Rating: Summary: Great style, rhymic read. Memorable characters. Review: This is a wonderful Irish book. Irish, meaning, relying on a rhythmic, lilting recounting which belies the tragic substrate of the plot, the eternal Irish irony. One line, describing a visit from the doctor during his confinement with typhoid fever is worth the price of the hardcover
" He tilts over on the chair and farts and smiles to himself and I know now I'm going to get better because a doctor would never fart in the presence of a dying boy."
Rating: Summary: Amazing Review: Is Angela's Ashes truly deserving of all the accolades it has received? 'Tis
Rating: Summary: Most captivating book I have read in quite some time Review: I was so caught up in Frank's life. As I read, I began to block out everything and everyone around me. I found it impossible to think of anything else in my life until I had finished.
I only hope Mr. Mccourt writes a sequel. I would very much like to know what happened to all his family members , as well as his next step in life
Rating: Summary: A wonderful heart warming book Review: I didn't know whether to laugh or cry while reading this book. I couldn't put it down - I just had to know what sorrow or humour was to follow. From the death of siblings to starvation and the confessional box, how so much sorrow and laughter can be intertwined is fascinating. I had to keep reminding myself that it was non-fiction. I strongly recommend this book
Rating: Summary: A testament of courage and faith Review: This was a absolutely wonderful book. The story never ever attempted to make you feel sorry for the family; it is a great story about faith, endurance, and love. It was absolutely wonderful
Rating: Summary: Learn the meaning of endurance Review: It can't be easy to endure a drunken father, a desperate mother, the death of beloved brothers and sisters, ignorance, and poverty. Thank God it can be reflected upon in a beautifully written book that brings up nearly every emotion possible
Rating: Summary: Historical Context Important Element of the Genre Review: I've read dozens of books about growing up in difficult circumstances. Most I've forgotten, a few linger and fewer still stay fresh. Manchild In The Promised Land, read decades ago, floats close to the surface.
The books of this genre that succeed are those that capture the specifics of person and place within a larger historical context. Angela's Ashes, on first reading, appears to have done this fairly well. I know in an important way that the poor Irish Catholic boy of Limerick and the poor Black Protestant boy of Brooklyn had little in common except their misery and their joys.
Is Angela's Ashes an important book? I'll tell you in another few years. Is it a good read? It is
Rating: Summary: The measure is high and wide. Review: When reading Frank McCourt's memoir, I was constantly reminded of a comment by writer Tony Morrison. In her Noble acceptance speech, in Stockholm, she said," We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives." It is a wonder that the author lived past his childhood at all. He did, and in writing about it, gave great measure indeed to his life
Rating: Summary: The best book I ever read! Review: I'am not much of a reader but I do listen to audio tapes. I saw the interview with Frank McCourt on the Rosie O'Donnel Show and she gave rave reviews of the book so went out and bought the audio. I loved it from side 1 to side 8. Even listened to it twice! Frank McCourt is a wonderful writer and I would love to see a sequal in the future. I would like to know why he desided on the name of Angela's Ashes. Whatever become of his mother? His father? His brothers? I need to know!!!
Rating: Summary: Brilliant! Review: I picked this book up after hearing Terry Gross interview Frank McCourt on "Fresh Air". I thought his story sounded interesting, but when I actually started to read his story, I was incredibly moved by its depth. I never expected to be so taken in! It is heartbraking and heartwarming at the same time, and the humor makes the pain you will experience reading it bearable. It is truly incredible that Mr. McCourt survived his childhood, and what's more, evolved into a brilliant writer
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