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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
"Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood," writes Frank McCourt in Angela's Ashes. "Worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." Welcome, then, to the pinnacle of the miserable Irish Catholic childhood. Born in Brooklyn in 1930 to recent Irish immigrants Malachy and Angela McCourt, Frank grew up in Limerick after his parents returned to Ireland because of poor prospects in America. It turns out that prospects weren't so great back in the old country either--not with Malachy for a father. A chronically unemployed and nearly unemployable alcoholic, he appears to be the model on which many of our more insulting clichés about drunken Irish manhood are based. Mix in abject poverty, and frequent death and illness, and you have all the makings of a truly difficult early life. Fortunately, in McCourt's able hands it also has all the makings of a compelling memoir.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘An astonishing book…completely mesmerising – you can open it almost at random and find writing to make you gasp.’ Independent
‘The most remarkable thing about Frank McCourt, apart from his survival, is his lack of sorrowfulness. “Angela’s Ashes” sings with irreverent Limerick wit. It makes you smile at the triumph of the storyteller, a tougher specimen who escaped Limerick’s teeming alleys through intelligence and cunning and lived to tell the tale.’ The Times
‘Once opened, this brilliant and seductive book will not let you rest until Frank emerges, more or less reared, at the close of boyhood.’ Thomas Keneally, author of ‘Schindler's List.’
‘Frank McCourt's lyrical Irish voice will draw comparison to Joyce. It's that seductive, that hilarious. In the annals of memoir, his name will be writ large.’ Mary Karr, author of ‘The Liar's Club’.
‘I was moved and dazzled by the sombre and lively beauty of this book; it is a story of survival and growth beyond all odds; a chronicle of surprising triumphs, written in language that is always itself triumphant.’ Mary Gordon, author of ‘The Shadow Man.’
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When the film of this book came out there was a lot of hype about it and I am afraid I tend to react against hype rather than for it. Nevertheless, I am a big fan of Irish stories and I am happy that I swallowed my prejudice and bought and read this book.
I am afraid there is no point becoming bleary eyed about this story: it is a raw story of some very poor people living what can only be described as a wretched existence. Life is raw, the language is raw and the overall situation is raw.
We are taken from the USA to Ireland on the back of the Great Depression to what can only be described as an Even Greater Depression. Frank is the narrator and therefore the main character; and he tells us all about his family and his circumstances all the way through to his manhood. We learn about his father: an Ulsterman who regularly drinks away the tiny amount of money the family has; and who wants his boys to fight for Ireland's cause. We learn about Frank's mother, Angela, who floats from being absolutely desperate to being a tower of strength. There are also the siblings: the ones who survived and the ones who didn't.
We are told about housing conditions that must be impossible for us to imagine let alone survive living in. There is a daily diet that consisted of bread and tea and precious little else. There are also relatives who are presented as hard, uncaring and lacking sympathy: we have to bear in mind that these people were suffering too; and appreciating that should help us to tolerate them more.
I was a bit surprised that although there is a lot of humour in the book, there wasn't much childish glee and happiness coming through. Despite the wretched existence that the family went through, children do tend to remember sunshine and laughter from their childhoods and this element is missing. If it genuinely was missing, then I think that Frank has done very well to get to the stage where he has been able to go to University, graduate, work as a high school teacher and write this book.
As I was around two thirds of the way through this book I started to think that there shouldn't be any sequels to it: this is a stand alone story. However, there is a sequel whose title is the final word of this book "'Tis", reflecting Frank's very interesting reintroduction to the land of the free.
Despite the epithets on the book's cover, this is not a romantic story, this is not a story that we should pretend to empathise with; and it is not a story that we should ignore. Frank McCourt has written a book that should awaken a reality in us that poverty, misery and depression don't only belong to distant history and in the slums of Calcutta and Rio de Janeiro and Harlem: they can be a lot nearer than we think.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
a marvelous book, well worth reading....the true story of a poor irish family, a work shy drunken father, a struggling mother, not forgeting mean aunt aggie, or daft uncle pat, the author brought them all to life on every page, so clear was his discription that you almost knew them personaly....
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A quite breathtaking read, I couldn't put it down. Its hard to believe the harsh reality of life and poverty that gripped Ireland not that long ago. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't fiction but a true account of McCourts early life. Well written with humour and surprisingly no bitterness. A must read for anyone who thinks their lot in life isn't so good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
For the love of life
One of the best books of the 1990s-this beautifully written memoir tells of the suffering of a poverty stricken childhood in Ireland of the 1930s and 40s-written in such a way that... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gary Selikow
A Simpler James Joyce
Frank McCourt is a brilliant author: his book is both packed with humour and a childhood storyline that I'll never forget. Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. Berto
Terrible
I went to see the film that was based on this book many years ago, which I enjoyed. The reason I wanted this book was to read it and see that the film truly based itself on the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by DW
Angela's Ashes
I absolutely love this book! I've read it again and again. It's mixture of poignancy and humour gives it a warmth that draws you in. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. C. L. Warrilow
Not a patch on Roddy Doyle
I am just re-reading Roddy Doyle's "A Star Called Henry". It reminds me what a poor account of similar poverty "Angela's Ashes is. Read more
Published 7 months ago by penname
angelas ashes
I loved this book so much I have ordered the sequel Tis. The read is fast paced and very real, I couldnt put it down
Published 10 months ago by P. Jacobs
how did he survive it?
This memoire of a poverty striken and chaotic childhood in Ireland is brutally honest and sad. WHile I believe that it has been over-praised a bit, it has a distinctive writing... Read more
Published 12 months ago by rob crawford
Top of them all
The best Oirish childhood memoir going. Simply wonderful. McCourt weaves a dramatic and touching tale, made all the more heartbreaking for being real. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Buk-arooo
Savagely real
This book is a brilliant masterpiece, written in a unique way and makes you appreciate the things you have. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Emzy Soffe
Great Read!
Having read so many memoirs, the Pulitzer Win on the front cover and the odd title tempted me into purchasing it. I was sceptical about the book. Read more
Published 15 months ago by jurpat
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