Jaxbar

Is this really a newsworthy enough story to be on every network and news programme? Not sure how serious a story is it? Is a memoire like reality TV an - edited story?

Patrick

This is America, there is nothing newsworthy in the actual news! The stories that really should be on there - Abromov, Rove, Death Toll in Iraq, lying to get in Iraq, using the war on terrorism as an excuse for everything......

Get used to sensational stories that have as much substance as my last fart

Jaxbar

Was wondering if that might be it!!

Scouse Express

Anything that Oprah does is over the top!

Jim

"I could always tell that it was my Mother-In-Law knocking on our door.......because the mice would start throwing themselves on the traps! (Les Dawson).

CaliforniaBride

Dunno but just read an article and in the first paragraph we have "the world's most powerful book club". Ye gads don't they ever stop with this "World's Most.......[fill in the blank]" Crap!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...amesfrey1.html

It's irrelevant to most of the world!

Bob

It is a bit dull and shite to be all over the news, muppet rights a book and oprah goes all gooey over it...hardly good incentive to bother with really.

Jaxbar

Thats what I dont get the obsession with 'truth' in the most powerful whatever when we all know its lies on a daily basis, thank God for the BBC

Angry White Pyjamas

Oprah is a self serving, self-obsessed piece of dung in my opinion. As far as Im concerned she preys on peoples emotions to further her own career and fortune.

I wouldnt give her the time of day if I saw her laying in the gutter.

ironporer

The only problem with what you say is that it is true- when Oprah endorses a book, it is almost guarenteed #1 on the NY Times best seller list.

As to whether the coverage is over the top- it seems that if an author writes a fictional memoir and it is published as a (true) memoir....and Oprah initially condones it, only to change her opinion and fillet the SOB in front of a hundred million viewers...it is news.

Shit...I was hoping she would continue to back the liar... in essence making it 'ok' to tell your wife you had a late meeting with the boss...when you were really humping the secretary!

TruBrit

i haven't read james frey's non-fiction book but watched the highlights on larry king live last night... if i were the author i don't think i'd have gone on oprah to just say 'i'm sorry, i made a mistake, and i have no explanation for doing what i did'....i think mr frey desperately needs a media consultant.i thought his lack of charisma and inarticulateness just served to heighten his shame....he's certainly a good story teller...all this negative publicity will still trigger even more sales of 'a million little pieces'....imho james frey is no different than someone that lied on their cv to make it look more impressive and got caught..if i'd have read it i think i'd felt a little duped as well...

ladyofthelake

It's damage control on her part. Initially she didn't give a shit that the story had been enhanced. She called Larry King's show and said she still loved the essence of the book. Of course when she realised her fans didn't agree, she did an about turn and took him to the slaughter house.

Still can't quite believe that it would make the headlines of the news, and
James Frey will be laughing all the way to the bank.

snorkmaiden

I wish I'd seen Oprah's show yesterday as I've not had the chance to read the smoking gun article yet, and having read A Million Little Pieces, I'd like to see what was fictional and what was not and why James Frey felt it was ok to present fiction as non-fiction.

I didn't read the book because it was on Oprah's book list, I read it because it was on sale in Costco when I was browsing the books in there.

Undoubtedly it was there because it was on Oprah's list. Oprah's list is all powerful when it comes to rejuvinating book sales and even bringing out of print books back into circulation.

Oprah's reaction is grabbing the headlines when what I imagine is more interesting to those that have read the book, is how this thing ever got to be sold as truth, which is how it is presented.

When I was reading it I was not reading it as fiction, I thought based on the blurb on the book that what I was reading was a true accounting of James Frey's experiences in rehab.

It was really harsh and I actually felt bad for a number of the characters. I was really sad when I got to the end of the book and an update was given on what had happened to the characters. I imagine that is what annoys those of us who have read the book.

Apparently this morning James Frey's book is still number one on Amazon so the negative publicity surrounding his work of fiction presented as non-fiction isn't doing his sales any damage.

I can't help but think that conning millions of people is worthy of a little news but perhaps not quite the frenzy surrounding it at present, particularly when it's actually helping his sales.

TruBrit

i haven't read james frey's non-fiction book but watched the highlights on larry king live last night... if i were the author i don't think i'd have gone on oprah to just say 'i'm sorry, i made a mistake, and i have no explanation for doing what i did'....i think mr frey desperately needs a media consultant.i thought his lack of charisma and inarticulateness just served to heighten his shame....he's certainly a good story teller...all this negative publicity will still trigger even more sales of 'a million little pieces'....imho james frey is no different than someone that lied on their cv to make it look more impressive and got caught..if i'd have read it i think i'd felt a little duped as well

Angry White Pyjamas

Hey people read newspapers everyday and beleive every word in them. Then they are shocked to find out most of it is fabricated, enhanced and often completely falsefied.

A story is a story is a story. Unless you are planning to use the information contained therein in your everday life it shouldnt matter one iota whether it's fictional or not.

TruBrit

morning awp..yeah i personally don't read non-fiction for that reason, maybe a bit cynical of me but i do feel for the folks out there that bought the book believing it to be non-fiction.