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Katerina
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Million Little Pieces and Bright Shiny Morning comes Katerina, James Frey’s highly anticipated new novel set in 1992 Paris and contemporary Los Angeles.
A kiss, a touch. A smile and a beating heart. Love and sex and dreams, art and drugs and the madness of youth. Betrayal and heartbreak, regret and pain, the melancholy of age. Katerina, the explosive new novel by America’s most controversial writer, is a sweeping love story alternating between 1992 Paris and Los Angeles in 2018.
At its center are a young writer and a young model on the verge of fame, both reckless, impulsive, addicted, and deeply in love. Twenty-five years later, the writer is rich, famous, and numb, and he wants to drive his car into a tree, when he receives an anonymous message that draws him back to the life, and possibly the love, he abandoned years prior. Written in the same percussive, propulsive, dazzling, breathtaking style as A Million Little Pieces, Katerina echoes and complements that most controversial of memoirs, and plays with the same issues of fiction and reality that created, nearly destroyed, and then recreated James Frey in the American imagination.
A kiss, a touch. A smile and a beating heart. Love and sex and dreams, art and drugs and the madness of youth. Betrayal and heartbreak, regret and pain, the melancholy of age. Katerina, the explosive new novel by America’s most controversial writer, is a sweeping love story alternating between 1992 Paris and Los Angeles in 2018.
At its center are a young writer and a young model on the verge of fame, both reckless, impulsive, addicted, and deeply in love. Twenty-five years later, the writer is rich, famous, and numb, and he wants to drive his car into a tree, when he receives an anonymous message that draws him back to the life, and possibly the love, he abandoned years prior. Written in the same percussive, propulsive, dazzling, breathtaking style as A Million Little Pieces, Katerina echoes and complements that most controversial of memoirs, and plays with the same issues of fiction and reality that created, nearly destroyed, and then recreated James Frey in the American imagination.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2018
298 people are currently reading
7341 people want to read
About the author
James Frey
72 books3,340 followersJames Christopher Frey is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated, sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 431 reviews
September 11, 2018
Hang on tight.
James Frey has written a memoir disguised as a novel about his first novel that was disguised as a memoir. But the only thing you really need to know about “Katerina” is that it’s ridiculous, a book so heated by narcissism that you have to read it wearing oven mitts.
If you’re prone to sympathetic vomiting, you’ll want a smock, too, because most of what the inebriated narrator does in this novel is vomit. He vomited when he got up, he has vomited after sex, he vomits looking for alcohol, he will vomit while drinking — he’s a full conjugation of the verb “to vomit.”
Which is also the theme here. “Katerina” offers a volcanic regurgitation of Frey’s dream of writing a bestseller, his descent into addiction and the literary scandal that made him infamous. The author seems to believe that his fall from grace is burned into America’s consciousness like the fall of Saigon, but a little background is probably necessary:
In 2003, an unknown young writer named James Frey published his first book, a searing memoir about alcohol and drug rehabilitation called “A Million Little Pieces.” Two years later, Oprah picked it for her book club, which led to a massive spike in sales — and skeptical attention. As questions about the book’s veracity increased, Frey and his publisher insisted the story was essentially true. But in 2006, after a devastating exposé by the Smoking Gun, Oprah confronted Frey on her show. “I feel that you. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
To watch the Totally Hip Video Book Review of this novel, click here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/...
James Frey has written a memoir disguised as a novel about his first novel that was disguised as a memoir. But the only thing you really need to know about “Katerina” is that it’s ridiculous, a book so heated by narcissism that you have to read it wearing oven mitts.
If you’re prone to sympathetic vomiting, you’ll want a smock, too, because most of what the inebriated narrator does in this novel is vomit. He vomited when he got up, he has vomited after sex, he vomits looking for alcohol, he will vomit while drinking — he’s a full conjugation of the verb “to vomit.”
Which is also the theme here. “Katerina” offers a volcanic regurgitation of Frey’s dream of writing a bestseller, his descent into addiction and the literary scandal that made him infamous. The author seems to believe that his fall from grace is burned into America’s consciousness like the fall of Saigon, but a little background is probably necessary:
In 2003, an unknown young writer named James Frey published his first book, a searing memoir about alcohol and drug rehabilitation called “A Million Little Pieces.” Two years later, Oprah picked it for her book club, which led to a massive spike in sales — and skeptical attention. As questions about the book’s veracity increased, Frey and his publisher insisted the story was essentially true. But in 2006, after a devastating exposé by the Smoking Gun, Oprah confronted Frey on her show. “I feel that you. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
To watch the Totally Hip Video Book Review of this novel, click here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/...
September 21, 2018
I walk and I wander and I dream. More than anything, I dream of love, crazy crazy mad love. Not the love of rings and white dresses and churches, but of lust and insanity, the love where you can't stop touching, kissing, licking, sucking, and fucking. The love that breaks hearts, starts wars, ruins lives, the love that sears itself into your soul, that you can feel every time your heart beats, that scorches your memory and comes back to you whenever you're alone and it's quiet and the world falls away, the love that still hurts, that makes you sit and stare at the floor and wonder why.
I dream of crazy crazy mad love, the kind that starts with a look, with eyes that meet, a smile, a touch, a laugh, a kiss. The kind of love that hurts and makes you love the pain, makes you want the pain, makes you yearn for the fucking pain, keeps you awake until the sun rises, stirs you while you're still asleep. The kind of love you can feel with every step you take, every word you speak, every breath, every movement, is part of every thought you have every minute of the day. Love that overwhelms. That justifies our existence. That provides proof we are here for a reason. That either confirms the existence of God and divinity, or renders it utterly meaningless. Love that makes life more than just whatever we know and see and feel. That elevates it. Love for which so many words have been spoken and written and read and cried and screamed and sung and sobbed, but is beyond any real description of it.
I've known much in my short, silly, unstable, sometimes wonderful sometimes brutal always reckless wreck of a life, but i've never known love. Crazy crazy mad love.
If you have never had the misfortune of the heartbreak that comes with this kind of love, count yourself blessed. This quote was on page 10, and honestly is the realest more raw and beautiful thing I have ever read in a book in my life.
That being said, I think this book needs to be read after A Million Little Pieces. Everyone knows that book. It caused chaos and controversy when it came out that the memoir James Frey wrote was not in fact a memoir and was in fact fiction. How some people feel like that lessens the meaning and impact of the book I have no idea, but I still consider that one of the best books of all time and will always be a top 5.
This book is weird in the sense that it's clearly a work of fiction, but the characters life mirrors that of Freys'. It follows a man in 1992/93 who leaves his whole life to move to Paris and write, and he experiences that kind of love mentioned above. We also get his 2017 life in which he is a successful author/screenwriter and happily married with kids. His 2017 self is mirrored on Frey. He talks about the scandal of AMLP, he discusses why he lied, his books to follow, and the way society viewed him after. Which makes you realized there are likely some aspects of Frey in the 1992/93 portion; the alcoholism, and the path to rehab. I fully believe that this is a work of fiction, and Jay is a fictional character, but I think if you know anything about Frey and his life, you would know he used himself as inspiration in 'Katerina'.
