Rating: 
Summary: The Beat Goes On
Review: I find myself surprised at the reviews that concern the different style elements between 'Tis and Angela's Ashes. To me the style is the same for both, just at different ages. I suspect that those who like these books the most are fans of Jack Kerouac's On the Road or J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. To me these book are "real" and never "phony" in a way that Kerouac and Saliger could only dream of. This is in many ways this a typical American story that is told more from the heart than from the plot points. I think this is the best writing of the Beat Generation. Go Mr. McCourt now give us some poetry -- HOWL!
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Summary: a literary wave of realism
Review: Reading this book today in a lobby while waiting for an appointment, I wasn't really surprised that the lady I was there to see had never heard of either it - or it's predesessor. Even though both are national bestsellers, this sort of validates my theory that readers often have no idea what's available in literature. Doesn't hurt either, that this generality validates the whole book series, which is devoted to recommending books that are LetMeShowU.com favorites. The youth of Frank McCourt is brutal and ugly. Growing up in an extremely poor family in Ireland, the basest pleasures we take for granted are denied. The parents always seem to have their tea and cigarettes - because that's the only pleasures they have. If this seems incongruous, considering the circumstances, perhaps it's merely because it's the truth. More poor people smoke than rich, even if they have to do without other things they need more. The conclusion of "Angela's Ashes" finds McCourt in America facing his hopes and dreams of a better life. "Tis" begins here, and unfortunately, Frank is off to an unsettling adventure. After much misery, Frank gets a letter from the US government drafting him into the Army to serve. Here, amid the hell of enforced subjection, Frank comes into a somewhat better life where an education becomes a gleam in the future. This book is written in the same tone and style McCourt brought us previously and again, it works. One of his cohorts taunts him at one point, "maybe you'll write another 'Gone With the Wind." Fellow readers, I think that's just what Frank McCourt has done, on some scale. He shows us a world that was, with much attention to detail. It sure makes me happy to have missed it.
Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, it's nice.
Review: This novel was just what you'd expect of a sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: A very very bad book
Review: It was obvious that this man did not have a clue about what made his first book so wonderful. It is truly sad that he did not stop there. I am truly amazed that this book got any good reviews. I do hope he will stop now.
Rating:
Summary: the brilliant continuation of an extradordinary life
Review: In "'Tis," Mr. McCourt goes into amazing detail in describing his intitial few years in America after emigrating from Ireland at nineteen. He is not afraid to humanize himself in this book as he describes his behavior as he struggles to find a place for himself in this great country,
Rating:
Summary: Was I born with a silver spoon in my mouth?
Review: Impoverished as Mr. McCourt was, he never loses an insight that so few ever actually attain....life is what you make of it and not what you start out with. His seemingly irreparable problems caused by his misfortunes lead him into further consternation only allowing him to sabotage what happiness and success that he earned. Following this? As an Irishman,there is the obligatory binge drinking, Irish song and dance, and acceptance and bias perpetuated solely by the brogue those "just-off-the-boaters" carried. If you can endure Mr. McCourt's lengthy and, at times,somewhat repetitive recollections of drinking the night away and his eye affliction then you can enjoy the heartwarming story that is consequently underlying. The honesty with which McCourt throws at the reader is particularly rare considering where and what his journeys have brought him. Don't pass this up if you are a fan of great autobiographical works and, even if you aren't, read it for the fact that it could easily be fiction if it wasn't true.
Rating: 
Summary: Angela's Ashes It's Not
Review: In 'Tis, Frank McCourt continues the story of his life begun in Angela's Ashes. In this book, McCourt recounts the story of his early adulthood. Although interesting, 'Tis falls well below the high standard McCourt set in Angela's Ashes. The book does have its good points. It gives a vivid and likely very accurate portrayal of post-war immigrant life in New York and provides interesting insights into the life of a new teacher in the New York public school system at a time in which the school system was going through great changes. Unfortuately, the main problem with the book is that McCourt employs exactly the same style of writing as he does in his first book. He writes as an optimistic innocent viewing a harsh world through naive but endearing eyes. Unfortunately, this style which was so charming and seemingly true-to-life when McCourt was recounting his experiences as a young boy and teenager rings hollow when McCourt is a 30-something college graduate teaching high school. Either McCourt's life experiences had no effect on him (unlikely, given the riches of those experiences) or McCourt did not take the time in writing 'Tis to delve into his life experiences to produce a more accurate account of his adult life. It would have been more risky for McCourt to change his writing from the award-winning style McCourt employed in Angela's Ashes, but it would have made for a much better book. If McCourt chooses to write another sequel, I hope he first takes some time for introspection and realizes that, since he is not the same person he was as a young child, he should find a new voice to narrate his later life experiences.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I hoped...
Review: While I found this book to be as well written as Angela's Ashes, it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted to know more about Frank McCourt's family. He only offered glimpses into his relationship with them as an adult, which I found disappointing. And I did not have a good understanding of his life with his wife and child, either. I enjoyed the stories related about Frank as a young man. All in all, I am glad that I read this, but I was left wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Tis a jolly good book!
Review: "Tis" is the memoir of Frank McCourt, a struggling young immigrant from Ireland, who comes to New York to be in the city of his dreams. He isn't quite sure of himself or of what he wants to do in America, and he stumbles drunkenly through his life until he decides that he wants to become a teacher. The book details Mr. McCourt's personal struggle with alcohol, money,job woes, his family, and trying to fit into a WASP world. The book takes place between 1949 and the mid-1980's, so it spans quite a large amount of time. I really enjoyed reading this book because of the larger than life personality of Frank McCourt. His character comes through loud and clear, fairly leaping off every page! He's not a person that I can really relate to; neither is he a person that I would like to have as a friend. In fact, there were times when I even thought the guy sounded like a bit of a jerk (for example: the way he describes his relationship with his mother and the way he describes her after her death, as well as the way he LAUGHS at his father's funeral!) However, he was always an interesting character and it was quite unique to read the words coming out of his mouth. My favorite parts in the story include the accounts of when he was in the army and of his very early days in New York City. Two parts that I think he could have developed a little better and could have gone into more detail about were his marriage and his relationship with his daughter. Also, one thing puzzled me about this man - - why did he become a teacher when he seemed to truly hate his students and teaching in general? That was somewhat of a mystery to me. It seems he could have done something else with his life that would have been more meaningful to him and made him happier. Oh, well. C'est la vie! I did enjoy the book and would whole heartedly recommend it to others, along with its sequel, "Angela's Ashes."
Rating:
Summary: 'Tis a delight!
Review: Anyone who enjoyed Angela's Ashes will not want to miss this follow-up book. In it, McCourt proves once again that he is a great storyteller. In the hands of a less adept writer, the subject matter of these books would be nothing more than dismal. With Frank McCourt's pen, they become engaging and even delightful stories. In this book, the reader will suffer the successes and failures of McCourt as he moves to New York, goes to college, and becomes an English teacher. I can only hope that my children will some day have as talented a person for their teacher. I had only one nagging question after reading 'Tis, Did Frank ever find a cure for his red eyes?
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