Genealogy Books - Angela's Ashes

Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Outstanding!
Comment: I really can't say much more - it was just an outstanding story in every way. The sadness of
McCourt's childhood losses, deprivation and poverty took me to the depths of sympathetic grief, but
then his perseverence and triumphs provided great inspiration.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Couldn't put it down
Comment: I avoided this book for two reasons. The hype. More often than not I am disappointed by highly-hyped
books and movies. And, I thought it would depress and exhaust me. But as with Betty Smith's A Tree
Grows In Brooklyn, you become so engrossed with the characters that you aren't weighed down by the
crushing poverty. It almost seems an afterthought, a tiny detail, yet it is what forms the
characters. Both of these books, while written 60 years apart, are written beautifully and
skillfully.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Angel's Ashes
Comment: I was given a audio copy of this book, I wasn't sure if it was something I would enjoy but I ended
up loving the story. I love that the story was narrated by Frank McCourt himself with his Irish
accent. The fact that you can feel his feelings as he reads his own story it makes it so real. I
could almost see him at times on the lane he lived on. I felt for him and everything he want
through but I love his perseverance to make it even after his near death experiences. He still went
on to make something of himself. I am looking forward to "Tis"

Customer Rating:

Summary: Listen to the CDs: it's a must...
Comment: ...even if you have read the book, it's a wonderful experience to hear Frank McCourt tell the story
himself. Unless you really don't have the time or inclination, do yourself a favor and buy (or
borrow) the unabridged version (12 CDs). It really is a delight and privilege to listen to McCourt
telling HIS story. One gets so much more insight into the mood of each event whether it be
heartbreaking, frustrating or funny. I cannot speak highly enough of the book, and even more highly
of the audio book. Some books are just worth hearing - this is one of them.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Poverty and alcoholism
Comment: In "Angela's Ashes," Frank McCourt recalls his childhood after his family move from the U.S. back to
their native Ireland, where they live, for the most part, in dire poverty. When his alcoholic
father actually is employed, he takes his paycheck and squanders it in pubs rather than feed and
clothe his family. Mostly though, Frank's family is on the "dole" (welfare), but even that little
amount is eaten up by Frank's father's drinking. When Frank's mother, Angela, is able to get some
of the crumbs, she uses alot of it to buy cigarettes (during one very sad interlude, Angela
virtually prostitutes herself to a slightly better off relative).

In the meantime,
Frank's infant sister and two little brothers die of lack of nutrition and proper medical care. At
certain points in their childhood, Frank and his surviving little brothers have to steal food to
avoid starvation, and collect bits of roadside coal and wood to avoid freezing to death. Although
Frank attends a public school, most of the teachers seem more concerned about beating the kids and
bad-mouthing the English than actually trying to make a difference in the lives of their desperate
students. Likewise, most of the priests encountered by Frank are more concerned about warning about
"sinful behavior" such as masturbation than providing any help.

The grinding poverty
suffered by Frank and his terribly unfortunate family has an extremely strong impact on the reader.
But McCourt manages to keep us entertained, and even laugh a little, even though the cycle of
alcoholism and poverty becomes repetitive and depressing. At times, the rather extraordinary
recollection of events made me wonder if perhaps McCourt might be embellishing his story in order to
generate more drama, such as what Jim Frey did in "A Million Little Pieces." But "Angela's Ashes"
does an admirable job in showing just how bad things could get, how irresponsible parents can be in
the face of vices, and how easily those we're supposed to look up to (i.e. teachers and religious
leaders) can turn a blind eye to the ills of society.

Back to Angela's Ashes

Showing page 10 of 366
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 |
46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 |
76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 |
91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 |
106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 |
121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 |
136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150 |
151 | 152 | 153 | 154 | 155 | 156 | 157 | 158 | 159 | 160 | 161 | 162 | 163 | 164 | 165 |
166 | 167 | 168 | 169 | 170 | 171 | 172 | 173 | 174 | 175 | 176 | 177 | 178 | 179 | 180 |
181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 | 194 | 195 |
196 | 197 | 198 | 199 | 200 | 201 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 208 | 209 | 210 |
211 | 212 | 213 | 214 | 215 | 216 | 217 | 218 | 219 | 220 | 221 | 222 | 223 | 224 | 225 |
226 | 227 | 228 | 229 | 230 | 231 | 232 | 233 | 234 | 235 | 236 | 237 | 238 | 239 | 240 |
241 | 242 | 243 | 244 | 245 | 246 | 247 | 248 | 249 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | 255 |
256 | 257 | 258 | 259 | 260 | 261 | 262 | 263 | 264 | 265 | 266 | 267 | 268 | 269 | 270 |
271 | 272 | 273 | 274 | 275 | 276 | 277 | 278 | 279 | 280 | 281 | 282 | 283 | 284 | 285 |
286 | 287 | 288 | 289 | 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | 294 | 295 | 296 | 297 | 298 | 299 | 300 |
301 | 302 | 303 | 304 | 305 | 306 | 307 | 308 | 309 | 310 | 311 | 312 | 313 | 314 | 315 |
316 | 317 | 318 | 319 | 320 | 321 | 322 | 323 | 324 | 325 | 326 | 327 | 328 | 329 | 330 |
331 | 332 | 333 | 334 | 335 | 336 | 337 | 338 | 339 | 340 | 341 | 342 | 343 | 344 | 345 |
346 | 347 | 348 | 349 | 350 | 351 | 352 | 353 | 354 | 355 | 356 | 357 | 358 | 359 | 360 |
361 | 362 | 363 | 364 | 365 | 366 |