I find Freys' writing beautiful and poetic, he is so unapologetic about his style and I love it, but I can fully understand it's not everyones style. I just love it and I truly find his books cathartic to read.
Lastly, I think that James Frey has been judged way too harshly in his life. People have let his mistakes become his image and I don't think that's fair. I think everyone should give AMLP a shot, if only to get to this book. I loved this book and it physically hurts me that I had to wait 10 years for it. Here's to hoping I don't have to wait 10 more for another.
I dream of crazy crazy mad love, the kind that starts with a look, with eyes that meet, a smile, a touch, a laugh, a kiss. The kind of love that hurts and makes you love the pain, makes you want the pain, makes you yearn for the fucking pain, keeps you awake until the sun rises, stirs you while you're still asleep. The kind of love you can feel with every step you take, every word you speak, every breath, every movement, is part of every thought you have every minute of the day. Love that overwhelms. That justifies our existence. That provides proof we are here for a reason. That either confirms the existence of God and divinity, or renders it utterly meaningless. Love that makes life more than just whatever we know and see and feel. That elevates it. Love for which so many words have been spoken and written and read and cried and screamed and sung and sobbed, but is beyond any real description of it.
I've known much in my short, silly, unstable, sometimes wonderful sometimes brutal always reckless wreck of a life, but i've never known love. Crazy crazy mad love.
If you have never had the misfortune of the heartbreak that comes with this kind of love, count yourself blessed. This quote was on page 10, and honestly is the realest more raw and beautiful thing I have ever read in a book in my life.
That being said, I think this book needs to be read after A Million Little Pieces. Everyone knows that book. It caused chaos and controversy when it came out that the memoir James Frey wrote was not in fact a memoir and was in fact fiction. How some people feel like that lessens the meaning and impact of the book I have no idea, but I still consider that one of the best books of all time and will always be a top 5.
This book is weird in the sense that it's clearly a work of fiction, but the characters life mirrors that of Freys'. It follows a man in 1992/93 who leaves his whole life to move to Paris and write, and he experiences that kind of love mentioned above. We also get his 2017 life in which he is a successful author/screenwriter and happily married with kids. His 2017 self is mirrored on Frey. He talks about the scandal of AMLP, he discusses why he lied, his books to follow, and the way society viewed him after. Which makes you realized there are likely some aspects of Frey in the 1992/93 portion; the alcoholism, and the path to rehab. I fully believe that this is a work of fiction, and Jay is a fictional character, but I think if you know anything about Frey and his life, you would know he used himself as inspiration in 'Katerina'.
I find Freys' writing beautiful and poetic, he is so unapologetic about his style and I love it, but I can fully understand it's not everyones style. I just love it and I truly find his books cathartic to read.
Lastly, I think that James Frey has been judged way too harshly in his life. People have let his mistakes become his image and I don't think that's fair. I think everyone should give AMLP a shot, if only to get to this book. I loved this book and it physically hurts me that I had to wait 10 years for it. Here's to hoping I don't have to wait 10 more for another.
January 31, 2020
James Frey’s new novel, Katerina, takes place between Paris in 1992 and Los Angeles in 2017. It is the story a young writer trying to carve out his place in the world and a torrid love affair that consumes him to his core.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I came to read James Frey quite late - long after the controversy subsided surrounding A Million Little Pieces and the verbal dressing-down he received by Oprah on national television. Already knowing this and then choosing to dive into his two-part “memoir” (A Million Little Pieces & My Friend Leonard) likely made the reading experience more enjoyable. His follow-up novels Bright Shiny Morning and The Last Testament of the Holy Bible were interesting reads, but failed to stick with me like his infamous first releases.
When I heard he was releasing a new novel, his first in the blistering style he is most known for in nearly ten years, I was excited. Because above all else, it’s his writing style that draws me into his novels. Frey writes in quick, punchy sentences that tends to leave raw emotion on the page like blood stains. That said, in Katerina, the style is front and centre and in full force, but something didn’t click with me this time around.
I didn’t find the story of Jay, the main character and seemingly an avatar for Frey himself, pining over this beautiful woman nearly as powerful as the emotions evoked in his earlier works surrounding alcoholism and drug use. In fact, I found Jay downright insufferable at times. He reminded me of a self-righteous, overbearing, fedora-wearing poster on Reddit - constantly bragging to anyone who would listen about his taste in books, his appreciation for art and his disdain for pseudointellectual Americans abroad.
And dear God, the sex-scenes. Look, one or two is alright in a novel and bear in mind, I’m no prude, but this felt like straight-up porn at times. They also all seemingly blended together like they could have been simply copy-and-pasted. After the fifth scene, I just skipped over the rest. I got nothing out of these.
Katerina is not my favorite of James Frey’s work, obviously. The character mirrors Frey in that they have similar career paths (right down to the controversy surrounding an exaggerated memoir) but it leaves some of the more intense self-criticism that Jay unloads lingering in this weird purgatory between fact and fiction. Is Frey really this miserable with his life? I guess it’s up to the reader to decide. One thing I can say for sure is that I was pretty miserable when I was reading about it.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I came to read James Frey quite late - long after the controversy subsided surrounding A Million Little Pieces and the verbal dressing-down he received by Oprah on national television. Already knowing this and then choosing to dive into his two-part “memoir” (A Million Little Pieces & My Friend Leonard) likely made the reading experience more enjoyable. His follow-up novels Bright Shiny Morning and The Last Testament of the Holy Bible were interesting reads, but failed to stick with me like his infamous first releases.
When I heard he was releasing a new novel, his first in the blistering style he is most known for in nearly ten years, I was excited. Because above all else, it’s his writing style that draws me into his novels. Frey writes in quick, punchy sentences that tends to leave raw emotion on the page like blood stains. That said, in Katerina, the style is front and centre and in full force, but something didn’t click with me this time around.
I didn’t find the story of Jay, the main character and seemingly an avatar for Frey himself, pining over this beautiful woman nearly as powerful as the emotions evoked in his earlier works surrounding alcoholism and drug use. In fact, I found Jay downright insufferable at times. He reminded me of a self-righteous, overbearing, fedora-wearing poster on Reddit - constantly bragging to anyone who would listen about his taste in books, his appreciation for art and his disdain for pseudointellectual Americans abroad.
And dear God, the sex-scenes. Look, one or two is alright in a novel and bear in mind, I’m no prude, but this felt like straight-up porn at times. They also all seemingly blended together like they could have been simply copy-and-pasted. After the fifth scene, I just skipped over the rest. I got nothing out of these.
