Título: My Friend Leonard
Autor: James Frey
Sinopse: Perhaps the most unconventional and literally breathtaking father-son story you'll ever read, My Friend Leonard pulls you immediately and deeply into a relationship as unusual as it is inspiring.
The father figure is Leonard, the high-living, recovering coke addict "West Coast Director of a large Italian-American finance firm" (read: mobster) who helped to keep James Frey clean in A Million Little Pieces. The son is, of course, James, damaged perhaps beyond repair by years of crack and alcohol addiction-and by more than a few cruel tricks of fate.
James embarks on his post-rehab existence in Chicago emotionally devastated, broke, and afraid to get close to other people. But then Leonard comes back into his life, and everything changes. Leonard offers his "son" lucrative—if illegal and slightly dangerous—employment. He teaches James to enjoy life, sober, for the first time. He instructs him in the art of "living boldly," pushes him to pursue his passion for writing, and provides a watchful and supportive veil of protection under which James can get his life together. Both Leonard's and James's careers flourish…but then Leonard vanishes. When the reasons behind his mysterious absence are revealed, the book opens up in unexpected emotional ways.
My Friend Leonard showcases a brilliant and energetic young writer rising to important new challenges—displaying surprising warmth, humor, and maturity—without losing his intensity. This book proves that one of the most provocative literary voices of his generation is also one of the most emphatically human.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “My Friend Leonard”, de James Frey, publicado pela editora Riverhead Books, em 2006 e com 416 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: Riverhead Books
Páginas: 416
Ano: 2006-05
Edição: Reprint
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 1594481954
ISBN13: 9781594481956
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Riverhead Books apresentam uma variedade de narrativas que exploram tanto a complexidade das relações humanas quanto reflexões profundas sobre ciência, história e cultura. A experiência de leitura frequentemente envolve personagens em transição — seja na passagem da juventude para a vida adulta, em crises pessoais ou em contextos históricos marcantes —, com um tom que varia do introspectivo ao envolvente. O catálogo sugere obras que combinam histórias densas e multifacetadas, ora com ritmo mais narrativo e emocional, ora com abordagens mais informativas e analíticas, como em relatos científicos ou biográficos.
