Rating: 
Summary: Very engaging
Review: Wow! What a book. Omitting the fact that the lack of quotation marks made the reading slightly more difficult than usual, this novel was one of the best I have ever read. Upon finishing this, I immediately seized 'Tis, the second book of Frank McCourt's life. The two books take you through a detailed recount of the author's life as an Irish-American immigrant, including many of the humorous tidbits experienced throughout his life, his views on women, work, teaching, and school. If you buy this book, you must also read 'Tis. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: A Brilant Testemonial to Irish Life
Review: " Jesus, Mary and Holy St.Joseph!" Only in Ireland would you
here this. Angela's Ashes is a wonderful worth while book to read. Its enjoyable because of its accurate potraial of poor Irish life,and its humorous portraial of Irish catholic life. It is also a diffrent tipe coming of age story. " No harm in pigs head missus, plenty of meat and children love it..." said the butcher. Not our type of chrismas dinner, but beggers arn't choosers. Frank and his family had to go through some hard times. With a Father who drank his wages, and a family growing constently. sickness abounds around
the "killer river" Shannon putting strain in the seams of the family. When his father gose to work in England he never sends money and they have to take charity. Frank heroicly triumphs throught these hard ships and eventully helps save the family. This is such an accurate portraial of what Irish life is based apon. " The only thing worse then an Irish childhood is an Irish Catholic childhood" many of us have been through the things Frank went thorough as a Catholic. I garentee that your experiences weren't as funny. You probably didn't get typhoid
on your conformation! You probably didn't have to go to confession for throwin up your first communian breakfest either! Well at least he won't burn in hell like he was told the Protestants were doomed to. His trully unique experiences keep you laughing the whole way through. This is a comming of age tale with a twist. He deels with first love in a very interesting manor. He also learns very early how to cope with death. This is the cold hard truth and no mushy gushy love tale of a young boy and his dog(lassie come home!). He deals with an interesting home life too. He heroicly battels his way threw to have a fun but hard childhood. He gets his first job as a postal worker and brings home more money than his father ever did. This proves to be a very...rewarding experiance. This is a great book and realy gives you a taste of Irish life. While a young man triumphs over hardships. At times this book is depressing but the good wins out over bad in the end. I recomend reading this with an Irish accent!
Rating:
Summary: A Miracle in Limerick
Review: It's a miracle that any member of the McCourt family survived their poverty and the rampant diseases of the time. I have been an avid book reader my whole life, and I would include Angela's Ashes in my list of top twenty. I listened to this book on tape, and hearing the author tell his own story was an indescribably moving experience. There is nothing like listening to Frank McCourt imitate the voices of his teachers, relatives and priests. It was impossible to stem the tears when McCourt described the ever-present hunger stalking the family, the useless father, the no-heart grandmother and aunt, the deaths of his sister and brothers. And I laughed out loud as grown-up McCourt inhabited his younger self to report on the always-puzzling behavior of the adults in his life. Even if you have already read the book, I urge you to obtain it on tape.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmmmm
Review: Another one of those books which has found its way onto film. As ever the book wins hands down - neither can be honestly described as enjoyable. These are the author's memoirs of a poor upbringing in America and then Limerick, Ireland. They have very little. Father drinks what little they have. It is always raining. The downstairs of their 'house' is permanently flooded. Siblings are born and die. Despite the obviously depressing theme the book does have moments of real humour. The account of his first communion, where the 'Lord Jesus' becomes stuck to his dried tongue and is later vomited over his gran's back-yard, is very funny. It also gives a powerful insight into the fears and superstitions of this community. I cannot comment on the book's historical accuracy although it is McCourt's memoir - not a history book. I would have given five stars but it made me a bit miserable - hardly a justifiable critcism.
Rating:
Summary: How the to survive being Irish and Catholic and poor!
Review: This is a magnificent first-hand account of being Irish, Catholic and poor! With his wit and charm, McCourt brings life to a very gloom atmosphere of Limerick, where boys are forced to "interfere" with themselves when there's no oppotunity for a real "excitement", but --thanks to confessions and St Francis of Asissi!-- they can be absolved in order not to go straight to hell; where fish and chips can also be "licked" up off newspapers; where a goat's head can make Christmas --indeed!-- a merry occasion.
