemingway, Joyce, Emmerson, Kerouac, all wonderful storytellers in their own way. But I can honestly say that I cannot remember a novel in recent years that moved me quite as much as "Bright shiny morning". I was literally reduced to tears (I can't remember the last time this happened!!) by the end. I'm not sure if I cried because I felt so strongly for these characters, or because I was sad that the book had come to an end. All I know is I want more, more, more!

The word "cliche" has been used an awful lot in reviews of this book, and fairly so. The bum with the heart of gold, the hispanic maid, the shallow actor who adds very little (nothing?) of value to society and yet is worshiped as a God. These are all stories that have been told before. It is the WAY in which Frey tells them that is so powerful, so moving, so thought provoking and emotional. It is a story that manages to entertain and simultaneously cause you to question your own priorities in life, causes you to think about what is really important, at least thats what it did for me.

Saying this book is no good because it uses cliches is like missing the forest for the trees. Frey's writing here is exceptional, emotional, and beautiful. Do yourself a favor, suspend any prior opinions about the author you may have, and try to read the book with an open mind. I think you'll find, as I did, a literary treasure that rises miles above what is traditionally put out there these days.

I read the first two books Mr. Frey wrote and will probably read them again. I bought several copies of each book and gave them to people that I knew would appreciate them. I was so happy to find that he had written another book and was so looking forward to making it my "Summer's Best Read". The book started out good and held my attention but about half way through I got bored with his stories (other then the parts about the three main tales) and the facts about LA did nothing for me. I guess if you are interested in LA you might find it worth reading. I don't think I will reccommend or buy this book for anyone this time around. Maybe the next one will make me stand up and cheer for James. Wish this could have been a positive review!

Bright Shiny Morning is a chaotic snapshot of L.A. It's like a music video but without the music or the video. Fictional vignettes, sometimes entertaining though more often predictable and trite, are jumbled with more mundane elements like lists of `fun facts' about L.A., descriptions of highways, historical events, and other minutiae. The book goes something like this: vignette about two in-love teenagers coming to L.A. to escape their abusive parents--cut to a list of the names of all the gangs in L.A.--cut to a one-page snippet about an aspiring actress promised a job in exchange for sex--cut to a three-sentence description of L.A. bank robberies in 1895--cut to a vignette about a self-absorbed movie superstar and his problems with his boyfriends--cut to a dull recitation of all the natural disasters that have ever hit L.A. In Bright Shiny Morning, nothing is sustained and nothing lasts. At times, Frey's quick-paced prose is a refreshing break from the more mundane aspects of this novel, but he indulges too often in repetition. A couple typical examples:

The children thought she was crazy, they were all still scared of him. He seemed bigger every day. He was bigger every day.

Every night before he went to sleep he lay in bed and dreamed, lay in bed and dreamed.

I suspect Frey is trying to add a certain weightiness with this repetition, but I found it to be an annoying affectation, especially after seeing it on almost every page. Although Frey succeeds in capturing the frenetic and ephemeral aspects of modern L.A., I was left feeling this is a 500-page book with nothing in it that's real or important.

I bought the book. I read it I read it I laid it aside and thought it I picked it back up. I read about all the people the good people the bad people the people who were good and bad and yellow and brown and white and sick and twisted and loving. Away from the book I thought it, thought it. I smiled laughed cried cringed and I kept reading and then I finished the book. I slowly ran my hands over the back cover then the front cover and opened it to Frey's photo and wondered if he liked that T-shirt so named by the Japanese man. Did the Japanese man really name it? Are there 65 people named Jesus Christ? Is Skid Row 50 square blocks? Do I care? No. I care that I read the book loved the book loved read. I care that it's over and there's not another page to read. Except the first. All over again.