Katerina is not my favorite of James Frey’s work, obviously. The character mirrors Frey in that they have similar career paths (right down to the controversy surrounding an exaggerated memoir) but it leaves some of the more intense self-criticism that Jay unloads lingering in this weird purgatory between fact and fiction. Is Frey really this miserable with his life? I guess it’s up to the reader to decide. One thing I can say for sure is that I was pretty miserable when I was reading about it.
December 10, 2018
With a riveting emotional intensity, Katerina is another literary achievement for the controversial bestselling author James Frey. Katerina, aka “model girl” was a stunning flaming haired Scandinavian beauty when she encountered Jay, aka “writer boy” a troubled reckless alcoholic while temporarily working and living in Paris (1992-1993). Katerina was clearly impressed with Jay when the couple met, but refused to leave her contact information adding elements of mystery, intrigue and sizzling romance to the storyline continuing to the novel’s heartfelt conclusion.
It is impossible to not write about Frey’s questionable memoir “A Million Little Pieces” (2005) parts of which Frey admitted was fabricated after the book was selected by Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. Since its publication the book has been the popular subject matter of endless commentary and essay. This never changes the fact that Frey is a highly skilled and gifted writer that describes addiction in a rarely read seldom seen manner that connects readers to the intense overpowering suffering and hell that defines and illustrates the addictive personality and character.
In the novel “Katerina” Jay was very sick man that woke up in public places after alcoholic black-out binges. The cultural scenic beauty of living in Paris held little interest for him, and the shop owners he frequented to buy coffee and food viewed him with contempt and scorn. Jay recognized his “black heart” that sometimes sang or had stars in it; yet couldn’t escape the wreckage of “unfixable paths” the sadness, sorrow, regret and guilt that seemed to haunt his every move. Inspired by literature, art and his grand affair with the alluring Katerina Jay was offered another chance to move forward in a positive direction.
In 2017, Jay reflected on that period of his life when he lived in Paris and loved Katerina, who contacted him online after decades had passed since they last spoke. Jay became the lucky bestselling wealthy author with a wife and family knowing full well his life could have taken a turn for the worst at any time.
Considering the parts of the storyline where random women eagerly have sexual encounters with Jay especially in filthy bathrooms or against cars in parking lots—these scenarios seemed based more on wishful thinking or fantasy rather than reality, and some of Frey’s professional literary critics haven’t hesitated to low star the book. Frey seems to be an author that is either loved or loathed. As a novel, Katerina is presented in the best forms of autobiographical fictional writing.
It is impossible to not write about Frey’s questionable memoir “A Million Little Pieces” (2005) parts of which Frey admitted was fabricated after the book was selected by Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. Since its publication the book has been the popular subject matter of endless commentary and essay. This never changes the fact that Frey is a highly skilled and gifted writer that describes addiction in a rarely read seldom seen manner that connects readers to the intense overpowering suffering and hell that defines and illustrates the addictive personality and character.
In the novel “Katerina” Jay was very sick man that woke up in public places after alcoholic black-out binges. The cultural scenic beauty of living in Paris held little interest for him, and the shop owners he frequented to buy coffee and food viewed him with contempt and scorn. Jay recognized his “black heart” that sometimes sang or had stars in it; yet couldn’t escape the wreckage of “unfixable paths” the sadness, sorrow, regret and guilt that seemed to haunt his every move. Inspired by literature, art and his grand affair with the alluring Katerina Jay was offered another chance to move forward in a positive direction.
In 2017, Jay reflected on that period of his life when he lived in Paris and loved Katerina, who contacted him online after decades had passed since they last spoke. Jay became the lucky bestselling wealthy author with a wife and family knowing full well his life could have taken a turn for the worst at any time.
Considering the parts of the storyline where random women eagerly have sexual encounters with Jay especially in filthy bathrooms or against cars in parking lots—these scenarios seemed based more on wishful thinking or fantasy rather than reality, and some of Frey’s professional literary critics haven’t hesitated to low star the book. Frey seems to be an author that is either loved or loathed. As a novel, Katerina is presented in the best forms of autobiographical fictional writing.
July 28, 2018
My copy of Katerina is underlined and dog-eared. It left me crying on the last page and wrenched emotion from me on every page. I loved returning to James Frey's writing style from A MILLION LITTLE PIECES (which I now want to reread) - it's poetic and powerful - breaking the rules of grammar and punctuation- which I find artistic, bold, freeing. If you're not one for swearing or crudeness, be forewarned, Katerina (like Frey's other books) is gritty, raw, raunchy, explicit, personal, and I'd love to see a word count for the "F" word. As he inscribed in my galley as advice, Frey really burned the f-ing world down with this book for its ability to make me feel deeply, to consider things in another way, and for its unique Freyian style.
never-gonna-happen
September 12, 2018I was intrigued but then I read some reviews that say this is basically a pornographic, narcissistic memoir-in-disguise and I just don't have time for that crap.
I get the idea that this is supposed to make you feel sorry for the guy but seems like it fails miserably.
Perfectly content to skip this one.
I get the idea that this is supposed to make you feel sorry for the guy but seems like it fails miserably.
Perfectly content to skip this one.
February 25, 2019
**Update: I predicted correctly! Katerina did win the Bad Sex in Fiction award for 2018. Congratulations!
Katerina is a pretty terrible novel that reads like a teenager's bad fan fiction. The main character Jay, who is largely based on James Frey, is unlikable as all Jay seems to do is sleep, get drunk, throw up, have sex, and do coke over and over again. Oh, and he's extremely conceited so the reader gets to hear about all his arrogant opinions on Paris, literature, people, and art. Despite being a complete mess, Jay falls in love with model Katerina, who is similarly as unlikable. They have a strange relationship while the reader endures several gross pornographic sex scenes. I'm not a prude but these moments were so awkwardly written that I believe that Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award may be due for Mr. Frey. This is such a shallow, awkward, and unlikeable book and I don't believe it would've been published if not for Frey's notoriety. Not to say that there aren't some (very rare) moments where the book says something mildly interesting. Frey's writing style is original and easy to read, his poem on being young in the middle of the book is a highlight, and when "Jay" discusses the fallout from the A Million Little Pieces controversy the book seems the least contrived. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between so I wouldn't say that this book is worth reading.
(**I received a free copy of this book from Scout Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Original review: August 14, 2018
Katerina is a pretty terrible novel that reads like a teenager's bad fan fiction. The main character Jay, who is largely based on James Frey, is unlikable as all Jay seems to do is sleep, get drunk, throw up, have sex, and do coke over and over again. Oh, and he's extremely conceited so the reader gets to hear about all his arrogant opinions on Paris, literature, people, and art. Despite being a complete mess, Jay falls in love with model Katerina, who is similarly as unlikable. They have a strange relationship while the reader endures several gross pornographic sex scenes. I'm not a prude but these moments were so awkwardly written that I believe that Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award may be due for Mr. Frey. This is such a shallow, awkward, and unlikeable book and I don't believe it would've been published if not for Frey's notoriety. Not to say that there aren't some (very rare) moments where the book says something mildly interesting. Frey's writing style is original and easy to read, his poem on being young in the middle of the book is a highlight, and when "Jay" discusses the fallout from the A Million Little Pieces controversy the book seems the least contrived. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between so I wouldn't say that this book is worth reading.
