MY FRIEND LEONARD

Controversial writer James Frey's memoir recounts his relationship with his father, an Italian mobster who offers him employment and, in doing so, becomes a friend to his son for the fist time. Whether Frey's story is entirely true or not, given the controversy surrounding his first memoir, A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, narrator Andy Paris offers a compelling reading. Paris steps into Frey's shoes and relates the most intimate details of his life with seeming ease, and there is an underlying emotionality in his voice that makes it sound as if Frey were relating the story himself. A richly textured performance. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]