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    Angela’s Ashes
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    Angela’s Ashes
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    Angela’s Ashes
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    Angela’s Ashes

    Written by Frank McCourt

    Narrated by Frank McCourt

    4/5

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    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize winning look back at his childhood. “It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while…”

    “When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived 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.

    People everywhere brag or whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying shcoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years. Above all we were wet…”

    So begins Frank McCourt’s stunning memoir of his childhood in Ireland and America, a recollection of unvarnished truth and no self pity, of grinding poverty and indomitable spirit that will live in the memory long after the tape has ended.

    Now a major film directed by Alan Parker and starring Robert Carlyle and Emily Watson.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 15, 2005
    ISBN9780007218714
    Unavailable
    Angela’s Ashes
    Author

    Frank McCourt

    Frank McCourt’s first book, ‘Angela’s Ashes’ won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it has sold 1.3 million copies in its Flamingo editions alone and tens of millions world-wide. For many years a writing teacher at Stuyvesant High School, McCourt performed with his brother Malachy in a musical review about their Irish youth. He lives in New York.

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    Reviews for Angela’s Ashes

    4/5

    139 ratings113 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Where I got the book: my bookshelf (it was assigned for one of my kids' English classes)I finally got round to reading the book after listening--twice--to the excellent audiobook, read by Frank McCourt himself. So I had the music of his voice with me as I read. But the music is also in the writing.I've often seen literary agents write that to be published, a memoir has to have a strong voice and a really unique story. McCourt wins on both accounts. Reading this book is exactly like having someone sitting opposite you, telling his story; the writing rambles on, without punctuated dialogue, and yet it's as clear as a bell.And what a story. Brutal, poignant, touching and funny. There are two points in the story which always, on audio or on the page, reduce me to tears, and both involve a priest. The memoir is steeped in Irish Catholic faith and superstition, seen from the distance of years with fond, mocking eyes. McCourt doesn't spare himself or his parents; I find myself wondering if he's left anything out at all. But the story's suffused with wisdom and understanding, even for his drink-addicted father.This is a book you should read if you want to understand what people mean when they say a writer should have a strong voice. The rhythms of McCourt's writing stayed with me for hours after I put the book down.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I'm not a big fan of memoirs in general, but this one blew me away. Both poetic and real.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Really a sad but honest memoir. I'm glad Frank learned how to be more responsible then his drunk dad. Some bits were humours too.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Well told, but essentially devoid of depth. This is an emotional plot-driven epic.
    • 3/5
      Gives an excellent portrayal of lower class life in pre-wwII Ireland. Somewhat disturbing, though. Some of the choices Angela had to make to survive are heartbreaking.
    • 5/5
      This story of Frank McCourt growing up in Limerick, Ireland deeply touched my heart. Every life has a story worth telling and Frank tells his well. Anyone that felt defenseless as a child and at the mercy of a parent, or other elders that were abusive or weren't equipped to be in charge, will cry with Frank, cheer with Frank, and find this book therapeutic. Thanks so much for sharing your story Frank.
    • 3/5
      Incredible memoir of Frank's childhood growing up in Limerick, Ireland. I can't believe he survived at all. The poverty level that they were at - only clothes on their backs, very little food, tea and bread. At Christmas, they had a pig's head. They tore the beams from the house to burn to keep warm. Besides that, th rigidness of the teachers and the scare tactics of the priests were unbelievable.Although I enjoyed the book, I found it quite depressing. Sandy said she liked it because it spoke of resilience. My favorite part was the chapter on his first confession. "Bless me, father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession." He then went to communion and later that day threw up in his grandmother's backyard. She had a fit and made him return to confession. He said, "Bless me, faher, for I have sinned. It has been 24 hours since my last confession." He then told the priest he threw up God in his grandmother's backyard The priest said that was okay, just rinse it with water. He returned home and told his grandmother. She said, "Holy water or regular water." He returned to the confessional, "It has been five minutes since my last confession."
    • 5/5
      A nonfiction work that goes down as smoothly as any novel. This is another book I've read at least 15 times, although it is in better condition than Up in the Old Hotel. McCourt's Irish humor makes the reader want to visit Limerick and meet the locals, despite the poverty and the rainy weather. A must read.
    • 2/5
      I found this book a little boring, i didnt finish it
    • 5/5