Growing up in a Catholic environment myself, I can empathize with McCourt: making up "sins" for Saturday confessions, burdened by guilt after "interfering" with myself, tormented by fear of dropping the Lord's "body" to the floor while receiving Communion. But unlike McCourt, I was lucky to be accepted as an altar boy -- a oportunity to taste the Lord's "blood" in sachristy!
"Angela's Ashes" gives an insight of how (not?) to be a Catholic, and a poor one at that!
Rating:
Summary: Irish myths writ small and personal
Review: First, I liked this book a lot. Now that I've got that over with, let me tell you that the laughter to tear ratio for this book is about 1 to 4. Remember Grapes Of Wrath from High School? This is much sadder in parts. I always have at least one book with me when I travel and this one was the right size as well as being about the Irish. (I am of Irish descent, so that alone is enough to interest me.) I usually avoid the most popular books - I guess I'm not a joiner. But when I saw this in paperback, I figured it was time. This book goes a long way to enforce the misconception that every Irish mail is a potentially unemployed alcoholic. And that they have such large families to make up for the fact that so many children die. Sometimes it seemed they had children dropping like flies. I was in a plane at 30,000 feet at abbout 11 PM reading about another child having died, with tears rolling down my face. If you are looking for a good emotional catharsis, this might work for you. It is certainly cheaper than an hour with a psychiatrist.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is defianlty one of my favorite books of all time. Its an eye-opener.
Rating:
Summary: What Really Lies Behind the Ashes of Angela
Review: What stains and is a lifeless form? An ash. In Angela's Ashes, there were many ashes scattered in the form of tragedies. Life as it was in the Irish Catholic community of Limerick was extremly harsh in the 1930's. It was particularly cruel to the impoverished as it was for the McCourts.
This unforgettable story was written though the eyes of Frank McCourt, the oldest son of the family who depicted the squalid conditions he and his family had to endure. He describes his family that journeys through misfortune and overcomes incredible odds. The ashes that are left behind include losing two twin brothers and a baby sister to typhoid fever. The permanency of the dark ash comes out very clearly as the young Frankie attempts in becoming a man at the tender age of ten when he comes to the realization that his dad is a hopeless drunkard incapable of supporting the family. More ashes cover Frank McCourt's essence as he watches his mother Angela, beg on the streets, turn to antagonizing relatives and surrender her body to an abusive man in order to ensure the survival of her children.
No better example of resiliency of the human heart is conveyed than in this true story of Angela's Ashes. A story that takes you through the anguish pains of motherhood, the humiliation of being without basic needs, the mysteries behind the religious rituals, but most important of all is attaining the dream of a young writer.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I was really skeptical about reading this book. I'm 15 and I am proud to admit that i have fallen into the whole Harry Potter craze. i have never really liked "biography" type books (like "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings") and so naturally i didn't think i would like this. but my mom read it and told me i should (after raving about how GREAT it was). so i decided to try it. one of the best parts about the book is that it catches you right at the begining. i couldn't put it down. i was really happy about it and think everyone should read it Other Recomendations: Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling; His Dark Materials, Phillip Pullman; The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper; and all other books that help you learn something!
Rating:
Summary: Truly Remarkable Read
Review: It would truly be a shame for anyone that has come across this personal memoir to not read it for it will most definitly touch and perhaps change your life forever if you do. Frank McCourt has ironically richly rewarded my life by the telling of his life growing up in Ireland that was everything but rich and certainly not rewarding. However, the unbelievable suffering and emotionally excruciating pain he went through never stopped him from making himself a better man. He chose the high road in life and filled his mind with knowledge and wonder, always desiring to learn more. He has taught a powerful lesson in this book, and that is no matter where you come from, no matter what circumstances shaped your life early on, you can still achieve your dreams and heart's desires...you just simply must never give up.
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