Rating: 
Summary: I love Frank McCourt
Review: Frank McCourt's first years in America are described wonderfully in 'Tis. I disagree with many people who found Frank to be whiny and unappreciative. I was impressed with his honesty, especially about his drinking, and I thought it was an interesting comment on how fast an immigrant who grew up in poverty adapts to the American culture of material possession and physical beauty. Of course it cannot compare to Angela's Ashes; if you don't expect it to, it may not disappoint you as bitterly.
Rating:
Summary: A mere shadow of "Angela's Ashes"
Review: I read 'tis to find out what happened to Frank in America, and for that reason I'm glad I did take time to read it. But I found myself not wanting to pick it up to continue. It seemed boring, slow and uninteresting.
Rating: 
Summary: "Tis" certainly didn't disappoint....
Review: I really have a hard time finding time to read these days...and therefore suppliment my thirst with audio books. I bought Angela's Ashes wondering if I'd like it. I hoped it would compare with a favorite biography by Russell Baker I read a number of years ago. Well...it was different...but easily as good. Russell Baker was growing up in the 30's in America...You're very quicky reminded of what real poverty is when you discover Frank McCourt's tragic story. I was very impressed with Frank McCourt's fabulous way of telling a story.....gritty realism mixed with heart and humor. When the book ended, I remembered seeing a sequel on the shelf called "Tis". The next morning I stopped at the book store before coming into work so I could buy the audio book. I couldn't wait to continue with the story. "Tis" certainly didn't disappoint! It picked right up where Angela's Ashes left off. That wonderful master of story telling was telling about his experiences in New York....meeting his wife...becoming a teacher....and all of this was mixed with determination, humor, and realism. If you loved Angela's Ashes....there is another winner out there for you to love too...'Tis!
Rating: 
Summary: Whining, my arse! 'Tis...Grande!
Review: I devoured both this book and Angelas Ashes and can not believe that anyone found 'Tis whiny. Perhaps those that did were not raised Catholic? What some, no doubt, percieved as whining I chalked up to the perpetual feeling of shame, guilt, and self-consciousness that comes from a strict Catholic upbringing. (Nothing you do is ever good enough and when good things do happen it is often difficult to feel worthy of them). Of course Angela's Ashes was charming...it was the story of childhood and (natually) full of hope. When that hope is carried to America, both reader and author expected life to get better and better. Just because "happily ever after" was not nearly as forthcoming and tangible as we would have hoped, don't shoot the messenger. Frank found, as life went on, that "happily ever after" is reserved for fairy tales and he led us through his painful discovery of that fact in both his career and home life. I found the book honest, forthcoming, and remarkably insightful.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing sequel
Review: Frank McCourt seems to have lost his voice in this sequel. Where Angela's Ashes spoke compellingly of a time, a place and a life, 'Tis whines. The author has indulged himself in a pity party and invites us to buy his book and listen to him moan. I am glad I borrowed this book from the library.