      I've owned this book for 10 years and repeatedly shied away from reading it. What a mistake. Within the first 3 pages it was obvious why Frank McCourt won the Pulitzer. This book is hilariously funny, beautifully written and poignant. I identified with the characters and the stories having grown up in a small coal mining town in the 60’s where everyone’s grandparents were immigrants from Europe. These are the same troubles and stories whether Irish, Lithuanian, Russian, Slovak, German…and it all still rings true. ‘Tis and Teacher Man are on my TBR list – to be sure…
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. A true tale, makes you remember where you came from and how lucky you are.
    • 5/5
      This book is a masterpiece, sending me through the realm of so many emotions. It made me see just how resilient human beings can be, and I was amazed to learn such a lesson from the perspective of a young boy.
    • 4/5
      I found this book far from depressing, like I'd heard from a few others. I loved the first few pages, and then settled into a slow pace reading it, even reading other books in between small spurts of reading it. When I hit the half-way mark, (and I'm not sure if this was because of the book or just because my windows of time reading it expanded) I didn't want to put it down.I laughed out loud a few times, and started tearing up only once.I'm excited to follow up with 'Tis.
    • 4/5
      This is a great story of growing up poor in Ireland. Large parts of this made me laugh till I cried. However, when McCourt writes about his eye troubles and the (shudder) treatment he experienced, I shrank in my chair and cried ordinary tears. If you want a a book to take you to all extremes of emotion, or if you are at all interested in Ireland, this is the book for you.
    • 4/5
      Substance: Stunning personal memoir of life in poverty-stricken Irish family between World Wars.Style: First-person narrative.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book when I read it nine years ago. The way McCourt captured the Irish brogue in print was wonderful. Although many Irish-American friends said the overall story was too sad and depressing, I thought it was ultimately a tale of the triumph of the human spirit. McCourt is irreverently funny at times and a very gifted storyteller.
    • 5/5
      Amazingly touching and funny book. McCourt's stream of consciousness writing style takes a little getting used to, but he has the ability to make you cry at his descriptions of a desperate situation one second, then you find yourself laughing through your tears in the next paragraph.
    • 4/5
      Frank McCourt story of his childhood seems to be one of fiction. Yet, it is not! this story has so many heartbreaking aspects that it is a wonder that McCourt survived any of this at all. His survival is uplifting for when one thinks they have it bad you do not need to go far to see just how good life is.
    • 5/5
      One of the few non-fiction books I have read out of college. COULD NOT put it down!
    • 4/5
      A terrific story of youth, poverty, determination, self-awareness, immigration, and the American dream.
    • 5/5
      One of the hallmarks of a good memoir, for me, is the author's willingness to "bleed out" on the page. McCourt does, in a disconcertingly cheerful, matter-of-fact way. His revelations about his boyhood and is family are made more rending by his refusal to engage in self-pity. A terrific read.
    • 5/5
      The StoryThis story is the one of Frank McCourt’s, an Irish-American who was raised in Limerick, Ireland. It is his life story from his earliest memories in New York through his life in Ireland until he returns to America at age 19. His life was a remarkable one and I can’t imagine living through the hardships that he’s endured. He lived a childhood in extreme poverty and nearly died of typhoid fever. Frank suffers the loss of his twin brothers and little sister. Frank’s father is an alcoholic that causes his family to live in squalor as he spends any money he earns in the pub until it is gone. Frank’s story in Angela’s Ashes is one that contains so many unbelievable hardships, yet at the same time the reader is amazed by his resilience and continued fight to make something of his life and return to America.The ReviewLisa lent me this book and told me that it was one of her favorites. I can see why. I have since learned that Frank McCourt received the Pulitzer Prize (1997) and National Book Critics Circle Award (1996) for Angela’s Ashes. He is also the author of ‘Tis, which continues the story of his life, picking up from the end of the Angela’s Ashes and focusing on life in America, and Teacher Man about his challenges as a teacher with his students. Reading this book was so overwhelming to me! Its tale was remarkable and I felt such a sense of gratefulness for the life that I’ve lived in comparison to Frank’s. I don’t know how it is that I had never heard of this book nor movie. To avoid spoilers for those who have not read this excellent book, I will instead share with you one of my favorite parts of the book. Frank has written a composition on the Lord entitled “Jesus and the Weather” for an assignment in school. He is instructed to read it aloud to the class.