- Paperback: 88 pages
- Publisher: Mary Glasgow Magazines
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1904720447
- ISBN-13: 978-1904720447
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 0.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 141 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,376 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,553,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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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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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
One Of A Kind
April 28 2005
Format:Paperback
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Survival
May 13 2004
Format: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.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Unforgettable memoir
Sep 1 2007
Format:Paperback
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.
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.
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Most recent customer reviews
amazing.....
Loved it when it first came out. Read the next 2 sequels - 'Tis was great.
Published on May 6 2010 by lafleurpetite
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 on Sep 4 2009 by Ethel Clark
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 on April 16 2009 by Jeanne K. Miller
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 on Jan 23 2008 by Shara Cooper
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
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 July 17 2004 by Pratik
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 July 4 2004
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
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
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
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