Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
349 used & new from CDN$ 0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
 
 

Angela's Ashes: A Memoir (Paperback)

by Frank McCourt (Author) "My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,375 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 18.99
Price: CDN$ 13.86 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 5.13 (27%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

27 new from CDN$ 7.58 322 used from CDN$ 0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Angela's Ashes: A Memoir + Tis: A Memoir + Teacher Man: A Memoir
Total List Price: CDN$ 60.99
Price For All Three: CDN$ 44.52

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Tis: A Memoir by Frank McCourt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Tis: A Memoir

Tis: A Memoir

by Frank McCourt
3.8 out of 5 stars (475)  CDN$ 15.33
Teacher Man: A Memoir

Teacher Man: A Memoir

by Frank McCourt
4.6 out of 5 stars (10)  CDN$ 15.33
Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes

by Frank McCourt
4.8 out of 5 stars (107)  CDN$ 8.60
Echoes 12: Fiction, Media and Non-Fiction

Echoes 12: Fiction, Media and Non-Fiction

by Francine Artichuk
CDN$ 57.67
Unloved

Unloved

by Peter Roche
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  CDN$ 16.00
Explore similar items

Product Details


Product Description

From Amazon.com

"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 cliches 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 for a compelling memoir. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Library Journal

McCourt is the eldest of eight children born to Angela Sheehan and Malachy McCourt in the 1920s. The McCourts began their family in poverty in Brooklyn, yet when Angela slipped into depression after the death of her only daughter (four of eight children survived), the family reversed the tide of emigration and returned to Ireland, living on public assistance in Limerick. McCourt's story is laced with the pain of extreme poverty, aggravated by an alcoholic father who abandoned the family during World War II. Given the burdens of grief and starvation, it's a tribute to his skill that he can serve the reader a tale of love, some sadness, but at least as much laughter as the McCourts' "Yankee" children knew growing up in the streets of Limerick. His story, almost impossible to put down, may well become a classic. A wonderful book; strongly recommended for readers of any age.
-?Robert Moore, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals, Framingham, Mass.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,375)
CDN$ 13.86
Angela's Ashes
5% buy
Angela's Ashes 4.8 out of 5 stars (107)
CDN$ 8.60
Tis: A Memoir
3% buy
Tis: A Memoir 3.8 out of 5 stars (475)
CDN$ 15.33
The Shack
2% buy
The Shack 3.5 out of 5 stars (99)
CDN$ 11.67

 

Customer Reviews

1,375 Reviews
5 star:
 (996)
4 star:
 (212)
3 star:
 (56)
2 star:
 (50)
1 star:
 (61)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (1,375 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Survival, May 13 2004
By Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Angela's Ashes (Audio Cassette)
This book tells the story of the childhood of Frank McCourt. McCourt was just an ordinary boy, born in New York City of Irish immigrant parents. After a family tragedy, his parents returned to Ireland with the children. And that's how this little kid from New York City ended up growing up in a lane in an Irish slum, learning essential survival skills like how to keep his belly full and his feet dry. It seemed that everything that could go wrong did- -Frank's father was a drunk who couldn't bring home a paycheck for more than a few weeks running, the house where they lived was flooded each spring from the lane's common privy, and educational opportunities were quite limited for boys without funds. In such circumstances, the only way to survive is not to fret about tomorrow or what the neighbors might think, but to go ever forward with determined independence.

