Rating: 
Summary: I was hoping for a phoenix, but none arose.
Review: The book is well constructed and crafted. However, I bought for the Irish hopefulness of an O'Hara or Flannigan, but none came. Hardly worth a tinkers dam, in my way of thinking. Why glorify the mum and da who never rose from the ashes? I can see that all on the telly!
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointed...
Review: "Have you read that book by Frank McCourt? It's sooo good, you positively haaaaaave to read it!" This statement would then be followed by close to ten minutes of ravings about Irish accents, something about a pig's head, overflowing latrines and dirty Limericks. A few weeks ago, I finally got tired of being continually gushed at when I would reply that I haven't read Angela's Ashes. I bought a copy, went home and prepared to have the most profound experience of my life. I was somewhat disappointed. The first several chapters of the book were interesting and I found myself laughing out loud several times. The childlike narration is good in the beginning, but you would expect it to mature somewhat throughout the book as the child/narrator grows up. It doesn't. The latter parts of the book are what gave me trouble, I suppose. The gruesome details of every sort of sickness imaginable and the description of horrible living conditions is pretty compelling stuff, but after awhile it just gets gross. Not to even mention that there are some very personal things about Mr. McCourt that I would have rather not known. It would be unfair of me to say that I didn't like the book at all, because I felt it had it's moments. But to me those few moments don't make up for the number of times I have been accosted with "Oooh have you read that book by Frank McCourt?"
Rating: 
Summary: This was a truly cultural experience.
Review: I spend my sparse reading moments on non-fiction. This book is the best I've read. It has taken me to an Ireland I only thought I knew. I giggled and cried in my armchair.... We have felt your humanity, Mr. McCourt. Thank you for surviving to share it with us.
Rating:
Summary: The voice is everything.
Review: You must listen to Frank McCourt read his wonderful, poignant, sad, hilarious memoir of his childhood in Ireland. You will find yourself, like me, sitting in driveways and parking lots, unwilling to turn off the car's cassette player so that a little more of "Frankie, Frankie, ah Jaysus, Frankie" can enter your heart. Thank you, Mr. McCourt for delivering the perspective of a child in words and phrases at once incisive and ingenuous. A treasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Terribly disappointed by the seemingly fictitious characters
Review: Having grown up in a fiercely Irish Catholic family, I could hardly wait to read the gift my husband gave to me for St. Patrick's day. Although amused by some of the antics of the main characters, I could not associate any with the characters my parents spoke so lovingly about in their years in poor Catholic familys in two different counties in Ireland. Unlike Mc Court's account, the characters my parents knew were hard working, even though sometimes hard drinking, and all had much more pride and were much more responsible about their families. I grew more and more suspicious about the so-called true accounts of life in a poor Irish family. I could hardly call this book literature. It seemed more like an attempt by Mc Court to create a best-seller rather than an attempt to truly interpret life in Ireland.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, moving book!
Review: I listened to the unabridged recording of this book on my way to and from work, and could hardly wait to get to the car for more! This book is without a doubt the best I have read this year, if not one of the best I have ever read. In fact, I bought a copy of the hardcover to add it to my shelf of favorites. Listening to Frank McCourt himself read his own words was a wonderful way to experience this book. The lilting accent, the voices he used for his father, mother, brothers, teachers, and priests, and his singing undoubtedly added to my enjoyment of his book. Powerful and uplifting, it made me laugh and cry. I can only hope for a sequel; I want to know more.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book that has me crying and laughing out loud.
Review: I listened to the tape of this book on a trip home in the car this summer. I knew I had to read the book. As I read, I can still hear Mr. McCourt's beautiful Irish brogue. I hate to put it down, but I don't want to read it too fast because I don't want it to end. I am telling all my friends about it and encouraging them to read it. As a Catholic educated in the 40s & 50s, I can appreciate so much of what the author has to say about a Catholic education. I love this book!!
Rating:
Summary: Why this will not be required reading for my students.
Review: I had planned to make Angela's Ashes required reading for my Irish American history course at NVCC Alexandria next spring, but many readers were bothered by the book, so it will be optional. I loved the book but can easily understand why some readers hated it. (In my family my mother was the alcoholic.) So I thank all those who were honest enough to say why they didn't like it. By the way, I still laugh out loud when recalling young Fanks' first confession and communion.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully narated by the author
Review: After reading the hard cover edition I listened to the unabriged tape version and it was wonderful. Frank McCourt is an award winning writer and an extraordinary story teller in the best of the oral tradition. His characterizations, dialects, and songs bring the book to life. It is one of the most fulfilling literary experiences I have ever had.
Rating:
Summary: A book to remember
Review: As someone who grew up in Ireland in the 70's and 80's, the picture that Frank McCourt paints of social hardship is thankfully unfamiliar. This is testament to the advances Ireland has made over the last 30 years. But we should never forget or deny how things were. Frank McCourt has a magical way of capturing the pure wit and innocence of a child and then contrasting it with the realities of everyday life for so many during the 30's and 40's. Rather than condemn the author, as has happened, for telling the truth, we should be grateful that someone re-created the era and be thankful for what we have achieved.
Mr. McCourt, I look forward to hearing more about your life adventures in 'Tis.
Mise le meas.
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