What readers think of A Million Little Pieces, plus links to write your own review.

Several years ago, approx. 2014 I listened to the audiobook read by Oliver Wyman. True to life in so many ways I enjoyed it at least five times over a span of about three years. Recently (June 2023) I purchased it again thru Apple. The narration was not nearly as realistic and many changes, both subtle and great, diminished the original evolution of events and the characters themselves in my minds eye. Still a captivating read but disappointing compared to the CD version. Absolutely an eye opener for anyone about to be sucked into todays drug culture, or anyone trying to get out of it.

A woman sitting next to me on an airplane had this book. I had never heard of it. She told me to read a few pages. I read a chapter. After, she told me that Mr. Frey had made "some of the story up". Still, I felt compelled to read it. I got a copy.

Frey's writing was so choppy with run-on sentences, making it a little difficult to read. Yet read it I did. I couldn't put it down even though I knew some facts were skewed. I knew something was wrong when Frey told of going to the dentist, have teeth pulled and root canals performed with no anesthetic or pain medication. This is something that would NEVER happen regardless of such incidences as drug and alcohol abuse.

However, as more of the story unfolds events are more "real" for this reader. Frey's comradarie with others in the facility is often found in a variety of treatment facilities, be it drugs/alcohol, PTSD, depression and the like. Comfort is found in forming these friendships and from what I have been told these are lifelong friendships.

Speaking of friendships, his "relationship" with Lily should never have happened. Even though I get it, rehab is not Match.com and I have been told by a reformed alcoholic that one should never seek out a relationship with someone who has drug/alcohol problems. They just feed off one another. No idea if that is true or not.

Having said all that, Frey's book was one that I could not put down. I had to see it to the end. I must add that the ending was anti-climatic. I guess I just expected more.

I do, Sort of. But what I remember most was Oprah.

James Frey received critical acclaim—a National Bestseller-- for his book, A Million Little Pieces, a perfect title for a book which would effectively make his life fall into such. I rarely re-read books which don’t steal me by surprise but I found it on my bookshelf, sitting beside books I appreciate to a much higher degree, grabbed it and opened it to the first page:

“I wake to the drone of an airplane engine and the feeling of something warm dripping down my chin. I lift my hand to feel my face. My front four teeth are gone. I have a hole in my cheek, my nose is broken and my eyelids are swollen nearly shut.”

Frey recognizes, through those swollen eyelids and with a hole in his cheek, that he is on a plane. Red flag. What sort of man ends up on a plane, without a chaperone, with a goddamn hole in his cheek? Surely Oprah might have questioned this. But a memoir is a memoir and a memoir isn’t always factual. Frey scared all future memoirists with his tryst down memory---lack thereof----lane.

Search: A Million Little Pieces on Google. The first two pages: Wikipedia and, what a surprise, Oprah come up. Oprah seems to find her way into every controversy.

Wikipedia states:

“A Million Little Pieces is a semi-fictional memoir by James Frey”

Oprah’s website has Frey sitting on her plush couch trying to explain how addiction erodes memoir etc etc while Oprah has her leg crossed, she stares at Frey, and her eyes could kill.Nothing is worse for your career then pissing off Oprah. Ask James.

Oprah states:
“James Frey is here and I have to say it is difficult for me to talk to you because I feel really duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers. I think it's such a gift to have millions of people to read your work and that bothers me greatly. So now, as I sit here today I don't know what is true and I don't know what isn't. So first of all, I wanted to start with The Smoking Gun report titled, "The Man Who Conned Oprah" and I want to know—were they right?”

James responds, deadpan:

“I think most of what they wrote was pretty accurate. Absolutely”

What a brilliant response, truly. Bravo James.

She goes on and interrogates him like he has just killed someone. I must ask: why did she not notice that he had no visible scarring on his face? Would a hole in your face not leave a scar? Why am I bothering to re-hash this? Simply because in the first few pages of the newest edition of A Million Little Pieces, Frey explains that certain things were embellished for the benefit and readability of the book.

His (past) publisher Doubleday states:

“We bear responsibility for what we publish, and apologize to the reading public for any unintentional confusion surrounding A Million Little Pieces”

So, here’s what we have:

-A seething Oprah angry because she has been made to look a little gullible. Oprah, understandably, does not want to be seen as anything but absolutely correct. She is a monarchy in her own right.

-James Frey, maybe a little embarrassed, but if any publicity is good publicity he couldn’t have planned this any better. The book goes on to sell another million copies and as such, his life remains in piece.

-As for Doubleday, well, they went ahead and took James of the list of clientele. He finds another publisher and off he goes, broken nose and all.

Case in point: a man with a bleeding hole in his cheek would probably not be on an airplane.

Like to tell you the truth this is the best I have ever read in my life. I bought this book myself and as soon as I started reading i couldn"t put it down. I tried but coudn"t. If anyone is looking for a book for any reason, pick this one. It is absolutely amazing. You wont regret it at all. It tells a great story about an addict.

Inspirational! I love this book and the book following it "my friend Lenard" they are both absolutely amazing and I really recommend it. It'll make you laugh and cry-- at least if your anything like me. I'd recommend it over any book I've read.

So my mom bought this book but hadn't read it yet; so being bored one summer day I picked it up. It was so good I couldn't put it down. I tried but couldn't. Then for English I had to read a non-fiction book; I knew immediately this was going to be my book. I re-read it and had it done within a few days. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good book to read, it gives you an excellent insight to an addict's life and thoughts. And if you're skeptical just give it a try, you'll be glad you did.

Sure it was embellished a little but this is by far the most amazing book I have ever read. I'm young, but I understood everything in this and finished the entire book in three days and if it weren't for school it would've been less. I couldn't set it down. I love everything about this book and would recommend it to everyone. Even if you don't relate to it the slightest bit, it teaches you a lot.

Regarding the accusations and even the admittance of Frey himself that this book is partly fabricated I can only state one thing. To me it didn't matter. This book is as heartbreaking and emotionally packed as anything that I have recently read. His minimalistic style and straightforward way of expressing his constantly changing inner feelings and outlook on life has moved me in a way that I have not felt while reading any other novel. Despite the embellishment of certain events in the book, Frey's account is exceedingly well written and will leave you breathless and gasping only for more. Behind all the tears that will be shed and the sorrow that will be felt, there's an underlying factor which overtakes all other emotions...hope.