Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as Angela's Ashes, but stilla great book!
Review: "'Tis" is a compelling memoir of an immigrant's life in midcentury America. Frank McCourt's storytelling technique kept me from putting this book down! I did feel that he sketched over a lot of his life in this book. He does not go into detail nearly as much later in the book as he did in its earlier chapters. Characters just vanish (or appear) out of left field. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed "'Tis".
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: I read the book in 1 day. No, not because it was such a gread read that I couldn't put it down. I kept reading it because I was thinking it just has to get better. But that never happened. It's just a dull book.
Rating:
Summary: Enough already . . .
Review: You genuinely feel sorry for Frank McCourt in 'Angela's Ashes' because much of what happens to him is beyond his control. With 'Tis, by the time I got to the end of the book I was so sick and tired of his complaining I didn't care what happened to him. I think this is a story that didn't need to be told.
Rating:
Summary: Can you ever leave where you came from?
Review: After reading "'Tis", I've come to the conclusion that "Angela's Ashes" was so wonderful because, psychologically, Frank McCourt never left the Limerick slums. He told the story of his childhood with a stunning urgency and directness, as if the events he described had happened yesterday and not enough time had passed for analysis and interpretation. In "'Tis" we learn that perhaps Frank never achieved the distance of maturity and contentment that would have allowed analysis or interpretation. He can't tell us what his wounds signify because they're still so fresh. And for a man who left Limerick over fifty years ago, that's rather sad.I wonder how Frank McCourt feels knowing that the childhood that shamed him was, in the end, his key to the literary fame and fortune he so keenly envied throughout his adult life. The final irony of "'Tis" is this: The only way Frank McCourt could overcome his childhood was to reveal it. It's a pity the book ends before McCourt realizes that he can, after all, achieve the American dream. Turn your soul inside out and watch the checks roll in.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the New Yorkers claim
Review: Writing with the naive wide-eyed vision of a child was brilliant -- but writing throught the eyes of the adult that follows is so much more difficult. Ignore the pans and sour statements of the cynical New York crowd. Read this book and acknowledge at the beginning that the naivite will not included as much in this book and that adult McCort is like the Irish father or uncle -- a literate man who may drink a few more than he can handle when the occasion arises, and it too often arises. McCort never claimed to be a funny clown of an adult. His horrific childhood could easily have led him to the dismal life of a homeless man. it didn't. We instead read his books and those who read them for their narrative mastery, and do not look for every mistake which any writier can fall suspect to, will enjoy this book as well. It may not be another Pulitzer, but it sure is better than most if the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Your bladder will be in your eyes
Review: The one thing that kept entering my mind while reading is that this is a memoir not a biography so he can exagerate to his hearts content. This book is hysterical and for all the offended Irish out there, he gives it to New York in this one not just Limerick. I truly believe his experience was almost as crazy as he makes it out to be. Through personal experience, the Irish settle down eventually but not without alot of carousing. I am happy for him, he deserves this accolade, he is very smart and that saved him. I wish he did not have such a dislike for the church. There was hardly a paragraph that did not mention Christ, the Blessed Mother or some priest, I hope he got over his problem with all that because it is apparent that it weighed heavily on his mind. This book must be read if you read Angelas's Ashes. You must find out what happened and how he got to where he is now, but only through his interpretation. I felt settled for him when finishing the book. Rest in Peace Angela.
Rating: 
Summary: IT'S NO ANGELA'S ASHES, BUT A GOOD READ ANYWAY
Review: This was the most eagerly awaited book of my reading career. I waited, and waited and ran to the bookstore on the day it went on sale. I enjoyed the book, however I was somewhat bored by the long narrative descriptions of the same thing over and over again. Some of the topics were repetitive and too descriptive. The hardships of the Irish people -- enough already. We all know they like the drink and are like big parties too. Everyone has their own troubles. I would recommend this book, however don't expect another "Angela's Ashes". I can't see another Pulitzer Prize for McCourt.
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific read, moving and entertaining.
Review: I loved Angela's Ashes and Tis is no disappointment. McCourt tells his story extremely well. This is the perfect book to relax and read. He grants a reader a unique perspective on life and America.
Rating:
Summary: 'Tis a Letdown after Angela's Ashes
Review: I felt like McCourt was trying to fill the pages, after his success with Angela's Ashes, he knew he had to try to make it as good; but, he didn;t come close. It was too obvious that he was trying to make a story out of nothing, and he kept repeating himself. Most disappointing of all, was after all the repetition, he finished the book in 1985 - I'm sure to ensure that he can write another book. "Angela's Ashes" was very good, I think because he didn't know how famous it would make him. But now, his experiences sound like anyone else's; and I don't think I would like him teaching my child.
Rating:
Summary: An enrapturing well told story that is a mirror to ourselves
Review: Thank goodness I had only just read Angela's Ashes a week before 'Tis came out. I did not have to wait long to continue Mccourt's wonderful storytelling, and I did not have to build up years of expectations for a book whose voice and tone I might have forgotten. I am truly not disappointed! This is a classic tale of the great American myth of pursuing the "American dream." His comical and at times heartbreaking story tells us as much about American culture and the image we spread (and have spread)through Hollywood and the media. McCourt is honest and self deprecating about what he experiences--this is a man looking back on his naivete and mistakes, sparing himself least of all.Those who believe his tone is solely one of anger seem to personalize McCourt's observations and miss the point. Angela's Ashes began with anger, but 'Tis continues with the uneasy pursuit of a lifelong dream of a better life in another country.
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