My Friend Leonard - Tapa dura

'My Friend Leonard will go some way to cementing his reputation as one of the finest young writers around.' -- Irish Examiner 20050604 'My Friend Leonard is dangerously addictive ! this slick memoir is narrated in the present tense, which gives it verve and an aura of authenticity'. -- Tatler 20050501 'Picassos and promise, racketeering and respect ! a stark and moving tribute to a complicated but loyal goodfella' -- Independent on Sunday 20050501 'An extraordinary tale of life after prison with a dangerous, delightful friend' -- Big Issue 20050501 'He takes you inside his world of pain, and it's like a small, brightly lit cell ... Life, Frey tells us, is pretty disturbing and weird when you're out of your head. But try living it sober.' -- The Spectator 20050716 'A deeply affecting book ... read it, and you will appreciate the way Frey weathered a full-frontal assault from emotions he didn't know existed ... Vivid, splashy and mesmerising.' -- Independent 20050721 'When a book proves difficult to put down, you know you're on to a good thing' -- Irish News 20050721 'Everyone should get a copy -- it's brilliant' -- Jason Biggs, actor. Now 20051019 'It's a testament to the writer's talent! that I became instantly moved and involved from the first page.' -- The Crack 20060601 The idea of reading about the road to recovery of someone whose lifestyle I could neither condone nor understand didn't inspire me at all. WRONG!!! Within two pages all prejudice was forgotten and I immediately felt an empathy with the main character.' -- Jane Eyre, Leeds 20060601

My Friend Leonard is the story of an extraordinary friendship formed in the most unlikely of circumstances. When James Frey first meets Leonard in the rehabilitation centre so powerfully described in A Million Little Pieces they are both recovering drug addicts. Despite their highly unreliable track records their shared grit and humour sparks a mutual admiration which quickly transforms into firm loyalty. Leonard himself is charismatic and contradictory; at once a magnetic father-figure and a shady mafia boss. When he leaves rehabilitation it is to return to this dubious yet prosperous life in the criminal underworld of Las Vegas. In contrast, when James leaves the centre his world seems set to implode. Unsure where to turn, James calls Leonard and he answers. Paradoxically, it is in Leonard's lawless underworld that James discovers the courage and humanity needed to rebuild his life.