As I listened to this story as read by the author, I kept hearing my own grandfather's voice. Yes, I'd heard all the stories about childhood deprivation and inner strength, about drunken fathers and run-down houses, but I'd never really listened when my grandfather told them. "He's exaggerating," I thought, "Nobody ever lived like that." But after hearing the details of Frank's childhood, I realize that my grandfather wasn't complaining about his childhood or looking for sympathy. He was just trying to paint a picture of the experiences that he lived through, which were so very different from my own. There was something about my grandfather's style of speaking that made him sound different from everyone else I knew. He was born in the US so he didn't have an Irish accent at all, but there was something peculiar about the rhythm of his speech and the style of relating to others that I never noticed in other people's voices. As McCourt narrates conversations between his parents and aunts and uncles, I can hear my grandfather jumping into the fray, a bit drunk, but not so drunk that he couldn't come out with a witty remark that still leaves people laughing when they remember it forty years later. I understand now- -my grandfather was simply Irish. This book is a wonderful telling of childhood with all its ups and downs, honesty and deceit, grief and joy. McCourt's writing draws the reader into Frank's world, where they can hear his father singing in the pub and smell the bread and onions frying on the stove.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable memoir, Sep 1 2007
By I LOVE BOOKS (Italy) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
I read this book years ago and it left a mark. It's one of the best autobiographies I've ever read, mesmerizing to say the least. Mr. McCourt recounts his childhood in Ireland, surrounded by poverty and hunger, up until the time when his dream comes true: going to the USA in search of a better life.

The prose is powerful and conveys a very clear picture of his life. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, some graphic descriptions might even make you look away, but what I truly liked about this book is the absence of sorrowfullness, expecially when depicting some incredibly miserable events.

I went on to read " 'Tis ", the sequel, and found it to be as good as "Angela's Ashes", perhaps a bit less powerful but great nevertheless. Get both books if you havent's yet read them.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One Of A Kind, April 28 2005
Yes....it's about an Irish childhood, according to Mr. McCourt the worst childhood you could ever have in those years.

I am just one of the millions that have read this book, making me one of McCourt's fan.

Why I like this book?. Firt of all, I am no Irish (I'm an asian) ; I had no idea how bad growing up in Europe would be like in those days. I've seen movies and all ...but with this book, I can actually not only picture his life, but feeling the hardship he and his family went through. He showed me very clearly life in Ireland was at the time...and at the same time, showed me how beautiful Ireland is too !.

It made me realize, no matter what you are, where you come from, who you are, what your belief is,..the concept of life is the same everywhere. He made me looked back on my own childhood and really value it.

I have also read the sequel "'Tis"...and I can't wait for the next one "The Teacher Man"..will be released in November this year!.

To me, he is a very one of a kind writer. I definitely agree when one of his professors told him he's got a 'rich past(childhood)'. I also like his way of writing...it's almost like he's speaking his mind right out to me when I'm reading it.

Frank McCourt is definitely one of my favourites.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars survival instincts
This is my first read of Frank McCourt's boyhood memories,prompted by his recent passing. It made me wonder why this award-winning gem never entered my hands before now... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ethel Clark

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Books
Frank McCourts books are in a special place on my book shelves. I have been collecting books since I was a child and this is one of my top 5 favorites. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jeanne K. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is popular for a reason
The 1000+ reviewers are on the mark with this book. It's a good story. Intriguing and it makes the reader want more. It has flow which is an important criteria of mine. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Shara Cooper

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great book.
Angela's Ashes is one of the best books that I have ever read. I highly recommend it to everyone I know.
Published on Mar 13 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars a memoir of myself?
This book is simply incredible and the inclusion of the patriotic and doleful poems of the Irish make it simply the best and stand out from the rest. Read more
Published on Jul 17 2004 by Pratik

5.0 out of 5 stars ANGELA'S ASHES
THIS BOOK LEFT SUCH A MEMORABLE IMPRESSION ON ME. IT HELPS ME TO UNDERSTAND HOW SOME PEOPLE IN AMERICA, DURING THE DEPRESSION YEARS, MUST HAVE LIVED. Read more
Published on Jul 4 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars P.U.!!
Stinkaroo! Thank god I borrowed this work of maudlin stereotypical crap from the library so I didn't actually fork over any cash for it. Read more
Published on Jun 25 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Story
A story of abuse,depression and dysfunction. The book catches hold of your heart and is such a book it is hard to put down. Read more
Published on Jun 20 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The master storyteller at work
What can be said about this book? Great books, if they're really outstanding, can't be described. Such is the case with this one. Read more
Published on Jun 11 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Touched For Life
I haven't read a better book and may never. It's not a put-down book. Your eyes won't want to stray from a single word. Read more
Published on Jun 6 2004 by Penelope Holiday

Only search this product's reviews



Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.