Bright Shiny Morning - Hardcover

Frey, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061573132 ISBN 13: 9780061573132

Publisher: Harper360, 2008

Synopsis

One of the most celebrated and controversial authors in America delivers his first novel--a sweeping chronicle of contemporary Los Angeles that is bold, exhilarating, and utterly original.

Dozens of characters pass across the reader's sight lines--some never to be seen again--but James Frey lingers on a handful of LA's lost souls and captures the dramatic narrative of their lives: a bright, ambitious young Mexican-American woman who allows her future to be undone by a moment of searing humiliation; a supremely narcissistic action-movie star whose passion for the unattainable object of his affection nearly destroys him; a couple, both nineteen years old, who flee their suffocating hometown and struggle to survive on the fringes of the great city; and an aging Venice Beach alcoholic whose life is turned upside down when a meth-addled teenage girl shows up half-dead outside the restroom he calls home.

Throughout this strikingly powerful novel there is the relentless drumbeat of the millions of other stories that, taken as a whole, describe a city, a culture, and an age. A dazzling tour de force, Bright Shiny Morning illuminates the joys, horrors, and unexpected fortunes of life and death in Los Angeles.

About this title

Review:

'Frey clearly has a knack for telling tales - this story of interweaving, never-meeting strangers in LA is an engrossing read' (The Times)

'Frey has produced a novel that is defiant in both its grammatical rebellion and its fierce pace' (Observer)

'He turns clichés into characters robust enough to carry this 500-page Californian odyssey' (Guardian)

'[It] pays little heed to conventional syntax, thus creating a beguiling momentum of its own, propelled by raw emotion and energy ... this compulsive novel is testament that good fiction can reveal powerful emotional truths' (Independent on Sunday)

'This dazzling novel focuses on a crazy cross section of the city's fictional characters' (Look Magazine)

'All the characters are cleverly juxtaposed against the history and atmosphere of Los Angeles itself ... a riveting and hugely enjoyable read: rushy, entertaining and appealing' (Sunday Business Post)

'For fans of gritty modern writing, this fast and fascinating story paints a portrait of the Los Angeles that Hollywood films and TV dramas rarely show' (Bella)

'The gritty, gloriousness of James Frey's writing will suck you in ... one of our favourites already!' (U Magazine)

Praise for James Frey: (.)

James Frey's utterly mesmerising account ... [is] easily the most remarkable non-fiction book about drugs and drug taking since Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ... As a memoir, it is almost mythic. You can imagine it made epic by Martin Scorsese, the auteur of wayward American maleness in all its extremity ... Utterly compulsive (Observer)

Excellent ... Frey's storytelling feels compulsive, involuntary ... poignant and tragic. The forthcoming film will almost certainly be a cult hit ... The good thing about Frey is that he writes as if he needs to; I hope his new compulsion thrives (William Leith, Spectator)

Frey really can write. Brilliantly. And if you don't think so, f*** you (Evening Standard)

A heartbreaking memoir ... inspirational and essential (Bret Easton Ellis)

Horribly honest and funny ... Read this immediately (Gus Van Sant)

Frey is selfish, egocentric, violent and pompous . . . What redeems this insufferably bad mannered book is that, at the end of the day, Frey can write. Brilliantly (Scotsman)

Harrowing and unflinching ... This is not a book about drugs but about their aftermath ... Though definitely not for the faint hearted, Frey is often darkly and self deprecatingly funny. This is, in essence, a story of redemption and an incredibly moving one. This is a great book (Waterstone's Books Quarterly)

'Frey has constructed a spaghetti junction of LA stories that is irresistible, frustrating and compelling' (RTE Guide (Ireland))

'[Frey] takes us deep inside the city of inspiring actors, singers, models and dancers. The city of nose jobs, breast implants, Botox and liposuction.' 'Don't be fooled by the apparently glamorous setting of this novel. This book is a gritty, disturbing and definitely emotional insight into the LA lifestyle, yet it's not all doom and gloom either. Frey's undeniable sense of humour, wit and charm ensure you definitely get your fair share of laughs along the way. This book is an absolute, without a doubt, must read. (Victoria Holden, Student Direct (Official Directory of Manchester and Salford))

Book Description:

A bold and dazzling new story from the controversial creator of A Million Little Pieces

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper360
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061573132
• ISBN 13: 9780061573132
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 502