In his most recent literary work, Frey offers a surprising mixture of fictional and historical shots of Bright Shiny LA. His idea of covering the formation of the city from its early days and providing facts about its current state as a background to the fictional lives of a dozen characters is beautifully original. But it is over-celebrated in long passages, and poorly integrated into the novel. Mostly, the facts are evidently introduced in order to give credibility to a series of characters and stories that are all equally stereotypical. Frey might have better served the literary genre by zooming in on the lives of actual Angelenos who, although they participate in the statistics, do not impersonate them. As it stands, the novel offers page after page of shallow characters and cliché story-lines and dialogues. The book appears to reflect the author's own preconceptions more than it offers an occasion to mind-travel among the streets and people of Los Angeles.

I bought Bright Shiny Morning because I liked James Frey's other books very much. I was disappointed, but read the whole thing anyway and I can say it's a fairly good book if you enjoy his style but, for me, it's not a great read. I especially disliked the lists he inserted in the book. Once I got the jist, I skipped over many of the items.

I suspect that with Frey's level of notoriety, he's getting treated like the very sort of untouchable celebrity he so accurately satirizes in this book: there are many points in the book where I've got to believe a lesser-known author would have been much more heavily edited. But Frey is currently a rock star in publishing circles, and while that gives his writing a fearlessness that is very compelling, his status also may be granting him an immunity to editing that I think is to his detriment.

The guy's got talent - no question about it. As much as I wanted to dislike this book, I have to give him that: the guy can freaking write. But I think his talent would shine even brighter with some editorial guidance.

For example, there are many "walk-on" characters in this book, who make one appearance and are never seen again. For the most part, they're all pretty good bits, too; unlike the LA factoids, which he ultimately begins to overuse, the walk-on bits are all pretty engaging to read. But as the book goes on, you get the sense that he's less invested in them. Early in the book, all the walk-ons have names, even if they only get a sentence or two of coverage. But later in the book they're all simply "he" or "she," as if Frey could no longer be bothered to come up with names for them.

Similarly, the LA factoids, which are a pretty effective device in the book, later on become longer and more unwieldy, interrupting the flow and slowing the pace. There's a 40-page section of this sort of thing near what should be the climax of the book that does nothing but grind the narrative to a halt. Again, this is the sort of thing an editor could help him with, without damaging his voice or the vitality of his prose.

This was an ambitious book, by somebody I can't really respect as a person, but whose writing talent I cannot impugn. And overall I enjoyed the book, and am glad I read it. I just hope Frey eventually becomes less controversial, so we can focus more on his writing and less on the brouhaha he generates. Because Frey can write. And he's trying things that are more ambitious than much of what we're seeing in currently popular books. But I think somebody needs to rein him in - just a little - before he'll rise to his full potential. I for one will be watching. And reading.

BRIGHT SHINY MORNING

Such a mixed bag of reviews and thoughts! I love it! This book is one of the best I have read this year. It is weird, different, enthralling, interesting, never dull. One reviewer wrote it read like a Jackie Collins novel; and yes, sometimes it did! However, I guess that would be a compliment seeing Ms. Collins is right up there on the best sellers lists constantly.

The writing is different and unique. No punctuation marks, no paragraphs, no commas, sometimes just rambling thoughts. Well, maybe more than sometimes rambling thoughts, a lot of rambling thoughts! Put all of these thoughts together and you have got yourself one good read.

This is a big, fat, juicy book. There are main characters; however, we read about them for a bit, then jump on to someone else. Some characters are never named, there is a small paragraph or two about them, and then they are never mentioned again. There is no rhyme or reasoning to the writing style, but hey -- it WORKS!!!

I loved all of the main characters; Joe the homeless drunk, Maddie and Dylan who run away from their respective abusive parents, Esperanza who works as a maid for a horrible rich woman, Amberton and Casey who are rich movie stars, and on and on. Each character brings to light their story, their dreams, their souls. The goodness of mankind. The cruelty of the human race. All of these characters were ones that interested me and ones I cared about. I could not put this book down. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the book. IT IS GREAT!!!

