Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Angela's Ashes
Book Review: A Home Run
Summary: 4 Stars
"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." And so the story begins. Taking place during the Great Depression and WW II, Frank McCourt does a remarkable job of reflecting on the harsh times he and his family experienced in his memoir, Angela's Ashes. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Frank was introduced to a life filled with trouble and doubt; anger and tragedy. When he was just four years old, Frank's parents, Angela and Malachy, move back to Ireland, ultimately ending up in Limerick. Hoping to get a fresh start in Ireland, Angela is then disappointed when Malachy consistently drinks away the dole money, leaving her to beg at local charities and organizations. Things only get worse when Frank recalls seeing his baby sister die in his mother's arms, and not soon after his younger brother, Oliver, dies of a cold and Angela goes through stages of depression. Frank and his mother clearly see their father's flaws; his selfishness and arrogance, though they are forgiving and eventually always offer him more chances. The McCourt's begin to grow weary; poverty has stricken their family and much of Ireland. When the McCourt's have decided they no longer can live in their tiny apartment with one lavatory for many families next to their doorway, they unanimously decide it is time for Malachy to travel to England for the more apparent opportunities that do not exist in Ireland. Anxiously planning how they will spend the money their father sends home the first week, the McCourt children are thwarted when the telegram boy has nothing for them; and does not for the next few weeks. When the times get tougher, Frank and his family are forced to move in with their cousin, who they soon learn is abusive. When Frank learns that his cousin and his mother are having sex, he finds it hard to look at his mother the same way, so he decides to run away. Ultimately, Frank fulfills his dream at the end of the text, and he opens a new chapter of his life with an optimistic view.
Though this astounding memoir focuses on terrible times the McCourt family lived through, McCourt writes with humor and sarcasm to lighten the reading. He portrays the disappointment, tragedy, and special bond this family shares exceptionally through the text. McCourt adds dole and ironic humor to his devastating past, "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been a minute since my last confession." He characterizes each family member and acquaintance through aggressive dialogue and unique mannerisms.
McCourt hits a home run with this book in every way, as he reflects on the tragic past of his childhood. You will shut this book with knowledge of a difficult time in history for Ireland, and empathy and appreciation for those who struggled greatly. Ultimately, it is truly a page turner that leaves you thirsting for more.
Nina Demmerle
Greenwich, Connecticut
Book Review: A Memoir You'll Not Soon Forget
Summary: 5 Stars
It takes a masterful storyteller to make readers laugh while detailing a story of oppressive poverty, chronic illness, despicable alcohol abuse and the death of three siblings. But that's exactly what Frank McCourt does. With straightforward, non-judgmental prose, the author weaves a tale of survival at the most elemental level, detailing the life of the McCourt family, an Irish Catholic clan struggling to make it in poverty-stricken Limerick, Ireland, in the 1930s. To describe the McCourts' life as 'miserable' doesn't do it justice. Yet somehow, through the misery, this amazing author is able to find laughter, joy, irony and hope. Don't let the depressing setting fool you. This might be the most uplifting memoir I've ever read--and one of the best. Salmon RunBook Review: A TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT. DEEP, SAD, WELL DONE.
Summary: 5 Stars
The author begins his memoir with the voice of a narrator: describing people, events, etc. But, from the first chapter he slowly transitions into a man remembering & than goes back to when he was a boy. The slideshow of imagery & the depth of details made this a great read, despite the often brutal sadness of the story.
The innocence of a young boy of say 8 or 9 is experienced here like in no other book I have read. The young boy finds himself talking with "the angel of the seventh step," & wishing to hear stories of his mythical hero "Cuchulain." When the boy learns something for the first time, so does the reader. While he ages, his vocabulary grows as does his views of the world around him which starts to make more sense to him, no matter how unsettling.
