Angela's Ashes By Frank Mccourt

[KP the nut]

Frank McCourt's sad, funny, bittersweet memoir of growing up in New York in the 30s and in Ireland in the 40s.

It is a story of extreme hardship and suffering, in Brooklyn tenements and Limerick slums – too many children, too little money, his mother Angela barely coping as his father Malachy's drinking bouts constantly brings the family to the brink of disaster. It is a story of courage and survival against apparently overwhelming odds.

Written with the vitality and resonance of a work of fiction, and with a remarkable absence of sentimentality, ‘Angela’s Ashes’ is imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's distinctive humour and compassion. Out of terrible circumstances, he has created a glorious book in the tradition of Ireland's literary masters, which bears all the marks of a great classic.

 

[digger]

Got excited then because I thought I might manage this one - doesn't sound too 'triggery' and should be popular enough to be on audio - but there's only an abridged version.....wonder how abridged it is

 

[Friday]

I'm boycotting tears this month, so I'll give it a go, but may bow out. If so, I'll just catch y'all next month.

Cheers!

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I already read this one many years ago. I will catch you at the next time since I am reading again.

 

[NovemberStar]

Loved the book - way better than the movie :)

I'll never forget the quote that still leaves me LOL:

"I didn't know whether to shit or go blind"

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

[Sweetpea76]

Love this one!

 

[amethist]

Can't seem to get this on kindle.

 

[KP the nut]

I looked as well. May give this month a miss. I will read it at some stage.

 

[Britt.f7]

Good book. Read it years ago. Loved it.

 

[Mercy]

At first, I didn't know what to post about Angela's Ashes. I am very visual and so coould 'picture' a lot of the scenes. Though it is a memoir, it felt like fiction. I understood the stresses of poverty and death. I had served the slums of NYC as an architectural designer doing renovations, shelters for men and women as well as for homeless families.

Yesterday, I got a call from an elderly lady whom we had helped out with heating oil, water and food over the years. This time the first words out of her mouth were,"I'm starving." She was correct. Her forearms were the size of her wrists. She had sores all over.

We shopped and I brought the food and paper goods she needed. I have never see such squalor. The floors were strown with dog feces, paper plates and cups, flies, fleas to a depth of 6 to 10 inches.. She has two dogs and a porcupine living in the sink. She is a dear old girl and refuses to go to a nursing home at 84 yrs old. It is heartbreaking as is Angela's Ashes.