This book is LOADED with lists upon lists and facts about LA, about everything and anything you can possibly think of. I enjoyed them. The pages of facts about California's history were interesting to say the least. And I would never have dreamed that reading about the interstate highway system would be interesting and enjoyable, but it was!!!!

This book is a winner. Not for everyone, but give it a chance. If you are offended by language and subject matter, this is not for you. However, this is a book NOT to be missed. I absolutely will recommend it to all of my family and friends.

Go for it!

Thanks!
Pam

He may be as ethically challenged as a US Senator, but the man can write. I loved this book. I could not stop reading it. He even made the history of the freeway system a page turner. I am very glad that the fiasco that he caused over his first books did not extinguish his gift or his willingness to publish. A tour de force.

A Novel Like No Other...As a frequent lurker, but never a writer of Amazon's reviews,I cannot get this book out of my mind. Yes, he's controversial, yes, the writing is different, but as someone who has a Master's degree in American Lit, I can think of few great authors of their day who did not stir the some controversy. This is truly an exceptional piece of writing...the ending left my speechless and haunted three days after it ended. I found myself reading quickly in the beginning and middle, but during the last hundred pages, I slowed down because I did not want it to end. I also thoroughly enjoyed his first two works, but again, this novel is an entirely different animal...book clubs pay attention..this is a great pick....FANTASTIC!!

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. Frey's writing style is fresh, unique and addictive. His characters suck you in and his facts about Los Angeles are great. Anyone who likes reading books that evoke real emotions and that are innovative should read this novel. One of the best i've read in a long time.

500 pages-read it in 2 days. Story about LA and some of the people living there. An entertaining read.

This book is like a Jackie Collins novel. A little dose of suspense, thin characters, really awful dialogue, and lots & lots of cliched stereotypes. The story line about the famous couple is the absolute worst. Honest to god, it's PURE Jackie Collins. To be fair, I'm only 3/4 of the way through, but I'm guessing it doesn't get much better. I liked his first book (can't remember the name) and couldn't give a rats bum that it was made up. Good writing is good writing in my opinion. But this book....ugh, this book is really bad. Also, I live in LA, and his portrait of the city is ridiculous. Some of it is true (his description of the traffic & freeways and struggling actors are particularly accurate), but most of it so exaggerated and some of it is just downright inaccurate. The only good thing about the book is the cover art. I thought it was lovely.

I bought this book for my daughter. She said she liked the book very much.

Read the book, if you like a little bit quirky, like I do, you'll LOVE IT.

I loved James Frey since Million Little Pieces. Was a little disappointed about the whole scandal. Mainly because my husband and I had debated whether it was true before it all "Came Out" Regardless, it was a GREAT book. If you have a problem with him, don't read his book, SIMPLE.

Anyway back to the book at hand.

Loved how it had a bunch of stories together. You kept wondering when the characters were going to come back for a visit. I'm not going to go into summarizing the whole book because I hate to read summaries before I actually read a book. I think it gives to much away. The only thing I didn't LOVE were the asides about LA. However, I understand that Frey was trying to make LA the main character, which he suceeded in doing. It's very quick read because of his writing style. I just LOOOVE the way he writes. It's exactly like someone talks. It's so unique and refreshing. Give the book a try you won't be disappointed.

I have not read Frey's other books (not because of the recent bad press, but was just not interested). However, I was intrigued by Bright Shiny Morning. I love stories about Los Angeles, and themes about people struggling in that setting. I lived in Southern Cal. ten years ago, and kind of can relate to the struggle. I read some decent reviews; I saw him on various news programs, and felt I would give his latest book a read.

I read it with an opened mind. I enjoyed it, hated it, and probably wished I hadn't bought it. Here's the thing: if Frey would have published this a hundred years ago, it would have been cutting-edge literature. Chances are, it would have not been published 100 years ago because of its bad language. But Frey would have been catapulted to literary fame. Eventually. Like Melville. The thing is that Joyce, Woolf, and Faulkner have already done the run-on sentences, subconscious prose, to suggest the feeling of the characters' minds on the page. Reading this at the beginning was fine, and it was interesting. I was hooked. The device still works, but for 500 pages?!

