Rating: 
Summary: A treasure of a book !
Review: What a lovely book ! So well written, and managing to blend so well the sadness of the whole situation with a humorous way to depict day-to-day events in 1930s Limerick. I couldn't put it down before I reached the end.
Rating:
Summary: Superb book. I would recommend it to anyone.
Review: This was an excellent book. I could see why it won the Pulitzer Prize. I found it an intensely human story, it produced a range of emotions when reading it. Although, I can understand why so many Americans would hate it. Stoicism is in short supply here.
Rating:
Summary: A book that will stay with me for a long time
Review: What a wonderful book! Frank Mc Court is a gifted storyteller. At times the book was so funny I had to put it down and laugh out loud. Other times it was so amazingly sad I had to put the book down and take a deep breath. What perspective, I guess I never really had a bad day. Can't wait for 'Tis!
Rating:
Summary: By far, the best book I have ever read!
Review: Angela's Ashes is a riveting memoir by Frank McCourt. At times it made me laugh out loud, but other times it made me cry. No other book has ever had such an impact. It truly is the best book I have ever read. Thank you, Mr. McCourt for sharing your life.
Rating:
Summary: Poignant Story of a Survivor
Review: As an Irish Catholic brought up in Los Angeles, there are more differences than similarities between the McCourts and my family. But this beautifully written story opened my eyes to understand why my parents and grandparents behaved the way they did, where Catholicism is not just part of their lives; it IS life. This book was enlightening on a personal level.To those who don't share the McCourts' background, there is still something to be gained by this book. It is a poignant story of survival. Frank McCourt never once takes pity upon himself; he shares the the strength of his mother, determined to do whatever necessary to get by, without the "you owe it to me" attitude. Told with a humorous tone, Frank, the true survivor does not become the stereotypical Irish male drunk, but had his mother's obstinance and one track mind of survival. He observes the fanatical devotion of his family and neighbors to the Catholic church, probably the one driving force that gave these pitiful families a purpose and reason to continue living. He conveys the same confusion and questions many other Irish Catholic children, but offers no answers, as we've learned there are none. Frank McCourt is another great Irish writer.
Rating: 
Summary: An example of the adage "Survival of the Fittest"
Review: Living in today's American society, one tends to forget what life was like for many of our immigrants before they came to this country. This memoir acutely describes the depravity and harshness of poverty and how to keep on hoping, despite the incredible odds. A gem of a book!
Rating: 
Summary: This book is not worth all the time that it takes to read!
Review: I would not recommend this book. It takes too much effort to read and at the end, after all of that effort, you realize that it wasn't worth it..this is one of this author's worst books...i advise you to try some others though and you may find them less challenging to read, and more enjoyable.....
Rating:
Summary: Without question, one of the best books I've ever read.
Review: This story captured my interest in the first paragraph. It's a facinating story - made more powerful because it's a real story. It's extremely well written. It's a miracle Frank and his brothers survived their childhoods let alone that they became productive human beings. It's a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Irish eyes don't always smile - but they survive!
Review: This is a sad-humorous memoir about the human condition and the triumph of the human spirit. Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn. His mother was a poor Irish Catholic girl who had recently arrived from Ireland. He was conceived out of wedlock but his father, a "man from the north of Ireland, what can you expect," was forced by his mother's sisters to marry him. The family's circumstances are so desperate they cannot survive in America. His mother, who Frank calls "Mam", is distraught when her newborn daugher Margaret dies. When Frank is about four the family returns to Limerick, Ireland. There they depend on the dole for survival. Frank's twin brothers die. His father, a drunk, dissipates even the dole money and cannot hold a job. He disappears to England. His mother suffers from illness, loneliness and the humiliation and embarrassment of virtually begging for food. There is no medical care except for the worst situations, and Frank nearly loses his eyesight. The family picks up coal off the street to boil water. Fried bread is the staple of their diet. They live in flat where the lower level is not habitable due to flooding. That level is called Ireland. The upper level is tiny but dry - it is called sunny "Italy". Just outside the flat is the one lavatory for the entire lane - it always stinks. Despite it all, Frank's intelligence and interest in books is recognized and supported by his schoolmasters. A priest forgives him and blesses him when he confesses to taking a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. Frank works as a telegram boy, saves his money and finally at age 19, makes it to America. The book is written in long sentences that parallel the Irish way of speaking. The writing incorporates Irish humor, religious values and philosophical musings. It is beautifully and engrossingly written. I enthusiastically await volume 2 - how he made it in America.
Rating:
Summary: Life Altering Experience - What a Find!
Review: I am so glad this book won the Pultizer Prize - it defenitely deserves such an award! I was absolutely memsermized by this tragic, yet touching true life story. There are times I find myself thinking of this book, even now - five months after I finished reading it.
| 