(**I received a free copy of this book from Scout Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Original review: August 14, 2018
September 29, 2018
I would've given this novel zero star if I could've.
Not that it's boring or poorly written. But the sheer narcissism and entitlement of this novel poured bleach on my soul. Why are people still giving James Frey money to write books in 2018? Why did I give him 10 of my hard-earned dollars to read that? Well, that's a complicated story.
And I'm not one of these people who hate James Frey for writing a half-bogus memoir. If anything, it made me like him because he was used by Oprah. And he used Oprah back in order to market himself and turned himself into a quite successful, albeit douchey smut peddler. That's... admirable for that it is, I guess.
But this book. Where do I even start?
I guess you could call it a roman à clé. It's like A MILLION LITTLE PIECES but instead of finding the lies, you have to find the truths. I'm convinced most of it is based on James Frey's own life, since he can't help but reference events and details from it over and over again. So, his "character" spends twenty-five years being bummed out, alcoholic and terribly unpleasant to people, from 1992 Paris to 2017 Los Angeles.
And what is he bummed out about? I have no idea.
The dude gets everything a prepubscent boy can dream about. Alcohol, adventure, tons of sex, a model girlfriend who loves him because... he's a writer? Even if he's the most unpleasant being on Earth. He finds commercial success. Becomes a household name (for the right and the wrong reasons). He lives a life most writers would amputate both arms and sacrifice their first born to have. And he's still miserable and unpleasant until his model girlfriend from the past picks him off the floor again via Facebook.
So, I don't know what he's bummed out about. I guess he wanted to be Hemingway? That he couldn't draw meaning from being loved, having awesome opportunities and finding success? I mean c'mon. You can't be bummed out if you don't find meaning in your life. It's not something you're entitled to, you have to work for it. And it's irritating to read 300 pages of someone waiting for meaning to fall off the sky and onto his lap while he's being rude to everybody.
Katrina is a vile and nasty little book. I bought it so you don't have to.
Not that it's boring or poorly written. But the sheer narcissism and entitlement of this novel poured bleach on my soul. Why are people still giving James Frey money to write books in 2018? Why did I give him 10 of my hard-earned dollars to read that? Well, that's a complicated story.
And I'm not one of these people who hate James Frey for writing a half-bogus memoir. If anything, it made me like him because he was used by Oprah. And he used Oprah back in order to market himself and turned himself into a quite successful, albeit douchey smut peddler. That's... admirable for that it is, I guess.
But this book. Where do I even start?
I guess you could call it a roman à clé. It's like A MILLION LITTLE PIECES but instead of finding the lies, you have to find the truths. I'm convinced most of it is based on James Frey's own life, since he can't help but reference events and details from it over and over again. So, his "character" spends twenty-five years being bummed out, alcoholic and terribly unpleasant to people, from 1992 Paris to 2017 Los Angeles.
And what is he bummed out about? I have no idea.
The dude gets everything a prepubscent boy can dream about. Alcohol, adventure, tons of sex, a model girlfriend who loves him because... he's a writer? Even if he's the most unpleasant being on Earth. He finds commercial success. Becomes a household name (for the right and the wrong reasons). He lives a life most writers would amputate both arms and sacrifice their first born to have. And he's still miserable and unpleasant until his model girlfriend from the past picks him off the floor again via Facebook.
So, I don't know what he's bummed out about. I guess he wanted to be Hemingway? That he couldn't draw meaning from being loved, having awesome opportunities and finding success? I mean c'mon. You can't be bummed out if you don't find meaning in your life. It's not something you're entitled to, you have to work for it. And it's irritating to read 300 pages of someone waiting for meaning to fall off the sky and onto his lap while he's being rude to everybody.
Katrina is a vile and nasty little book. I bought it so you don't have to.
October 1, 2018
Regardless of the controversy surrounding James Frey's #1 best seller "A Million Little Pieces" I loved the story! It gripped my heartstrings like few others.
Fifteen years later Frey gives us "Katerina" which had me power reading til the very end. I couldn't get enough of this raw and guttural story of Jay, a young American writer living in 1992 Paris through to Los Angeles in 2017. His dream of writing a best selling novel, his descent into addiction, and the literary scandal that made him famous worldwide is all described in detail throughout.
His torrid love affair with Katerina, a stunning model he knew in Paris, was both reckless and impulsive. She was the love of his life. A love he abandoned.
Twenty-five years later, with the past behind him, he receives a anonymous message. This sudden surprise leads this story to an incredible ending.
The author's intent is to "burn the world down" with his novels and I feel he has done just that.
I could read his work over and over again.
Fifteen years later Frey gives us "Katerina" which had me power reading til the very end. I couldn't get enough of this raw and guttural story of Jay, a young American writer living in 1992 Paris through to Los Angeles in 2017. His dream of writing a best selling novel, his descent into addiction, and the literary scandal that made him famous worldwide is all described in detail throughout.
His torrid love affair with Katerina, a stunning model he knew in Paris, was both reckless and impulsive. She was the love of his life. A love he abandoned.
Twenty-five years later, with the past behind him, he receives a anonymous message. This sudden surprise leads this story to an incredible ending.
The author's intent is to "burn the world down" with his novels and I feel he has done just that.
I could read his work over and over again.
November 21, 2018
Every time I read James Frey’s work I am absolutely blown away. I know there’s a shit ton of controversy surrounding his books but I honestly don’t give a fuck. His writing is beautiful and haunting and it speaks to me and that’s all that matters to me. I think this may just be my favourite out of all his books, it’s just so heartbreaking and beautiful and it felt like it reached deep down into my soul. And his writing style just makes it that much more stunning!
September 16, 2018
James came to Toronto and I was lucky enough to hear him speak (and get a signed copy of his new book).
This is the first time I've read one of James's books. And I'm sort of short for words on describing it.
It was unlike anything I've read before in terms of the language. James writes with a fluidity that I can only describe as 'stream-of-conscience-like' to the point that it feels like he's inside your head, or that you are yourself in fact the narrator. It's brilliant. I'm coining the term "Freydian" right now to describe it.
The story was touching, moving, thrilling, heart-breaking, full of depth. I cried and laughed.
Recommended for you to read, if only because the language is so unlike what we normally see. Allow me to let this sink in some more.
Onward.
This is the first time I've read one of James's books. And I'm sort of short for words on describing it.
It was unlike anything I've read before in terms of the language. James writes with a fluidity that I can only describe as 'stream-of-conscience-like' to the point that it feels like he's inside your head, or that you are yourself in fact the narrator. It's brilliant. I'm coining the term "Freydian" right now to describe it.
The story was touching, moving, thrilling, heart-breaking, full of depth. I cried and laughed.