The reader feels Frankie's angst when his alcoholic father comes home drunk after drinking his paycheck away. The descriptions of the strict Catholic school alone where he was not allowed to even ask a question in class made it seem more like a prison than a place to seek "knowledge & comfort." The living conditions in the Limerick of the 1930's-40's Ireland were truly on a third world level. Their home would flood in Winter, & the many family homes they lived in when they could not afford their rent are gut wrenchingly vivid.
The most poignant emotions are from Frankie's mother Angela.
The reader can feel her desperation & frustration with her useless husband, who often failed to keep a job because of his boozing.
Her anguish that she could not clothe or feed her sons, & her other children who were "dead & gone," & her feelings of shame that she had to borrow & beg in order to keep her family alive leap off the pages.
The dialogue & story captures the imagination, one can feel the chill of damp air & the sickness it brings. This book has it all, the sorrow, heartache, want, humor, & slivers of hope.
Book Review: Amazing Storytelling
Summary: 5 Stars
One of my favorite books. A walk in the life of Frank McCourt's deprived and poverty stricken family. Wonderfully written a real page turner.Book Review: Angela's Ashes
Summary: 5 Stars
Angela's Ashes, is a compelling memoir written by Frank McCourt, that tells the story of what it is like to grow up in the "miserable Irish Catholic childhood," and the adversities one faces on a daily basis. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930, Frank's family soon moves back to Limerick, Ireland where the McCourt's are plagued with even more hardships, such as the realities of poverty and the cruelties of dealing with an alcoholic father.
Frank describes his childhood as a time of great deprivation; however, he still manages to find time for adventure and humor as he copes with his troubles at home. Malachy, Frank's father, is usually the cause of his mother, Angela's, unhappiness as he shatters her dreams of raising a healthy family with a supportive husband by drinking away the families' money for food and clothing. Frank observes the sorrow that lingers through his home as another week goes by without support from Malachy: "Mam turns toward the dead ashes in the fire and sucks at the last bit of goodness in the Woodbine butt caught between the brown thumb and the burnt middle finger. Michael wants to know if we're having fish and chips tonight because he's hungry. Mam says, Next week, love, and he goes back out to play in the lane." Although Malachy's alcoholism is one of the most prominent setbacks for the McCourt family and their futures, Frank is still able to love his father as his exciting stories and folktales about Irish heroes not only entertain Frank, but give him a dream and hope for a better life. Because Malachy is unemployed and drinks away any money that he earns, the McCourt's are left with nothing and nowhere to turn but to public assistance and welfare, which Frank is deeply ashamed of. He explains that he would rather steal then beg to survive. This is because being able to pay for one's food brings Frank pride and self-respect as he states that, "There's nothing worse in the world than to owe and be beholden to someone." Frank's concerns for his family are also sparked by the other kids at school who tease and laugh at him for having odd-looking shoes as his have been repaired using rubber tires because his family could not afford to buy new ones. In addition to the financial problems, the impoverished neighborhoods of Limerick are home to many fatal diseases and when three McCourt children die, Angela is overwhelmed with agony and stress and she immediately falls into a state of depression, which affects the rest of the family as well, especially Frank. Within time and the onset World War II approaching, Frank begins working for a series of men in order to support his family when his father fails to do so. Frank's new sense of responsibility gives him the pride and confidence he needs to start a new life in a different world, breaking the cycle of his mother, father, and relatives in Ireland.
Angela's Ashes is the true recollection of a boy who starts out with nothing, but through sacrifice, determination, and a never-ending dream, is able to thrive, putting the past behind to make room for a new beginning. The lessons and realizations that are found throughout the story remain with you long after you close the book. I have come to appreciate all the little things in life that before I had always taken for granted. There are parts where Frank will make you laugh out loud through his wit and humor, however, there are also times where the struggles and accounts are so painfully devastating that the novel can sometimes become very difficult to read. Without Frank's way of finding humor in even the most tragic of times, I truthfully think I may have put the book down, but I'm glad I didn't. Frank's writing is vivid, impressionable, and certainly everlasting.