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Summary: Angela's Ashes
Review: Angela's Ashes, Frank's McCourt's New York Times Best Selling Memoir, centers on the cold, hard life of a poor Irish Catholic family. Frank McCourt, the oldest child, tells the story of his family in Ireland and their unfortunate poverty and depression. The father is a mean, cold-hearted man who constantly spends his and his children's money on liquor for himself. The mother, Angela, is without a doubt the backbone of the family; she makes sure they eat and worries about the rent and the well-being of her children. Throughout the story Angela teaches her children the importance of pride and dignity. The ill-starred family is continually struck with the death of very young family members. Even though several children die from starvation and cold before the age of five, McCourt manages to portray these tragedies and shows the family's ability to move on with life. Although the memoir, in general, is an incredibly sad one, the humor of McCourt's style makes the book bearable. Because McCourt's writing style is so descriptive, the reader is able to feel the families sorrow and unhappiness, and we see the world in which they live. Unfortunately, Angela's Ashes did not shine through in the recent holiday film released by Paramount. The film showed the importance of McCourt's humor by not incorporating it into the adaptation. Without this humor, the film was dark, sad, ugly and unbearable. The book on the other hand, may be sad, but is at the same time uplifting.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing!
Review: An unexciting story about a boy who grows up in a depressing and disgusting situation. I could do without ever knowing that people in the world live in houses where excrement and vomit are left to fester on stairwells INSIDE the home!
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Summary: Amazing...
Review: This book was horribly sad, and yet I couldn't put the book down! I kept thinking I wouldn't finish it because it was so depressing, but McCourt captured me from page one. It took me a while to see past sad stories and realize the triumph of Frank McCourt.
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Summary: Audio Version A Real Charm
Review: I've been listening to the unabridged audio version of Frank McCourt's tale and can't wait to get into the car -- I'm finding all sorts of excuses to go do an errand. I'm almost at the end now and while it's a terribly sad story -- it's a real triumph of the human spirit. How people of that time and situation carried on as they did with so little to brighten their lives was very moving. It's an incredibly well done story. The fact that Frank himself is actually narrating it, adding in the singing of all the songs (I find myself thinking about Roddy McCauley et al, long after I've turned the tape off) with the wonderful lyrical tone to his voice makes it all the more real. I highly recommend this as a great listen. Not sure I could have endured reading it for all it's tragedy, but it comes alive with the listen!
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Summary: Frustration Brings Motivation
Review: I know that this will soon come out in theatres, but in case you haven't read it, read it now! I love the way Frank McCourt writes! I floated through the Irish cadence. It was as if I was in Ireland listening to him telling his stories. Believe it or not, I enjoyed the run-on sentences! I am going to soon order 'Tis which is already out and on sale on Amazon.com. People in America do not know what being poor really means. Through ¾ of this book, I don't believe he and his family ate anything besides a little bread and tea. I don't know how any of them survived, although many of his siblings did die from hunger. My own mother, here in America during the 40s, suffered from the same angst that Angela did in having a husband who would get paid on Friday and not return home until all the wages were gone. She had five kids to feed but, fortunately, although she may not have felt fortunate in the beginning, she had a skill and the gumption to try and make it on her own. There are many women today that do not possess the self-confidence in themselves to believe they can make a living without a man or government assistance. I only hope we can help those who are willing to give it a try. Anyway, it does give you a lot to think about and be appreciative of . . .
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Summary: Read this for sure...
Review: A gripping tale of a very pathetic childhood. Why do so many people have a problem with his distaste of the Catholic church? What did the Church do for him but slam doors in his face? McCourts writing style can't be beat. I look forward to reading 'Tis.
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Summary: Angala's Ashes
Review: This is one of the best books i have ever read!It makes you greatfull for every little thing you have. Its soul touching and wonderfull!I recomend it to everyone!
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Summary: Worth it...
Review: This is my favorite book.It is amazing how Frank McCourt lived through such an awful childhood and lived to write such a telling book.
Rating:
Summary: AN AMAZING READ!
Review: I loved this book! Yes, this book can be terribly sad and grim at times, but Frank McCourt tells the story and you are living it along with him! I could not put this book down. This was an emotional roller coaster of a book for me. The author just knows how to put pen to paper and let you in on his childhood by putting you there. One minute you are sad because of the terrible events in his life, the next minute you are laughing because of his amazing humor even at the most terrible times that he writes about. I loved his writing style, can't wait to read TIS, and I hope that he continues writing books. I recommend this book for people who don't just want to read about fairy tales and happy endings, but who can appreciate someone telling a life story in a very unique, not always pleasant, but beautifully done way.
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Summary: Can a book be PERFECT? Then this one is!
Review: I was hooked from the first page! I am usually a stickler for grammar and punctuation, but in this book lack of such WORKS! He has written the book in such a way that you can almost hear the characters. What is amazing to me is that a man of his age remembers so clearly, not only the things that happened TO & AROUND him, but the WAY A CHILD THINKS! Some readers seem to think that he has embellished and that it is not possible to remember things from the age of 3 or 4. This may be so for most with ordinary childhoods, but I know from experience that when your circumstances are EXTREME, the feelings are still very real even years later. Thank God most of us do not have to endure such hunger, dispair, and hopelessness! To the readers who couldn't take READING it, imagine LIVING IT! Nothing but tea and bread on most days, and that's if they were lucky! How did they ever make it to adulthood? I think we all need to remember that this is no novel, but a real account. There are many people right now who do live in overwhelming poverty, the likes of which most Americans cannot even comprehend. Too bad there is not always a ray of sunshine to lighten things-but in real life IT JUST AIN'T SO! The subject matter was grim and sad, but there is just a bit of light humor to keep it from being overwhelmingly depressing. However, I did finally break down weeping at the same time Frank does in the book. 'Tis surely a gifted writer who can make the reader feel exactly what he does! I am going to buy 'TIS today! I only hope the movie of ANGELA'S ASHES does not disappoint.
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