Rating:
Summary: 'Twasn't
Review: Like many other readers, I thoroughly enjoyed Angela's Ashes. What I liked most about that book was the note of irrepressible optimism on which it ended - the sense that, despite a childhood of unbelievable deprivation, the author would nevertheless prevail. I embarked upon my reading of 'Tis anxious to learn whether that promise would be fulfilled. For the first several chapters, it appeared that McCourt would indeed make good on that promise. As his prospects in life improved during the first portion of 'Tis, I found myself cheering for the author's successes. However, I was puzzled that the author did not seem to join in my rejoicing. Rather, the better his situation became, the more bitter and ungrateful McCourt appeared to grow. By the time he attained the two things that would have seemed nigh unto impossible given his upbringing - an academic career and a beautiful, educated wife - McCourt had disintegrated into a petulant, selfish drunk. Much of the remainder of the book recounts McCourt's forays into seedy bars, where he bemoans the fact that his monogamous relationship requires that he never truly experience the 'bohemian' lifestyle. In short, he turns out to be incredibly ungrateful for his good fortune. What makes this truly disappointing isn't that McCourt turns out to have faults - surely anyone who experienced the type of deprivation and neglect that McCourt did is entitled to be flawed. Rather, the drawback is that McCourt's flaws are neither interesting nor understandable. In light of the fact that he escaped from the slums of Limerick against overwhelming odds, it is virtually impossible to forgive him the vice of ingratitude. Worse, his sins are bland and unremarkable - he spends too much time in bars when he should be with his wife and family, he is derisive of his students, he doesn't pay his bills on time. In short, he has ceased to be a hero, but lacks sufficient color and malice to make him an interesting villain. Although some have praised his honesty in revealing these unflattering facts of his life, the mere fact that something is painful and embarrasing to reveal does not necessarily mean that it deserves to be shared. Where McCourt's triumph over adversity is a unique and inspiring tale worthy of being published (as it was in Angela's Ashes, and in the first part of 'Tis), his peccadilloes are pallid and uninteresting, and detract from the positive message he has to relay. Frankly, the last third of the book is nothing short of boring. Also, there is a sense of disorganization and rush about the latter part of the book, as if the author were in a hurry to fill up the pages, and had really run out of things he wanted to say in the first place. It really seemed as if he were writing to fulfill some kind of book contract obligation, rather than because he was burning to tell his tale.Some people have argued that 'Tis is only a disappointment if you expect it to be a continuation of Angela's Ashes. They maintain that 'Tis is a very different book than Angela's Ashes, but has merit in its own right. I would have to disagree. 'Tis is, on the whole, a grossly disappointing book, whether or not you choose to view it as a sequel to Angela's Ashes. Unless you are dying to find out what happened to the protagonist of Angela's Ashes, this book isn't worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best it could have been
Review: I read 'Tis before Angela's Ashes, and I don't know if that made a difference or not. All I know is that 'Tis seems to go on and on forever. A little advice- read up until the part where he meets a girl named Alberta (nicknamed Bob). Then skip to the last three or four chapters of the book. The middle is awful, and drags on forever. I felt like screaming, "Dammit, take charge of those kids!" I am shy myself, but would have never just sat around while a bunch of born-to-be-losers ruined their lives. Also, just wondering, why doesn't Mr. McCourt use quotes. He's teaching English class, and yet he refrains from using one of the easiest to learn grammerical marks. Also, what is that dreaded eye disease, and does he ever go to a dentist? All in all, don't buy the book, borrow it. ~Nishana
Rating:
Summary: Tis misery as loves company, Frank, not bitterness
Review: I so wanted to adore "Tis". I devoured "Angela's Ashes", and was happy to get my hands on the follow-up. But I couldn't read through more than a few pages at a time. The childlike acceptance and Irish loopiness of "Ashes" was completely missing here, replaced by the same bleak interchanges with the same types of ugly-hearted people. McCourt deserves every ounce of his success, because he is a very fine and vivid writer. I only wish his first years here had given him some warmer tales to tell.
Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues
Review: I am very sorry that I read Time Magazine's review of "TIS" - "The worst book written in 1999 - whine, whine, whine" prior to reading it myself. That said, I couldn't wait for the sequel after reading Angela's Ashes and seeing the movie. I found the book laborious at times with lengthy descriptions of events I felt were extraneous to the story. I wanted to shake Frank McCourt many times and didn't feel sorry for him not having the money to take the Ferry because he was dropping his pay in the bar every night. I hoped through every chapter that I would find he was getting help for his own alcoholism, which is neither evident nor resolved at the end of the tome. Despite all of this, I respect Frank McCourt's witty style, unabashed honesty in describing the bane of the Irish - something many other ethnic groups would seek to hide. After reading both books and seeing the movie, I feel that Frank McCourt should have recounted this heart rendering story in one volume, the wonderful Angela's Ashes.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I was warned that this book was just one long whine, but did not find it to be so. I enjoyed it almost as much as Angela's Ashes, while acknowledging that it was a very different book. As other reviewers have pointed out - it is naive to think that a man who grew up as McCourt did would be undamaged by the experience. What did they expect? Pollyanna?
|