Well, I shouldn't say 500 pages, because Frey does a hell of a job mixing in facts here. We are bombarded with lists. I mean lists of things! For example, soldiers who have lost limbs in Iraq and even in Vietnam; people in L.A. and New York who strive to be an artist but find themsevles working low-end jobs. It's interesting, appealing to the story, and it serves its purpose to create that ambience of disillusion that L.A. often creates for people (especially those who want to be in the entertainment business).

The book does its job of moving the reader along, and it is not as tough to read as some people have suggested. It just gets kind of annoying after awhile. Not sure about other readers, but I could never really latch onto one or two characters, like you can in most novels. It felt as though I was just reading about their lives, and "list of lives." There was really no story arc, either. There's drama, and Frey does a good job at writing the nuances of people in limbo. In fact, there's probably no other contemporary writer today who nails the jest of people's sudden decline as they get sucked into the demoralization of their environment.

And that is what Bright Shiny Morning does: the reader is part of that demoralization and is left sucked away. If that is what Frey aimed to achieve in this book, he did a good job. If he was trying to reinvent himself or fiction, it did not succeed.

I might be biased because I really loved A Million Little Pieces (read it four times) and My Friend Leonard (read it twice). I thought this book was really interesting and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a unique book. It tells 4 non-intersecting stories. Yeah, they are cliche, but for some reason so compelling. I also like the facts about L.A. interspersed throughout the book.

I have never written an amazon.com review before, and I had never planned to, but I just couldn't let this one slide past. As someone born and raised in LA, and actually a fourth generation Angeleno with family members stretching back to the 1880s in the city, I felt scandalized by James Frey's shallow, uninformed depiction of my hometown. Sure, he's read a few books on the subject and can give us some interesting factoid-type info. But if Frey had ever lived here for any length of time his book would have sounded much different.

I love books on LA and actively seek them out. Sometimes the tone is just right: Ask the Dust, What Makes Sammy Run, and the recent Zeroville are just a few examples of books that truly "get" this town. All you have to do to understand Frey's perspective is look at his "See James Frey's Top Ten Books to Read About LA" on the amazon website... the list reads like he did some google search on "The Top Ten Books to Read About LA" and these are what came up, in google order. They're all good books, but there's no depth to the list. This is the most hackneyed, trite, tired list imaginable, and these are the books that informed Bright Shiny Morning's LA.

I like Frey's writing style, but even still, to quote David Ulin from the LA Times, "Bright Shiny Morning is a terrible book." It is incredibly racist and snide, it is misinformed about gangs and crime (hey James: did you only read headlines or what?), it is arrogant and cruel in its treatment of people's hopes and dreams, it demonizes and stereotypes just about everyone, and worst of all its rendering of LA is devoid of any true sense of the city itself, it's streets, its crazy architecture, what it's like to actually spend time in all those different neighborhoods, the aliveness that the flamboyant variety of the city brings about. This is the 'big book about LA' I would expect from someone who grew up in Ohio and lives in New York. A view of LA from a distance, informed by too many bad movies and sensationalized news stories.

The only part I liked in the book was the section on LA freeways, which I thought he nailed pretty well... but it begs the question: did he ever get off the freeway and have a look around?

I loved all his books and this one is as great as the others. I found out the first two books were not factual, but his writing is so worth reading I didn't care. Treat yourself to this one and the other two.

Once I got past the odd format of no punctuation, run-on sentences, and the strange paragraph arrangement, I was enthralled. This is one of the best pieces of fiction in quite a while. I read an average of two books a week, so calling it extraordinary is high praise when it's in competition so with many others. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy crisp characters and a compelling story line.