Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant - as a teacher and writer
Review: The same voice with which he wrote Angela's Ashes, but with the wisdom of years lived. A teacher willing to live the learning experience with his students instead of hammering the knowledge into their heads. Bravo! To all who believe this is just another "book about Irish Americans" read again - this is the story of a life lived well - and with Gusto!
Rating: 
Summary: A better read than most recent top ten books.
Review: "Tis" is a good, well-written book by an author who can transport you into his world with his lyrical prose and open, honest feelings. I have to admit, however, that this sequel left me a little angry with Frank McCourt. "Angela's Ashes" was the incredibly sad story of a little boy facing unbelievable odds who scratches his way through until he has the passage to America to start a new life. The little boy in Angela's Ashes has no control over what is happening to him--but the grown man in "Tis" chooses to not use control. How could this son of an alcoholic drink so much? He whines about his bad eyes and his teeth but never during the whole book does he try to get them fixed. Don't they have clinics for indigents in New York? Couldn't he have spent money on his eyes and teeth instead of booze?And why was he so mean to his mother?
Rating:
Summary: Isn't this memoir altogether a wonderful book? - 'Tis
Review: Once again, Frank McCourt has captured the trials of his life using his very special narrative voice to make us chuckle while we despair right along with him, sometimes all in the same sentence! Humor starts in the very beginning with a very funny tale of having to share a bed with a naked, snoring priest. Perhaps in parts he is a little self-pitying, but a very emotional highlight is when his short story "The Bed" is read aloud by his college professor at NYU. The reflections on his relationships with his parents are remarkably honest, especially his trying to remember the good times with his Dad even though his memories are clouded with the "darkness" of his father's drinking and abandonment. Although this book is not as good as "Angela's Ashes", I felt the same way as I neared the end: I was disappointed that it was ending. It's not so much that I really care so much about what happens to him going forward, it is the lyrical prose of his memory that is so captivating. The ending is quite different from Angela's Ashes, and having gone through that particular episode very recently in my own life, I found some solace in knowing someone else's reflections on the topic. Besides, how can you top the ending to "Angela's Ashes"? Young McCourt realizes his childhood dream of getting back to the US (after poor and miserable childhood conditions in Limerick), gets off the boat and gets laid! Bottom line: If you loved "Angela's Ashes" you will like "'Tis" a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: It's interesting but not as good as Angela's Ashes.
Review: I found it interesting to read about the trials and tribulations of finding his way in New York, but find repetitious Frank McCourts references to his phyisical appearance and his "troubles" in Limerick. On the whole, this book can be fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: 'Tis not as good as Angela's Ashes
Review: 'Tis a shame I bought it in hardcover. But I do recommend "Angela's Ashes" and look forward to McCourt's next work on education.
Rating:
Summary: It is the Irish all right!
Review: 'Tis a grand book about the Irish people. McCourt knows his subjects well and few could fault his getting to the rawness of the people he writes about. Sometimes it is so terribly indulgent that you want to slap the book shut, but you go on because the honesty that comes through on each page intrigues and lures you on. He treats words with greater respect than people, except perhaps Horace, the Jamaican, who gives him the gift of love. 'Tis gives a lot in 367 pages and McCourt's second book is, in a way, a better read than his first. The reader is much more involved.
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Wait ... I Loved This Book!
Review: This is a wonderful book, not a perfect book. It is honest, funny, and at times profoundly moving. After reading about his childhood in "Angela's Ashes," it is quite understandable that McCourt is angry. A childhood such as his could only be expected to produce someone angry and cynical, and it is a wonderful testimony to him that he has been able to give the world so much, as a teacher and as a writer, in spite of the horrors he suffered. Warm and fuzzy McCourt is not; but he is a gifted writer and I very much look forward to his next book. Concerning professional reviews of the book, they have been quite mixed but tend to the extreme, praise and pans. For example, Maureen Howard's review in the Times 9/19/99, and quoted above by Amazon, was a love poem to the book; Kakutani's review on 9/14/99 trashed McCourt.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: Having read Angela's Ashes four times, I anxiously awaited this book. I was hoping that all my questions would be answered. In this regard I am slightly disappointed. I guess I was hoping that Frank would have discussed more about his siblings. I read Malachy's book, and didn't he mention that his first wife had an affair with Michael? I could be mistaken, it's been awhile since I read that book. Also, in television interviews Frank states that his eyes cleared up the day his daughter was born, however there was no mention of that in the book. Also, in a television interview he tells an amusing story about how he and Malachy left Angela's ashes in a Manhattan bar after a night of drinking. I was hoping he'd tell that story as well. And on a more personal note I was disappointed to read that the entire family had broken away from the Catholic Church. Also, I was very interested to find out what ever became of the Abbott and Uncle Pa Keating. Aside from all the above I found this book to be entertaining. Especially the first three quarters of it. If you enjoyed Angela's Ashes I recommend reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial.
Review: Mr. McCourt was my English teacher in high school. This book was a disappointment, although I had eagerly looked forward to reading it (hey, I like the guy). While he was a great teacher and a wonderful storyteller, he did have a way of exaggerating to make his point, and 'Tis is no exception. In fact, oversimplistic generalizations and a self-pitying tone not only left the impression of a very superficial work, but made me wonder about the sweeping condemnations of Church, Ireland and society in "Angela's Ashes". Certainly many generalizations in 'Tis are simplistic and left unexplored. On the topic of the immigrant experience, he offers nothing that's new, or insightful, or even all that interesting. It kills me to say this, but 'Tis is a loser. If you must read it, get it from the library before you decide whether to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Intensly moving you through a whole gambit of emotion.
Review: Every once in a while you come across a writer who delivers all the ranges of human emotion. Frank McCourt does accomplish this feat in the most inspiring way with his story of growing up against all odds. How he handles the big cruel world will open your eyes to the injustice that was dumped on him but that does not keep him down. He speaks volumes with his expression, "I was a nine-year old thirty-three year old"! Who has never felt that way while relating to your own parent? My only regret is that I finished the book too fast and I feel like I lost my friend. Wish there was a part three to look forward to.
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