Recommended for you to read, if only because the language is so unlike what we normally see. Allow me to let this sink in some more.
Onward.
March 12, 2021
A muddled faux memoir posing as fiction
This is the eleventh book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
Jay leaves college, determined to become a writer, and heads to Paris. There he meets a young model, Katerina, and falls in love. Twenty-five years later, Jay is a writer--famous and rich--but he's lost his way. Then he receives a message from a lost love. The message draws him back to memories of his old life and his old loves.
Years ago, James Frey dazzled me with A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. I loved those books so much, and while I was aware of some of the controversy surrounding Pieces, I don't think I fully grasped it. Katerina is a strange book--a memoir type story hidden as a novel that loosely covers Frey's life, including the time he wrote a novel that was sort of a memoir. Following? Confused? Me too.
I thought Katerina was a book, fiction, but it's really Frey's retelling of his life, trying to cast himself as a sympathetic character (I think? Jay doesn't exactly come across as all that likeable.). It did intrigue me enough to read up more on the past controversies of his life and truly, the end result was that I didn't care for Katerina all that much, and I felt disillusioned about Pieces, a book I really enjoyed. Sigh.
Katerina uses the same stream of consciousness writing style from Pieces, and if you don't want your writing filled with profanity and sex, I wouldn't go near Katerina with a ten-foot pole. There's drinking--so much drinking here--that it physically pained me at times. It's an emotional read--Frey excels at that--and there are some twists. I won't lie, I found it interesting at times, and narcissistic and boring at others. Jay is hard to like in the past and present (the book splits it time between the two), but I do not think Frey cares, and it covers Frey's scandals lightly disguised as Jay's.
It's a beautiful love letter to Paris; the descriptions of the city are wonderful. There's no real characterization of Jay's beloved Katerina (the person), though, and many descriptions are just repetitive. The ending comes up quickly, as well.
Overall, while I found pieces of this novel engaging, I was disappointed overall. Honestly, I'll probably never be able to capture the magic I found in Frey's early works. 2.5 stars.
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You can read more about the #atozchallenge here.
This is the eleventh book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
Jay leaves college, determined to become a writer, and heads to Paris. There he meets a young model, Katerina, and falls in love. Twenty-five years later, Jay is a writer--famous and rich--but he's lost his way. Then he receives a message from a lost love. The message draws him back to memories of his old life and his old loves.
Years ago, James Frey dazzled me with A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. I loved those books so much, and while I was aware of some of the controversy surrounding Pieces, I don't think I fully grasped it. Katerina is a strange book--a memoir type story hidden as a novel that loosely covers Frey's life, including the time he wrote a novel that was sort of a memoir. Following? Confused? Me too.
I thought Katerina was a book, fiction, but it's really Frey's retelling of his life, trying to cast himself as a sympathetic character (I think? Jay doesn't exactly come across as all that likeable.). It did intrigue me enough to read up more on the past controversies of his life and truly, the end result was that I didn't care for Katerina all that much, and I felt disillusioned about Pieces, a book I really enjoyed. Sigh.
Katerina uses the same stream of consciousness writing style from Pieces, and if you don't want your writing filled with profanity and sex, I wouldn't go near Katerina with a ten-foot pole. There's drinking--so much drinking here--that it physically pained me at times. It's an emotional read--Frey excels at that--and there are some twists. I won't lie, I found it interesting at times, and narcissistic and boring at others. Jay is hard to like in the past and present (the book splits it time between the two), but I do not think Frey cares, and it covers Frey's scandals lightly disguised as Jay's.
It's a beautiful love letter to Paris; the descriptions of the city are wonderful. There's no real characterization of Jay's beloved Katerina (the person), though, and many descriptions are just repetitive. The ending comes up quickly, as well.
Overall, while I found pieces of this novel engaging, I was disappointed overall. Honestly, I'll probably never be able to capture the magic I found in Frey's early works. 2.5 stars.
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You can read more about the #atozchallenge here.
January 10, 2019
So, I'm one of the few people seemingly who hasn't read Frey's A Million Little Pieces (and, frankly, am not particularly bothered about the porousness between fiction and memoir that made it so controversial): so I came to this book 'cold' as it were. Frey's prose is furiously energetic, even frenetic, words falling over themselves, no commas, abandoned grammar in their rush, and often repetitive. I'd say this is a book that is all about its style: if you hate this kind of fevered near-monologue, quasi-stream of consciousness writing then it's unlikely that the underlying story will compensate and win you over.
The story - hmm: a middle-aged American writer has a mid-life crisis, recalls a blistering love affair in Paris in his youth (sex, drugs, more sex, alcohol, art, French bread, yet more sex, every woman he meets wears a thong and is happy to have insta-sex, drugs, booze, Left Bank reading - you get the picture) then finally gets closure in a schmaltzy, OTT, pseudo-heart-rending, chic lit of an ending.
The sex is repetitive, male-fantasy sex; the influences are part Hemingway, part Henry Miller, part F. Scott Fitzgerald, all youthful Parisian illusions followed by adult American disillusion. Jay contrasts his sell-out 'now' life with all the big dreams he had when he was younger, tangled up with his one great love, one great heartbreak.
The thing about this book is that it's easy to tear it apart *and yet* it has *something* that made me keep reading. It captures a visceral sense of crazy love, all extremes and forget-the-world, veering from the heights of ecstasy to suicidal despair in the space of walking through a door.
This is a fast read as the prose hurtles us through the story: while my head rebelled, there is an undeniable intensity and fizzing energy about the prose. Best switch off your critical faculties for this one and throw yourself into the tumult of emotion. That ending, though...
The story - hmm: a middle-aged American writer has a mid-life crisis, recalls a blistering love affair in Paris in his youth (sex, drugs, more sex, alcohol, art, French bread, yet more sex, every woman he meets wears a thong and is happy to have insta-sex, drugs, booze, Left Bank reading - you get the picture) then finally gets closure in a schmaltzy, OTT, pseudo-heart-rending, chic lit of an ending.
The sex is repetitive, male-fantasy sex; the influences are part Hemingway, part Henry Miller, part F. Scott Fitzgerald, all youthful Parisian illusions followed by adult American disillusion. Jay contrasts his sell-out 'now' life with all the big dreams he had when he was younger, tangled up with his one great love, one great heartbreak.
The thing about this book is that it's easy to tear it apart *and yet* it has *something* that made me keep reading. It captures a visceral sense of crazy love, all extremes and forget-the-world, veering from the heights of ecstasy to suicidal despair in the space of walking through a door.
This is a fast read as the prose hurtles us through the story: while my head rebelled, there is an undeniable intensity and fizzing energy about the prose. Best switch off your critical faculties for this one and throw yourself into the tumult of emotion. That ending, though...
July 28, 2018
NetGalley provided a copy of the ePub in exchange for an honest review.
