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Summary: It will tear at your heartstrings.
Review: When I started reading this book, I was unsure whether I would finish it. The young lives of Frank McCourt and his brothers and sister were so bleak. McCourt's wonderful writing style pulled me through. At every turn, the odds seemed to be against the remaining McCourt children (2 brothers and a sister died) ever seeing adulthood. Despite the grinding poverty and despair of his family, McCourt somehow maintained his sense of humor in many parts of the book.
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Summary: Frank McCourt
Review: Angela's Ashes is a true story about a boy named Frank McCourt. The story is about his life in Ireland and America. Words can't describe how much pain and poverty Frank's family suffered. It's amazing and wonderful that Frank is still alive to tell it. This book is sad, but also funny. Frank has to watch three of his siblings die, but also is able to watch three of them grow up. His father leaves him, his mother, and brothers without any money. Luckily Franks old enough to get a job. This book tells how him and his family manages with their misfortunes. I really liked this book because it makes you grateful for what you have.
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Summary: Even Better Than Malachy McCourt's "A Monk Swimming"
Review: When I first saw "Angela's Ashes" in the store, it did not look all that interesting, though I wondered if the author was any relation to Malachy McCourt (the greatest talk-show host in the history of radio). When I found out that Frank McCourt was Malachy's older brother, I bought "Angela's Ashes," and read it as soon as I finished Malachy's memoir, "A Monk Swimming."I was glad I did. It turned out that Frank is an even better writer than Malachy, and that the two books complement each other very nicely. Both books make fascinating reading, as does Frank's second book, " 'Tis." Frank and Malachy McCourt were born in United States, but brought up in County Limerick, Ireland, in abject, grinding poverty that caused the death of their sister and two younger brothers. If you can read "Angela's Ashes" without tears coming to your eyes, then you are thicker-skinned than I. It is an inspiration and a tribute to Frank and Malachy that both eventually overcame their dysfunctional early lives. Unfortunately, it took Malachy much longer than it did Frank. The horrors recounted in "Angela's Ashes" are reminiscent of the very different horrors experienced by Waris Dirie, as told in her excellent autobiography, "Desert Flower," also well worth reading.
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Summary: Irish
Review: There are not many books that draw me into them so far that I feel like I am accompanying the author on his life's journey, but Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes and its sequel 'Tis do just that. The imagery his wonderful use of words evokes is strong; he paints a bleak picture of his youth and the powerful feelings of inadequacy that attended it, but, yet, avoids my pity because he is so matter of fact in his reporting and so darned funny in describing the people who made up his world and using endearing repetitive phrases for emphasis. Mr. McCourt is not just an expert memoir keeper; he is an excellent story teller. I hope he has many more to tell.
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Summary: Right on!!
Review: Loved it. That just sums it up so well. It's a "Must Read!"
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Summary: The life and times of Frank McCourt
Review: ANGELA'S ASHES is the memoirs of Frank Mccourt and the recollections of his childhood spent in Ireland. The story is told from the viewpoint of young Francis Mccourt, from the young age of about 5 or 6 til he hits the age of 19, and we see him age before our eyes as the writing style changes from chapter to chapter. Frank's mother is Angela, and she suffers daily trying to keep her children fed and clothed, trying to make ends meet because her husband is so lazy and full of drink that she can never depend on him to do a full day's work for pay. And when Malachy McCourt does get paid, he ends up at the local taverns and pubs, drinking his weekly pay. Angela has to resort to finding the odd job, or worse yet, to begging at the welfare offices. Frank and his family start out life in America, but move to Ireland to escape the poverty they knew in America, thinking they would find a better life in Ireland. They were wrong. The McCourts live a life of extreme poverty in their new homeland, but the book is told in the voice of someone who sees life in a different light. You want to laugh with Frank when he describes the terrible conditions they live in - an entire section alone was devoted to the stinking toilet that they had to share with the rest of the neighborhood. It was a hard life for them all, but from the tone of young Francis, the reader does not always get that impreession. All he and his family knew was poverty, and they existed in this way as best they could. ANGELA'S ASHES won the PulitZer Prize and it was well deserved. Frank Mccourt's masterpiece on life in Ireland told in the voice of a young Irish American boy is haunting yet real. It's a serious book, but the tone is light-hearted. The spirit of young Francis McCourt shines through each page, and you root for him when he inches his way toward his goal: to buy a ticket to America.
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Summary: A Triumph of the Authorial Voice and the Human Spirit
Review: Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' comes at a time when literature needs it. Stuck in a time when unique voices are hard to find in the millions of books published every year, McCourt brings us a story told only the way he can tell it. As we follow Frank's childhood from 3 to 19, his language and worldly eye grow as well, allowing the reader to witness his growing up. Perhaps even more amazing is the growth of young Frankie as a human. I know that his words profoundly affected me and made me look at my lifestyle. Living in middle class America is quite different than mid-century Limerick, and it made me look at what I have and appreciate it more. Read this novel (get past the first chapter--it's tough but the good stuff will come) and live in someone else's shoes for awhile. It may do something to change the way you live your life...
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Summary: A wonderful book about being Irish, poor and Catholic.
Review: This is an amazing book as is his second book ('Tis) which follows this one. Frank Mc Court is a powerful writer. I cried, I laughed, I smiled.
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Summary: A miserable Irish Catholic childhood
Review: This is a story of how Francis McCourt lived and survived through the bleakness of his childhood, with a drunkard for a father. Although the beginning of the book is very depressing, with the death of Frank's baby sister, followed by the deaths of his younger twin brothers, many parts of the books still have numerous funny recounts. I found myself smiling and even laughing throughout the book! The memoir is written from the view of Frank McCourt as a child. It is a wonder that the kid has not gone into depression in such a harsh environment. He even had dreams of going to America and earning big bucks, which many had tried to convince him to forget. Despite this, Frank is still one determined person to succeed. The only thing that I dislike about the book is the lack of proper punctuation and sometimes spelling. In whole, the book is still readable and understandable. As this a such a superb book, this lacking can be easily overlooked once the reader is into the book. A book for all! (Except those who could not bear bleakness and discrimmation of any sort)
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Summary: Triumph Over Great Tragedy
Review: Angela's Ashes is definitely a story of a young boy who overcame many obstacles and misfortunes to fulfill his plan of making it to America. Young Frank McCourt tells his story of his Irish catholic Childhood from his early years to age nineteen. The book focuses on many issues in McCourt's life. For instance, he makes many references about the church, his inhumane poverty, Irish stereotypes, and Irish folklore. Each piece not only represents Ireland, but also effects the decisions in McCourt's childhood. The story almost immediately begins to seem depressing and sad. But, Frankie's knack for telling stories is definitely highlighted in his book Angela's Ashes. Frank McCourt gives great detail to his story which makes for some pretty sad times. His life is one with discomfort, constant hunger, an absent father and an adulterous mother who sleeps with a man to house her children. But, the story is not a tragedy, for the protagonist, Frankie, achieves his desire in the end. What makes the story a success is McCourt's progression into young adulthood. People and teens alike enjoy it because it seems more of a coming of age and a drama. I personally enjoyed it for this reason. Angela's Ashes is a wonderful, yet sad story. Readers enjoy McCourt's style of first person narration, as well as learning about the Irish traditions. Four Stars for asngela's Ashes and a thumbs up for Mr McCourt.
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