Bright Shinny Morning

While looking for a good book to read I came across the new book by James Frey. Picking up the book I had high hopes, the last couple books I've read have not be oh so amazing. I had high hopes and Frey did not disappoint...

When first picking up the book I was alittle put off by the size at just under 500 pages. But that quickly went away as I flew through the book. The story is focused on LA and follows the story of four different people/couples. A young couple running away from home, a first generation mexican-american living with her family of immigrants, a homeless man sleeping on the beach, and the gorgeous hollywood actor who is a closet gay. As you read you begin to grow with these characters and appreciate their humanity. I loved watching the young couple flee a home of abuse and learn how to support each other on their love when no money was had. I also liked watching the old homeless man care for the young girl on the street. This is Frey's best advantage in his writing. His stories are not always feel good hero wins in the end, but he shows the struggles that we face everyday. I definitely appreciate his writting and even shed a tear for my favorite story in the end.

The downside of the book were random chapters of lists or facts based around LA in the book. These were completely unnecessary and really had nothing to do with the focus of the book. He could have probably cut these out with no effect on the story an cut about 100 pages from the book. Other reviews have cut down Frey's book before even reading because of his history with other books. His writing is just as great as his past works, but it is a different book and should be judged on it's story and not on the sales of other books. Overall, Bright Shiny Morning is a very good book and it's short chapters make it a very easy book to read in a few sittings or put down and pick up every couple of pages.