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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Endearing story written with a lot of love.
“Angela’s Ashes” presents a deplorable picture of the abject poverty, misery, starvation, and deprivation endured by Frank McCourt and his family. It is tragic and funny at the same time. I liked the first half of this biography, mainly when Frank and his siblings were little kids, the drunkard and mostly unemployed father was always there for them with his stories about Cuchulain. That was also the part when the family moved to Limerick, Ireland from the USA, there were deaths of younger kids, and they received almost negligible support to cope with their starvation and hunger. However, I lost my interest from the second half as the events progressed rapidly. For instance, the father returned from England and immediately departed within few hours, or on one page, Frank is fourteen; on the next page, he is suddenly sixteen going for his first pint and ready to start his job etc. My curiosity to know what happened to the father prompted me to google about Frank McCourt’s family. That is when I learned that Frank McCourt’s mother happened to term this memoir as exaggerated. Exaggerated or not, It is still is a good read.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Frank McCourt's Memoir focuses on his childhood living in Ireland during the 1930s. His father drinks away the dole money and has Frank and his brothers swearing to die for Ireland every night, because of this, the McCourts live in poverty living on borrowed time and money and the goodness of the St. Vincent de Paul. His mother Angela, for which the book is named, despite dire circumstances stays with her husband in spite of his faults. Even though, he must deal with the aftermath of his father's drunken consequences losing siblings to the damp of Ireland and doing nothing short of begging for milk and bread while also being thrifty with the monies they are able to save. Even though Frank McCourt's childhood was filled with trials and tribulation he managed to stand up on his own two feet and write with humor and wit so the reader never felt sorry for him.
I first read Angela's Ashes soon after it came out and was incredibly moved by it and at the time I had never read anything like it. I reread it recently and sadly was not as impressed as I had previously been. I think this is because in the past 10+ years since its publication numerous memoirs have come out i.e. The Glass Castle saturating the market making Frank McCourt's break through novel passe. This time, I felt that his voice was almost detached from the story with a very matter of fact tone and for whatever reason wasn't as captivating. Angela's Ashes was still a fabulous book but just didn't hold the same spark as it had before.
I first read Angela's Ashes soon after it came out and was incredibly moved by it and at the time I had never read anything like it. I reread it recently and sadly was not as impressed as I had previously been. I think this is because in the past 10+ years since its publication numerous memoirs have come out i.e. The Glass Castle saturating the market making Frank McCourt's break through novel passe. This time, I felt that his voice was almost detached from the story with a very matter of fact tone and for whatever reason wasn't as captivating. Angela's Ashes was still a fabulous book but just didn't hold the same spark as it had before.
Reviewed 8/24/2005
It perfectly evoked a hard, bitter time survived by hard, bitter people. I can't say I enjoyed it, but it was a good book.
It perfectly evoked a hard, bitter time survived by hard, bitter people. I can't say I enjoyed it, but it was a good book.
I noticed only after finishing I picked up the abridged version. Wouldn't be fair to rate it without reading the whole thing but honestly from what I read I doubt I will make myself get to it.
Angela's Ashes, first and foremost, is a very depressing read. It describes in detail the childhood of Frank McCourt, who grew up in poverty in Limerick, Ireland. Indeed, these are McCourt's opening words: “When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” This misery is prominent throughout the memoir; however, McCourt's perspective, both in the midst of the action and in retrospect, is strangely charming. Angela's Ashes illustrates the transformation of innocence to awareness with a clarity and accuracy that surprised me. McCourt approaches the dull, poverty-stricken world of his youth with a thoughtfulness and childish wonder that is both poignant and compelling. The contrast between McCourt and his surroundings is striking and, perhaps, one of the most interesting aspects of the memoir.
I am withholding one star in my rating due to the somewhat sluggish progression of the memoir. Although the book is of average length (only 368 pages), the pace is a bit slow for my taste.
Despite the misery of McCourt's childhood, the memoir is filled with humor and charm. I would recommend Angela's Ashes to those who enjoy coming-of-age stories and the nonfiction genre.
I am withholding one star in my rating due to the somewhat sluggish progression of the memoir. Although the book is of average length (only 368 pages), the pace is a bit slow for my taste.
Despite the misery of McCourt's childhood, the memoir is filled with humor and charm. I would recommend Angela's Ashes to those who enjoy coming-of-age stories and the nonfiction genre.
I thought McCourt was a whiner in this book - poor, poor me. I finished it, but barely.