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Summary: Angela's Ashes is a true gem.
Review: I almost didn't purchase Angela's Ashes, afraid it might just sadden me to read it. However, I had the good sense to buy the book and now everyone on my Christmas list will get a copy. This book manages to tear your heart apart in one scene because of the injustice and unfairness of it all and then on another page, it lifts you up again in ways words can't decribe. It inspired me, even changed me. As I sat in the warmth of a big comfortable chair, sipping hot chocolate, I read about this child who literally had no warmth, no comfort, no hot drinks and it made me really, truly appreciate the small things in life. In this age of grand scale commercialism and celebrity hype, Angela's Ashes is a refreshing reminder of what truly counts. And I had a revelation, that these things like warmth and light are not such small things after all.
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Summary: 'Tis a grand book!
Review: An adult who is able to not only remember childhood, but verbalize it through his eyes as a child is Frank McCourt's gift. While reading this book it brought such vivid memories of all those explanations adults gave me when I was a child that truly never made sense until I was close to adulthood. He pulled me into his life as his shadow and only when he finally came to terms with his life experiences on his sixteenth birthday did I cry with him. If Mr. McCourt wrote another book, it could never be the same as the child who wrote this one.
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Summary: An excellent book!!! Funny, sad, poignant, and TOO real!
Review: What a lovely book and warm testament to Frank McCourt's family; especially his Mom. It must have taken Mr. McCourt great courage to be able to write such a personal and devastating true-life story. I congratulate him and commend him. Writing this book must have been very therapeutic for him and a great emotional relief.
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Summary: Get the Tapes, Too!
Review: I love to read but lately I have been struggling to find the time to do so. I decided to try some audio tapes so I could make better use of my time on the road. "Angela's Ashes" was one of the first audio books that I bought. I grew up in an Irish, Catholic home and thought the story sounded interesting. I was not disappointed. For those of you who have read the book, I HIGHLY recommend the audio tapes. Frank McCourt himself reads to you and it is indeed a treat. The sounds of his voice and his accent bring the story to life. Tis a fine listen! WHAT IS IT, BOYS? Tis a fine Listen, Sir! I think I'll buy the book, too!
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Summary: I knew him so maybe I read it differently.
Review: I was lucky enough to have had Frank McCourt as a creative writing instructor in high school for two semesters. During that time, I fell in love with the quiet, charismatic man, as did all his students. When I read the story, I always knew that a warm, wonderful, giving, thoughtful man came from that boy, so the story was bearable even at its worst horrors. I am lucky to have been able to savor the entire book by hearing his voice in my head.
It is so wonderful that a man that came from such hardship is finally getting substantial monetary rewards after simply publishing his first novel!
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Summary: This book was fantastic!
Review: A must read for anyone who feels their own life is tough. This book puts life in perspective and has the ability to thank everyday for what you have. Very compelling. A fantastic read.
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Summary: What a triumph for McCourt!
Review: I put off reading this book - - even though all the reviews were positive - - because of the subject matter. My practically perfect spouse gave it to me for Christmas, and as I opened the package and turned to the first page, I was stunned by Frank McCourt's haunting prose and wonderful turn of a phrase. I curled up on the couch at my mother-in-law's and didn't move until I had finished the book. And this was on Christmas Day! McCourt won the heart of a lot of readers and I'm glad he won the Pultizer. There has been nothing in recent memory that moved me like his poignant story of growing up without. It's a wonder that he survived with his life, let alone his intelligence, wit and insight. Congratulations!
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Summary: Hits you in the heart and soul
Review: Having just finished "Angela's Ashes" and all of the reviews on Amazon...I had to add my notes. No one has mentioned the superior writing style and the unusual techniques of dialogue that were so well put to use in the writing of the book. I pushed the book back several times in awe of the unique style . I believe that everyone has a story in them...but only the blessed few can tell theirs. McCourt not only had the story to tell but the expertize to tell it well. Didn't anyone else notice the fantastic new dialogue method??? To say that this book provoked memories of my childhood...pulled
pathos and pain to my heart and yet showered no blame...would be putting it mildly. I am extremely well read. I have favorites. But this story creates more stories...this story creates more questions...this story creates challenges..
so, to Mr McCourt...if he were to ever read this,
thank you!! For the brilliant way you wrote and
shared your story... I sing the song to you!
Sandra
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Summary: It was like stepping through my own front door.
Review: As a Limerick woman in Japan I don't usually come across reminders of my native country, until I happened upon Angela's Ashes. I was like stepping through my own front door. The language, the Catholicism that terrorises, the streets and lanes are all accounted for and present. For all his years in America Frank Mac Court can not rid himself of the city whose language, tastes, smells and rain soaked him to the bone. It reminds us that it is only a stone's throw to where we came from. The poverty that characterised The Depression is still within living memory in our so called developed world. When you can share the laughter, the joy, the tears and the pain with warmth, wit and good humour, when you can make a reader ache for that book just as he ached for food, when you can make people laugh and identify with some of the most excruciating parts of your life, then you've written a true memoir. God knows how many souls he'll send to purgatory for reading and laughing over his sins, but sure, it's worth it.
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Summary: I had a love-hate relationship with the book!
Review: McCourt's childhood was filled with poverty, neglect, and heartbreak. How much of this was caused by ignorant parents who were unable to deal with raising their children, but did not cease to continue producing them. No matter what time period it is- religion and ignorance should never be an excuse for child abuse and neglect
Bravo to McCourt-he is a more forgiving soul than I. His choppy writing style was soon forgotten, after a few chapters.
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