“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive 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.” So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish … Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy — exasperating, irresponsible and beguiling– does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies. Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors–yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness. Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.
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The book tells a story of a poor family living in Ireland and the strugles they go through to stay together….and stay alive. There are some pages that will make you weep, but others that will make you laugh out loud. The benefit is being able to recognize that author Frank McCourt survived his impoverished childhood in Ireland, and went on to …
This book taught me more about poverty than I had ever imagined. I read it years ago and can tell you anecdotes from it still. I was captivated and haunted and so sad about the conditions of Ireland impoverished. I also read his second book and did not like it nearly as well.
Great realistic recounting of the author’s life. Both funny and haunting!
If you want a depressing book, this is it.
Fell in love with the young characters…Sad when the book was finished….
Wonderful book! Don’t miss it.
A testament to the power of the human spirit to survive some of the very worst circumstances life has to offer. A tragic but wonderful read.
It is a laugh and cry book. Unfiltered. The dialect propels the reader into Frank’s young life. Even better in audio read by the author.
I felt the book was over rated, similar to many best sellers.
I avoided reading this for years because someone told me it was “sad.” Well, sure, there were sad moments, but it was also charming and extremely funny. Many, many, many times I got shhhhh’d for laughing. An absolutely excellent book.
I enjoyed the audio version because it was read by the author with a strong brogue.
Very hard to finish
Angela’s Ashes was a college read for a class. So despite the academic influence I actually really loved this unique narrative style and learning the life of Frank McCourt. I also had the chance to meet him.
Angela’s Ashes tells the story of not only Frank McCourt but it’s an example most likely of other families during the post world war Ireland …
Liked the way it was in the voice of a child growing up. But moving in how poor they lived. Liked the witty Irish talk.
Incredible
It’s not an easy read, but learning more about the Irish was worth the pain of his book.
Brautiful. Ive talked to many people who don’t appreciate it.
still haunts me
A STORY OF POVERTY NOT SURE IF IT WAS REALLY THE ESCAPE I CRAVE
Had to watch the movie first. Then was able to go back to read the book. What a sad life they had.