Written by James Frey

Book Synopsis

Welcome to L.A. city of contradictions. It is home to movie stars and down-and-outs.

Palm-lined beaches and gridlock. Shopping sprees and gun sprees. Bright Shiny Morning takes a wild ride through the ultimate metropolis, where glittering excess rubs shoulders with seedy depravity.

Freys trademark filmic snapshots zoom in on the parallel lives of diverse characters, bringing their egos and ideals, hopes and despairs, anxieties and absurdities vividly to life. Some suffer, like the otherworldly wino who tries to save a spoilt teenage runaway. Others gain, like the canny talent agent who turns sexual harassment to blackmailing advantage.

Some are loaded, or grounded, and have luck on their side. Others, like the countless actresses-turned-hookers, or schoolboys-turned-gangsters, are doomed.

Reader's Review

It gives an indepth and panoramic view of the whole spectrum of life in Los Angeles.  From the poorest human beings living at the poorest end of society up to the most affluent.  Detailed accounts of their daily lives and intriguing development of their characters.  I found some more interesting than others so that I wanted to move on to the next installment depicting their lives.

Many historical background, details of the rise of the city take up a large part of the book. Some may find these interesting, I found them distracting at times.  However, on reading the book I felt immersed in the whole atmosphere of LA.

Reviewed by Monica Summerville on 21/07/2008