Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After having heard so much about the book, I was disappointed when I read it. Although I empathize with the characters, I did not feel that the writing in a literary sense was anything remarkable - I am surprised it won the Pulitzer! I felt sorry for the suffering of the author and the family but having grown up in a third-world country in Asia, I could not help but think of countless similar children and families who experience the same suffering but have not even a hope or dream of ever being able to go to America to improve their lot in life. A tolerable book but too much hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Stars are not enough for this perfect book....
Review: Style: Original, fresh, fluent Story: Honest, gripping, tragic, dramatic, joyous Mood: Soft, strong, innocent and acceptingA brilliant masterpiece. A Pulitzer Prize Winner. A book that is sure to go down in history as one of the best classics every written.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read, deserving of its Pulitzer!
Review: With unabashed tenderness, innocence and intrigue, McCourt recounts his frightening and sad childhood with accidental humor and without ever once complaining. What should be a thoroughly depressing subject, is almost enlightening because of the child's view point, the stark honesty, the gifted, casual writing style that makes this book so incredibly enjoyable and easy to read. I simply couldn't put it down. I have urged everyone in my life to read it ASAP, and those who have so far, have sent emotional e-mails or called with a sniffle in their voices to say "thank you so much for insisting that I read this"
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Touching. I know it sounds trite, but this book made me appreciate how lucky I really am. On literary style, I am an eclectic reader, but tend to judge biographies by how closely they approximate fiction in terms of plot and character development. Angela's Ashes definitely passed the test -- it read like a well-developed novel. Also, I sensed that McCourt tried to distance himself somewhat from his own feelings about his family members to present a less partial view, though he was not always successful in this regard. I am definitely looking forward to his next work.
Rating:
Summary: I always carry a copy of this book with me.
Review: When I first saw this book, I wanted to read it. I was convinced that I would read it once it either came out in paperback, or my public library had it in. Neither has happened yet, so I'm glad I spent my twenty-dollars on the copy that I carry with me everywhere. The pages are stained with spaghetti sauce. The corners are starting to curl, and the jacket is tattered. It looks like this book has been kicked around in someone's basement for twenty years. I read it whenever I need a reason to smile or a reason to cry. It seems to capture every human emotion.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Paradox!
Review: "Angela's Ashes" is a paradox. It is both sweet and pungent. One sees the utter resignation to poverty in some characters and the absolute tenacity of the human spirit in others. The story is depressing and heart wrenchingly sad one minute and achingly funny the next. My husband is from Limerick and many at home felt the book painted the people of Limerick with a very black brush. However, I would remind the readers that the same story was probably played out in any number of depressed areas in the 20's and 30's and in fact, is probably repeating itself today in other parts of the world. It is not the content and setting which make this a delightful read, it is the style in which the story is told that makes it unique.
Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed in ANGELA'S ASHES!
Review: Having seen and heard Frank and Malachy McCourt on talk shows, I was anxious but trepeditious upon picking up this novel (memoir). Trepeditious because both of them seemed like con men to me. I think this is a whining, complaining, self seeking journey with an ending which bespeaks the true character of McCourt and his family, get-what-you-can, get laid, and get to America. My own Irish ancestors on my mother's side were just as poor, had just as much sickness, has their share of drunks, and their own personal tragedies. Did they resort to knocking Ireland, knocking the Catholic Church, making fun of native customs? No, their faith was a bedrock upon which their lives rested, their humor was directed toward themselves, not others, and their poverty was overcome by honest means--not by stealing. This book may have been on the New York Times best seller list for eternity. It was a waste of my time. McCourt has a lyrical Irish voice. Too bad it couldn't have been put to better use.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, could not put it down
Review: Just a big thank you to Mr. Mc Court for sharing his story. All I can say is read it.
Rating: 
Summary: a need for amnesia
Review: everyone in the world is reviewing this book, but i'll get my two cents in as well. the author deserves the pulitzer prize just for coming through this. what i dont know is how he could re-enact it by writing down every last detail. i would have been off to the nearest hypnotist to induce total amnesia, and i'm not joking. there is certainly no question here about authenticity or writing what you know about. the detail is so graphic it made me sick more than once (why 4 stars). this is not a criticism; good writing makes you care about what is happening. it was particularly interesting to me as i had just finished a book on nonphysical abuse in families; while this father did not beat up his wife or children, and professed to be loving and caring, he most certainly abused them by keeping control of the money, which he spent on drinking, allowing the family to literally starve and go without the most basic necessities. i wonder if this woman and her children thought of the father as abusive. in those days probably not. the other thing worth mentioning is that it seemed strange to me that people still find the U.S. such a paradise. although these people were living in the most terrible poverty, that no one anywhere should have to live in, there seemed to be no gangs, drugs, guns, or violent crime. in the U.S. these things are not even limited to poor neighborhoods any longer, and even in the 1930s, the author mentions crime and gangsters and gun violence in America. i think this is an important book and you dont have to be Irish, Catholic, or poor to relate to it. Although it wasn't pretty, I'll be interested in the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: If you enjoyed Angela's Ashes, the next book you read will have to be My First Cousin Once Removed.
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