Customer Reviews
Poignant and funny but relentlessly unhappy - By: Talc Demon, 10 Dec 2008 
Angela's Ashes is a poignant, funny & cynical memoir of Frank McCourt's poverty-stricken childhood, drawing together the sadness of loss & the craziness of the society within which McCourt grew up.
Written with a child's-eye view of the world, at times the narrative makes a dry distanced commentary on the complications of adulthood, with an innocent attempt to understand difficulties that are sometimes hard to explain as an adult. The hardships caused by unemployment, class-divide, alcohol, catholic dogma & politics are among those the bewildered young Frankie has to understand & negotiate, with his elders often maintaining a confusing silence around certain issues.
Although I could empathise with Frankie's grief, & laugh at his childish gaucheness, but more so at the ridiculous social structures to which we all conform to a greater or lesser degree, there was something missingin this book. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, maybe I'm jaded by the recent trend towards similar memoirs of childhood hardship, maybe it was the relentless unbalanced nature of the hardship, without the alleviating factor of any cheer. Maybe it's just me & personally I need the balance of happy against the unhappiness, however even though this is a memoir, it seemed somehow that the relentless unhappiness lacked a point.
How an Irish child dreams - By: Roberto Oddo, 20 Oct 2008 
Angela's Ashes is a delicious novel of a child. The world's going to be understood by a young Yankie & I always find that gorgeous. Even if the story is completelly different, Frankie's glance is so similar to the one of Jennifer Johnston's Shadows on our skin that I feel moving to find again that particular way of living which is understanding ourself life. I'm Italian, & I think all of you would reproach my bad English, but I read without any problems the whole book, appreciating its irony & the need of a novel as a need of a story,in an existential way.
worth a read - By: OK, 16 Sep 2008 I had this book for a while before reading it & even livedin Limerick for a while before reading it, but when I did get around to it, it was well worth it. I honestly don't know what to say about it. I would believe what the author has written & he describes Limerick well (it's a lot better now, except for the rain)
I don't think this book is about hard time as much as getting away from them. In the book Frankie refers to going to America a lot & is determined to get a better life.
I'm glad this book was written & I'm glad I read it, now all I have to do is read the rest of them.
A never to be forgotten story. - By: Leeds lass, 28 Apr 2008 Much praise for this book, & the movie is even better. Well done to frank mccourt for finding the words..
The film will have to be good to do this book justice - By: Eclectic Reader, 06 Apr 2008 Somewhere on this page Amazon is telling you that people who bought this book also bought 'Tis' & 'Teacher Man'. You may as well do it now as the postage will be cheaper & you'll end up buying the other two anyway once you've read Angela's Ashes.
Angela's Ashes was McCourt's first book, introducing us to his impoverished upbringingin the States & rural Ireland. Sickening at times & upsetting, this true story will also make you laugh at loud. McCourt's natural (Irish) wit & colourful language make even the bleakest parts worth the read.
Being autobiographical (like 'tis' & 'teacher man') you get a real sense of the man & how he carried his upbringing with him throughout his life. A natural writer & a person of no small integrity he is handicapped by his own low self worth. Now that he's a successful published author I hope he still has his feet on the ground & his headin the clouds.
I've not seen the film but will do so, it'll have to be good to live up to this book.
