Reviews

I really don't think there are all that many words that can actually describe what I truly feel about this story. James Frey is an excellent writer, despite what people might think about his ethics with regards to his hazy memoirs, he is still an excellent writer. This book has such a strong style. Mostly because Frey himself lets it. The words flow like abstract thoughts because the book is abstract. And it's supposed to be. It's supposed to give you a glimpse. Whether or not that glimpse is true, that makes no difference. Bright Shiny Morning is an elegant tapestry of *life* that doesn't pull a lot of punches. I found the threads that made up that tapestry to be intricately woven to create this whole story of people whose only connection is the city in which they live.

I couldn't imagine this book written as a standard novel with proper sentence structure and commas and quotation marks because the story *needs* to give off that chaotic feeling because Los Angeles itself is a chaotic place.

I'm so glad that I picked this book up and let myself be taken along with the ride. Even if I found myself not believing a lot of the facts (Heck, Frey says that nothing can be trusted anyhow), I really felt like they could all be true. Some of them might actually be true and others might not. He just has this way of putting it out there and letting you take it either at face value or with a grain of salt.

Some might say that James Frey has a sloppy style, but I am inclined to disagree. The world needs more people to write without boundaries and not every book can follow the basic rules of grammar or we'd just have a world filled with absolutely boring books. Frey's style is fresh and deliciously complicated and that's what makes this book so absolutely wonderful. It was a joy to read, honestly and truly.

chaostheorie's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

readbyashleyd's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I know there’s been some controversy with some of Frey’s other works but I’m a huge fan nonetheless. Whether it’s fiction or not, who gives a shit, it’s still good. Anyways, enough of that and onto this book! I didn’t like it quite as much as the other books I’ve read by Frey but I did still very much enjoy it. I love the different views he gives of the city, showing us all facets and faces of it. Some were heartbreaking, some were groan worthy but all of them were fascinating and captivating. My only minor complaint is that there were so many different viewpoints that I had a hard time keep tracking at some points. But all in all, I loved this story and I’m just a huge fan of Frey’s writing style!

lauries_library's review

Go to review page

4.0

A quirky character study of Los Angeles. It follows various characters (like, 100) throughout the city. Some only get a brief mention and don’t appear again, while others have a story that runs through the entirety. The stories were broken up with random lists of names and pages of factoids. Some were more compelling than others and I found myself skimming through them by the end. The author wrote in an experimental way, ignoring basic rules of grammar, which took some getting used to and didn’t let me fully relax while reading because I was always working to fill the blanks. However, this is a heartfelt 500-some page poem about LA that might not be a literary gem, but offers a lot of authenticity. It captures just how ugly humanity really is, but how in the cracks of the cement, a flower sometimes grows.

More...