James Frey’s novel Katerina is unlike any other boy meets girl read. Jay escapes to Paris in 1992 and his life during that time is simply out of control. As Jay’s life spirals, his pain feels raw and real. Twenty-five years later he is living in Los Angeles and has left the past behind until he receives an anonymous message. This bump in the road adds quite a twist in this well-written book. Frey’s writing style and his storytelling immediately draws the reader into Jay’s unfiltered world. The primary characters are well-developed with strong and distinct personalities. Katerina is truly an original read.
James Frey’s novel Katerina is unlike any other boy meets girl read. Jay escapes to Paris in 1992 and his life during that time is simply out of control. As Jay’s life spirals, his pain feels raw and real. Twenty-five years later he is living in Los Angeles and has left the past behind until he receives an anonymous message. This bump in the road adds quite a twist in this well-written book. Frey’s writing style and his storytelling immediately draws the reader into Jay’s unfiltered world. The primary characters are well-developed with strong and distinct personalities. Katerina is truly an original read.
July 10, 2023
Me ha dejado destruido, con el alma llena de hojas secas y turbulencias y recuerdos de cuando era joven y loco, aunque no tanto como el autor pero casi. Muy bueno desde el principio, lectura ágil y sin puntuación y otras normas gramaticales (pero no va de bohemio raro y pedante, se lee perfectamente y está muy estructurado). Cuidado si tienes una relación ambigua con el alcohol, mejor no leer. No sé si la novela consigue incendiar el mundo, como pretende el autor, pero monta unas buenas hogueras y excede límites. Una historia de amor en París de alguien que vive fuera de contexto. Precioso.
October 19, 2018
Wow, a bit of a crazy, intense, wild ride. This was my first James Frey novel and I have to say, I loved it. I had to laugh as I scrolled through some of the reviews. This is one of those books that is either a 1 star or a 5 star read and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who cringes at the eff word or who isn't comfortable with a sexually explicit scene. There were many of those. Here's an example of the intense writing:
“More than anything, I dream of love, crazy crazy mad love. Not the love of rings and white dresses and churches, but of lust and insanity, the love where you can’t stop touching, kissing, deleted ...... The love that breaks hearts, starts wars, ruins lives, the love that sears itself into your soul, that you can feel every time your heart beats, that scorches your memory and comes back to you whenever you’re alone and it’s quiet and the world falls away, the love that still hurts, that makes you sit and stare at the floor and wonder what the fuck happened and why. I dream of crazy crazy mad love the kind that starts with a look, with eyes that meet, a smile, a touch, a laugh, a kiss. The kind of love that hurts and makes you love the pain, makes you want the pain, makes you yearn for the effing pain, keeps you awake until the sun rises, stirs you while you’re still asleep. The kind of love you can feel with every step you take, every word you speak, every breath, every movement, is part of every thought you have every minute of the day. Love that overwhelms. That justifies our existence. That provides proof we are here for a reason. That either confirms the existence of God and divinity, or renders it utterly meaningless. Love that makes life more than just whatever we know and see and feel. That elevates it. Love for which so many words have been spoken and written and read and cried and screamed and sung and sobbed, but is beyond any real description of it. I’ve known much in my short, silly, unstable, sometimes wonderful sometimes brutal always reckless wreck of a life, but I’ve never known love. Crazy crazy mad love. Fear and pain, insecurity, rage, occasional joy, fleeting peace, they are all friends of mine. Kindness and familial love have always come my way. Disdain, contempt, and rage are constant companions. But never love.”
The book is set mainly in Paris in 1992 where Jay, a 21 year old, visiting from the US for a year, is trying to write his first novel while he runs around visiting art galleries, getting drunk, dating a multitude of girls, makes a few close friends, gets into fights, passes out many times in the streets and rants on and on about life, not wanting to be the regular person who subscribes to the expected way of life, college, marriage, debt, job that isn't great, etc.
I loved some of the rants and wished now and then that I'd had experienced some of the wild ass things he did in his youth.
I'm not going to five stars because it felt a bit too repetitious, the same activities over and over again in slightly different settings.
I look forward to the reviews of the few brave souls who decide to tackle this piece of work.
“More than anything, I dream of love, crazy crazy mad love. Not the love of rings and white dresses and churches, but of lust and insanity, the love where you can’t stop touching, kissing, deleted ...... The love that breaks hearts, starts wars, ruins lives, the love that sears itself into your soul, that you can feel every time your heart beats, that scorches your memory and comes back to you whenever you’re alone and it’s quiet and the world falls away, the love that still hurts, that makes you sit and stare at the floor and wonder what the fuck happened and why. I dream of crazy crazy mad love the kind that starts with a look, with eyes that meet, a smile, a touch, a laugh, a kiss. The kind of love that hurts and makes you love the pain, makes you want the pain, makes you yearn for the effing pain, keeps you awake until the sun rises, stirs you while you’re still asleep. The kind of love you can feel with every step you take, every word you speak, every breath, every movement, is part of every thought you have every minute of the day. Love that overwhelms. That justifies our existence. That provides proof we are here for a reason. That either confirms the existence of God and divinity, or renders it utterly meaningless. Love that makes life more than just whatever we know and see and feel. That elevates it. Love for which so many words have been spoken and written and read and cried and screamed and sung and sobbed, but is beyond any real description of it. I’ve known much in my short, silly, unstable, sometimes wonderful sometimes brutal always reckless wreck of a life, but I’ve never known love. Crazy crazy mad love. Fear and pain, insecurity, rage, occasional joy, fleeting peace, they are all friends of mine. Kindness and familial love have always come my way. Disdain, contempt, and rage are constant companions. But never love.”
The book is set mainly in Paris in 1992 where Jay, a 21 year old, visiting from the US for a year, is trying to write his first novel while he runs around visiting art galleries, getting drunk, dating a multitude of girls, makes a few close friends, gets into fights, passes out many times in the streets and rants on and on about life, not wanting to be the regular person who subscribes to the expected way of life, college, marriage, debt, job that isn't great, etc.
I loved some of the rants and wished now and then that I'd had experienced some of the wild ass things he did in his youth.
I'm not going to five stars because it felt a bit too repetitious, the same activities over and over again in slightly different settings.
I look forward to the reviews of the few brave souls who decide to tackle this piece of work.
June 8, 2018
If brilliance was a bright shiny ball this book would be the raw piece inside all those sparkly layers.
Want to read
September 11, 2018Goodreads giveaway win
September 29, 2018
This was a difficult book to rate. I did enjoy his writing style which was gritty and propulsive. Abandoning rules of grammar and punctuation, quotation marks, apostrophes, and short dynamic sentences (often consisting of 1 word) I found compelling. The narration reads like a stream of unfiltered consciousness, His style kept me riveted to the page, although uncomfortably. I rate his ability as writer based on this book 5 Stars.
