Rating: 
Summary: Greatest book ever written...
Review: Angelas Ashes is not an easy book to read. It doesn't get bogged down in complicated storytelling or jargon or any such hinderance that would make the reader UNABLE to read it, it's just EMOTIONALLY tough to get through. McCourt, through his fine, emotive storytelling takes the reader on an emotional journey through his formative years growing up in the poor, despair ridden ghettos of depression era Ireland. Told with a warmth and humor that only he can muster in the face of so much tragedy and personal hardship. This is the only book I've ever read where the the tough circumstances of the characters lives, as bitter a pill as they are, are offset by the warmth, faith and humor in the storytellers voice. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up, you may find yourself laughing along with it on more than one occasion, and certaily shedding a tear over it, but you will not be dissapointed! "I do believe, induced by potent circumstances, that thou art mine enemy!"
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: I expected a great read...but was truly disappointed. Perhaps it is just me, but life is hard enough, I read for entertainment and this book was NOT entertaining. It was truly depressing and not inspirationsal. Do we all need to write about the sad times of our childhood to get a Pulitzer? Although I have read other stories of sad childhoods that have inspired me (such as "Alicia"), this one did not. Sorry...
Rating:
Summary: sigh...
Review: Ireland is very badly represented on the international stage. I used to wonder why this was so. Then I realised it was because of people like Frank McCourt. Never mind what McCourt writes. This book has nothing to do with Ireland. If all you Americans would read the GOOD Irish writers - Patrick McCabe, John McGahern, Frank McGuinness, Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, and the cultural analyses of Declan Kiberd (who, along with McGuinness, lectures at my college, University College Dublin) - you might know what the world is about. It all stems from the complete inability of Americans everywhere to think about anything except themselves. Think about the rest of us - who are forced to live and breathe American culture from the day we're born. Now who's pondering?
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Astounding!
Review: Frank McCourt grows in us a dark, shadowy, and haunting picture from the very start of the book. Recounting his life in Lemerick, Ireland, McCourt certainly knows how to get through to the mind. The entire book is sadness, and the only thing that's really possible to say is that his writing is absolutely incredible. I was deeply touched by the book and recommend it to anyone. You won't be dissappointed. But be warned- the book is very depressing!
Rating:
Summary: A Genuine Modern Classic
Review: Angela's Ashes tells the story of the early life of Frank McCourt, a boy born in pre-depression Brooklyn who grows up in Ireland in the 1930s and 40s. His story is one of incredible sadness. His father spends the family's mother on drink, several of his siblings die in early childhood and he grows up in desperate poverty in Ireland. Nevertheless, Angela's Ashes is an extremely optimistic and light-hearted book. As a child, McCourt has the outlook of a Tom Sawyer, looking at every hardship as an adventure while retaining the love for his family that Tom Sawyer never had.McCourt loves his alcoholic father for sharing Irish patriotism with him, loves his mother for caring for him through such difficult times and clearly was a good older brother to his siblings. Despite the great love for his family, McCourt is also a rebel, ignoring arbitrary rules set by his parents, his teachers and his priests while never harming those he loves by his rebellion. Angela's Ashes has the rare ability to remind us of our good fortune without seeming preachy. The lesson of Angela's Ashes is not "be happy for having such a good life because others have it worse off" but rather is "no matter what adversity you face, life is a wonderful thing." This is truly a wonderful lesson and will uplift you while reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: This is one to keep
Review: I usually buy CD books for my daily commute. Most of them I "read" and then I sell them. Angela's Ashes, however, will stay with me. The story is sad, because it talks about a difficult life, but it will also make you laugh. Overall, it's just a beautiful story. And you can't beat the pleasure of having the author reading for you. You simply know that he's giving each word the exact meaning it had for him when he wrote this book.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books ever!
Review: I have since read "A Monk Swimming" by Malachy McCort and "Tis" by Frank McCort. However, I loved "Angela's Ashes" the best. I saw the movie too. Don't shortchange yourself with that route though...the book is a much more scenic road!
Rating: 
Summary: If You Like a Little Fiction with Your Hyperbole....
Review: Mr McCourt was the unfortunate victim of a disease - his father's alcoholism - and not that fate worse than death, an Irish Catholic childhood.His story strains credibility;moreover, he perpetuates negative stereotypes. I loved his verbal agility and hated his manipulation of the reader
Rating:
Summary: Tis' Not a Limerick
Review: This book brought out some of the best emotional writing I have ever had the emotional pleasure to read. I simply could not put it down, finishing it in two days. I have since read it again and it still brought out the extreme pleasure of the first time. Although I was a little dissapointed with the sequel TIS', I read it just the same to find out what had happened to that wonderfully living Frank. I think the hospital scene in ANGELA'S ASHES rivals any heart-wrenching words I have ever had the pleasure to read. This is living poetry.
Rating: 
Summary: Memoir that reads like a novel
Review: Frank McCourt is commonly credited with revolutionizing the modern memoir. Through his account of a poor Irish upbringing, McCourt opens doors into his life through the perspective of a child. As he matures, his perspective, as well as his actions mature as well. Angela's Ashes is incredibly painful to read; however, this is because McCourt's life was incredibly painful. Do not be discouraged, you are ultimately afforded the most wonderful ending simply by knowing of McCourt's eventual success.
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