But the content I found sickening. If one believes this is partly autobiographical, I found the author to be self indulgent. I certainly did not wish to know every detail of Jay’s sexual encounters (avatar for Frey?) I was unsure whether I was reading a memoir, a work of fiction or porn. Also his drinking, throwing up, feeling sick with more drinking to feel better or to send his mind into oblivion and darkness was upsetting. . Sniffing cocaine before, during or after or instead of drinking was very unpleasant and disturbing. Ever so often he got away from his pursuit of sex, drugs and alcohol to mention books he was reading or works of fine art to impress us with his culture. I give the book’s content 1 Star as can’t go any lower on the rating scale. Averaging style and content leaves me with a reluctant 3 Star rating.
The story is set in Paris in 1992 when he was leading a dissolute life style and falling in love. The love affair ended badly. It moves between Paris and present day Los Angeles where he has a loving wife and family and is writing as a business. He is not content now that he is living a traditional lifestyle which he once rejected in his youth. Jay describes a book he wrote and how he embellished and added fictional sections to what was sold as a memoir. He makes excuses and has regrets. Think ‘A Million Little Pieces’.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.
But the content I found sickening. If one believes this is partly autobiographical, I found the author to be self indulgent. I certainly did not wish to know every detail of Jay’s sexual encounters (avatar for Frey?) I was unsure whether I was reading a memoir, a work of fiction or porn. Also his drinking, throwing up, feeling sick with more drinking to feel better or to send his mind into oblivion and darkness was upsetting. . Sniffing cocaine before, during or after or instead of drinking was very unpleasant and disturbing. Ever so often he got away from his pursuit of sex, drugs and alcohol to mention books he was reading or works of fine art to impress us with his culture. I give the book’s content 1 Star as can’t go any lower on the rating scale. Averaging style and content leaves me with a reluctant 3 Star rating.
The story is set in Paris in 1992 when he was leading a dissolute life style and falling in love. The love affair ended badly. It moves between Paris and present day Los Angeles where he has a loving wife and family and is writing as a business. He is not content now that he is living a traditional lifestyle which he once rejected in his youth. Jay describes a book he wrote and how he embellished and added fictional sections to what was sold as a memoir. He makes excuses and has regrets. Think ‘A Million Little Pieces’.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.
February 13, 2022
Gut-wrenching but awesome.
July 24, 2019
Абсолютно съм шокирана и не го казвам с възторг.
Това нещо , което аз не мога да нарека книга, защото означава да го поставя под един знаменател с всички онези вълшебни творения, които съм имала удоволствието да съпреживея, си нямам идея как и защо е трябвало да бъде издадено. И да ни бъде презентирано като най най най не знам си какво, издадено в милионни тиражи.
Само за пример , първите страници съдържат думите чукам,кур,путка и т.н. и се повтарят почти на всеки ред.
Толкова съм бясна , че ако имаше начин сигурно щях да подам жалба до някой, който може да ме защити от тази посредственост и елементарност. И освен всичко останало,щях да поискам обезщетение , за преживения гняв и безсилие , че съм похарчила не малко пари за него.
Освен това тази скала по която трябва да го оценя, не съдържа минусови оценки. Иначе щях да го пратя на Северния полюс.
Ако знаех как да сложа емотикон, напълно в стилистиката на "великия" драскач ,щях да сложа някой който повръща.
Ако някой я иска, незабавно ще му я подаря и ще я махна от дома си .
Това нещо , което аз не мога да нарека книга, защото означава да го поставя под един знаменател с всички онези вълшебни творения, които съм имала удоволствието да съпреживея, си нямам идея как и защо е трябвало да бъде издадено. И да ни бъде презентирано като най най най не знам си какво, издадено в милионни тиражи.
Само за пример , първите страници съдържат думите чукам,кур,путка и т.н. и се повтарят почти на всеки ред.
Толкова съм бясна , че ако имаше начин сигурно щях да подам жалба до някой, който може да ме защити от тази посредственост и елементарност. И освен всичко останало,щях да поискам обезщетение , за преживения гняв и безсилие , че съм похарчила не малко пари за него.
Освен това тази скала по която трябва да го оценя, не съдържа минусови оценки. Иначе щях да го пратя на Северния полюс.
Ако знаех как да сложа емотикон, напълно в стилистиката на "великия" драскач ,щях да сложа някой който повръща.
Ако някой я иска, незабавно ще му я подаря и ще я махна от дома си .
August 15, 2018
Katerina is at once a decent into alcoholism, a blistering tour of Paris, and a chance at reconnecting. It stirred up resentments and old dirty guilt, yet also past loves and memories of a time when we all care less about the consequences and more about the immediate pleasure that life gives. I was constantly questioning my own turning points: When did I shift my focus from the now to the next day to the future? Is it the shock of mortality from a death? Is it having children? It’s a short book, but it is one that left me with countless personal thoughts, and a continued appreciation for James Frey’s writing.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/08/15/ka...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/08/15/ka...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
May 31, 2018
Messy and honest and sloppy and dirty and free.
October 9, 2018
Review can be found on my blog here: https://booksonthebookshelf.wordpress...
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a free ARC copy of this book to read!
Wow!! This book!
I literally had to take a few days after finishing this book to process what I had read and get my thoughts straight. The writing just blew me away!! It left me speechless!
This was the first book I have read by James Frey and wow, I can say that I am now a huge fan! He has such a way of writing that pulls you in! I will definitely be on the lookout for his other books.
Sex, drugs, and alcohol. That is a common and frequent storyline of the book. Jay sleeps with various women, has many one night stands, drinks and drinks and drinks, and does drugs like there's no tomorrow. He is all kinds of messed up and his character is very easy to dislike, or hate. He hits rock bottom. He makes a complete mess of his life, and along the way he meets Katerina. They have a whirlwind romance, with more sex, drugs, and alcohol. She is just as crazy and messed up as he is... and he loves it.
I found myself literally flipping through the pages of this book as I was curious what would happen next. I wanted to see how much more messed up Jay could get (if that was possible!). I wanted to see how far his relationship with Katerina would go. There were so many shocking parts and surprises in this book it makes it so hard to put down.
I loved the writing! Wow...Just wow!
I found myself emotional reading through the book. Especially near the end. Without giving away any spoilers, I just want to say this book left me speechless and teary eyed at the end. Such a powerful book!
Definitely a must read! Get this book now!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a free ARC copy of this book to read!
Wow!! This book!
I literally had to take a few days after finishing this book to process what I had read and get my thoughts straight. The writing just blew me away!! It left me speechless!
This was the first book I have read by James Frey and wow, I can say that I am now a huge fan! He has such a way of writing that pulls you in! I will definitely be on the lookout for his other books.
Sex, drugs, and alcohol. That is a common and frequent storyline of the book. Jay sleeps with various women, has many one night stands, drinks and drinks and drinks, and does drugs like there's no tomorrow. He is all kinds of messed up and his character is very easy to dislike, or hate. He hits rock bottom. He makes a complete mess of his life, and along the way he meets Katerina. They have a whirlwind romance, with more sex, drugs, and alcohol. She is just as crazy and messed up as he is... and he loves it.
I found myself literally flipping through the pages of this book as I was curious what would happen next. I wanted to see how much more messed up Jay could get (if that was possible!). I wanted to see how far his relationship with Katerina would go. There were so many shocking parts and surprises in this book it makes it so hard to put down.
I loved the writing! Wow...Just wow!
I found myself emotional reading through the book. Especially near the end. Without giving away any spoilers, I just want to say this book left me speechless and teary eyed at the end. Such a powerful book!
Definitely a must read! Get this book now!
August 14, 2018
* I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher.
I don't typically write reviews. In fact, this is my first. I prefer to digest the book internally and alone, over days as the residual feelings from the story fade, always fearing whatever review I could put into words would never do the book or author or story the proper justice... which is precisely the case for this book.
THIS BOOK ... I'm nearly speechless. I had to make a conscious effort to maintain composure and not fold myself into the depths of despair when I finished this book. I felt at once exhilarated yet achingly sad. Alternating between his present life and his time in Paris 25 years ago, he tells a love story that is exciting, heartbreaking, devastating, fueled by a rawness and intensity that James Frey is adept at delivering.
I didn't buy into the controversy that followed A Million Little Pieces - I loved his writing style and subject matter, and I didn't care what parts were true or not. He entertained me, kept me enthralled, and he burned the fucking world down with that book. But his books after that weren't as good and I understand now the effect that the controversy surrounding that book had on his mind and his writing. It's clear from reading Katerina that he's recovered and he's back better than fucking ever. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way James Frey bares his soul, weaves his words, shares his stories.
I don't typically write reviews. In fact, this is my first. I prefer to digest the book internally and alone, over days as the residual feelings from the story fade, always fearing whatever review I could put into words would never do the book or author or story the proper justice... which is precisely the case for this book.
THIS BOOK ... I'm nearly speechless. I had to make a conscious effort to maintain composure and not fold myself into the depths of despair when I finished this book. I felt at once exhilarated yet achingly sad. Alternating between his present life and his time in Paris 25 years ago, he tells a love story that is exciting, heartbreaking, devastating, fueled by a rawness and intensity that James Frey is adept at delivering.
I didn't buy into the controversy that followed A Million Little Pieces - I loved his writing style and subject matter, and I didn't care what parts were true or not. He entertained me, kept me enthralled, and he burned the fucking world down with that book. But his books after that weren't as good and I understand now the effect that the controversy surrounding that book had on his mind and his writing. It's clear from reading Katerina that he's recovered and he's back better than fucking ever. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way James Frey bares his soul, weaves his words, shares his stories.
August 25, 2018
In a world where books are slotted neatly into a five star rating system, every once in awhile, you come across one that rates a solid seven ... maybe even an eight or a nine. Katerina was that book. Half a dozen pages into reading it, I knew it was going to be a long night, because I wasn't going to want to put it down. I also knew it would make me laugh (I wasn't disappointed) and that it would make me cry (it did).
At it's simplest, this is a love story; a star-crossed romance between an aspiring young writer and a beautiful model, set in the Paris of the early 1990s. At it's heart, Katerina is so much more. It's about youth and hope and possibilities. It's about art and the artist, about literature and the enormous potential it possess, when it's right, to “burn down the world”. It's about friends and lovers and dreams and passion. In short, Katerina is about life, in all it's beauty and it's magic and it's tragedy.
I can't promise you will love James Frey's new novel (although I did), but I'm pretty sure you won't quickly forget it, and maybe, if you're very lucky, it'll be one of those books that will change your life.
At it's simplest, this is a love story; a star-crossed romance between an aspiring young writer and a beautiful model, set in the Paris of the early 1990s. At it's heart, Katerina is so much more. It's about youth and hope and possibilities. It's about art and the artist, about literature and the enormous potential it possess, when it's right, to “burn down the world”. It's about friends and lovers and dreams and passion. In short, Katerina is about life, in all it's beauty and it's magic and it's tragedy.
I can't promise you will love James Frey's new novel (although I did), but I'm pretty sure you won't quickly forget it, and maybe, if you're very lucky, it'll be one of those books that will change your life.
October 18, 2018
Review to come
October 19, 2018
We meet Jay, an immature aspiring writer who moves to Paris in 1992, at a time when he has a head full of dreams, and wants to write books that “burn down the f***ing world.”
At some point he meets Katerina, a painfully beautiful red headed French model. Jay is mesmerized by her. They share passion, alcohol, cocaine, and tenderness, and a short getaway to a chateau in the country. Following that weekend, their romance becomes a roller coaster.
Then, 25 years later, Jay receives a social media message out of the blue that draws him back to those years in Paris.
James Frey is a writer of the heart, not the mind. He’s aware of the craft of writing but doesn’t have the technicality in mind. In fact, it’s like he’s giving convention the middle finger.
With that being said, Frey is so in touch with human emotion and reflection. I felt myself constantly noticing how he puts into words emotions that I’ve never been able to verbalize. When Jay is drinking, you feel the world spin. When Jay has sex, you....well....feel in the mood. I haven’t read raw emotion like this in a longtime.
This novel reminds me how truly awful heartbreak is. The ending especially - oh my god, how utterly gut wrenching.
I loved this book much more than I expected to. I never read A Million Little Pieces, so I didn’t know what I was up against. But this novel is going to stay with me for a while.
People will either love or hate Katerina. It’s NOT for the faint hearted. But I will recommend this novel as often as I possibly can.
At some point he meets Katerina, a painfully beautiful red headed French model. Jay is mesmerized by her. They share passion, alcohol, cocaine, and tenderness, and a short getaway to a chateau in the country. Following that weekend, their romance becomes a roller coaster.
Then, 25 years later, Jay receives a social media message out of the blue that draws him back to those years in Paris.
James Frey is a writer of the heart, not the mind. He’s aware of the craft of writing but doesn’t have the technicality in mind. In fact, it’s like he’s giving convention the middle finger.
With that being said, Frey is so in touch with human emotion and reflection. I felt myself constantly noticing how he puts into words emotions that I’ve never been able to verbalize. When Jay is drinking, you feel the world spin. When Jay has sex, you....well....feel in the mood. I haven’t read raw emotion like this in a longtime.
This novel reminds me how truly awful heartbreak is. The ending especially - oh my god, how utterly gut wrenching.
I loved this book much more than I expected to. I never read A Million Little Pieces, so I didn’t know what I was up against. But this novel is going to stay with me for a while.
People will either love or hate Katerina. It’s NOT for the faint hearted. But I will recommend this novel as often as I possibly can.
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December 28, 2018DNF @15% ~ I was one of the ones who actually liked his debut books that got so much backlash - I thought they were interesting, crazy, gripping, etc, etc. I even liked his little YA series for a bit. But I'm not even sure what this book was even about? It was kind of a mess going back and forth between 2 stories......
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