“This is my composition. I don’t think Jesus Who is Our Lord would have liked the weather in Limerick because it’s always raining and the Shannon keeps the whole city damp. My father says the Shannon is a killer river because it killed my two brothers. When you look at pictures of Jesus, He’s always wandering around ancient Israel in a sheet. It never rains there and you never hear of anyone coughing or getting consumption or anything like that and no one has a job there because all they do is stand around and eat manna and shake their fists and go to crucifixions.Anytime Jesus got hungry all He had to do was walk up the road to a fig tree or an orange tree and have His fill. If He wanted a pint He could wave His hand over a big glass and there was the pint. Or He could visit Mary Magdalene and her sister, Martha, and they’d give him a His dinner no questions asked and He’d get his feet washed and dried with Mary Magdalene’s hair while Martha washed the dishes, which I don’t think is fair. Why should she have to wash the dishes while her sister sits out there chatting away with our Lord? It’s a good thing Jesus decided to be born Jewish in that warm place because if he was born in Limerick he’d catch the consumption and be dead in a month and there wouldn’t be any Catholic Church and there wouldn’t be any Communion or Confirmation and we wouldn’t have to learn the catechism and write compositions about Him. The End.”This book is written without quotation marks and is written in his true voice. There are many songs, poems and other such recitals within the book. There are so many endearing and wonderful things that Frank shares in the book that will stick within the confines of my mind for a lifetime. I only wish that I could meet him! What an amazing thing that would be. On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”If you have not read this book, it needs to be added to your MUST READ list. This is a book that will enrich your spirit and make you feel so grateful for not only ever meal you eat, but for your health as well. It is simply an amazing book!For the genre Non-Fiction:Memoir, I am going to rate this book a 10 OUT OF 10.
    • 2/5
      Given the rave reviews, not to mention the Pulitzer Prize, Angela's Ashes was a disappointment. Certainly, McCourt's childhood was stunningly impoverished and miserable; I agree it is a "wonder how [he] survived at all." (11). But I found the read painfully long and slow.
    • 5/5
      Irish family boys born in America, family goes BACK to Ireland (who does that?) where they live in poverty with a drunken father and mother who has babies who keep dying. The story of Frank and his brother.
    • 4/5
      I had meant to read this book for a long time, but the publicity surrounding the author's death pushed it up on my list. It's beautifully written. McCourt is like Dylan Thomas in that I can almost hear his voice reading the words as I read them.But the book was too dismal for me to finish. The poverty and squalor he describes sound like something out of Dickens, but they're for real. What really disturbed me more than anything is the hopeless of his father, a loving but stereotypical Irish alcoholic who, despite his best intentions, spends his wages (when he's lucky enough to be employed) on pints rather than supporting his family.It's both a good and an important book . . . but I couldn't push myself hard enough to finish it.
    • 3/5
      These are the acknowledgements:"This is a small hymn to an exultation of women. (he goes on to list a whole bunch of women: relatives, editors, friends, supporters.) I am blessed among men."I read this and considered the title (Angela is his mother). I knew that the book was a memoir. I thought that perhaps his mother would be a pillar of extraordinary strength or maybe a ray of sunshine in a sky full of smog or something like that.I had a hard time admiring or even liking his mother. She, like many women of the time, wound up in a hard marriage with a man who couldn't keep a job and drank away the dole (welfare-ish) and giving birth to seven children. Her children keep becoming dreadfully ill and she doesnt' do anything about it until the situation becomes desperate. Eventually she does call the doctor, but it's usually too late. I'm not sure if I would have felt more sympathy or empathy if she hadn't called the doctor at all - financial strain being such a burden that they literally could not call a doctor - but she did: it just was long after she should have.Losing children is something that I can't personally imagine. I found myself unable to imagine what Angela must have gone through - but she didn't perseveare, she didn't pull herself up by her bootstraps, she didn't chin-up, she didn't take care of the children she had left. They ran wild and Frank, the oldest, had to steal food for his siblings.It wasn't just Angela that I had problems with. Frank's aunts and his grandmother weren't in the least bit supportive, enlightening, or sympathetic. I couldn't think of a single woman in the book that I truly liked - except for the girl in the hospital who recited poetry. Even the librarian pissed me off. It looked like she would be awesome, but eventually her true colors came out.I should also point out that, for the most part, the men didn't win any medals for valor, either. Every once in a while a very minor character would show some redeeming qualitites that I felt actually helped Frank instead of hurting him - Mr. Hannon, Mr. Timoney, the Franciscan brother who helped him deal with his guilt. But they were far between and usually were phased out of his life by circumstance.I don't know. I did enjoy the book - it perfectly evoked a hard, bitter time survived by hard, bitter people. I might have expected too much from the women in the book - but the acknowedgements really threw me and set me up for something entirely different.
    • 5/5
      A gripping story that chronicles a young man's life from boyhood to his late teens. It is wonderful writing and very emotional. It is full of a pain and agony, it made cry and grind my teeth in anger throughout the hard times in his life. The human spirit and periodic happyness peaks through the sadness at times. I loved the book!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. A memoir of childhood in Limerick filled with poverty, hunger, disease, broken dreams, alcoholism but, at times hilariously funny. Frank's stories capture the unique aspects of so many people with a fast-paced narrative and honest dialog: his long-suffering mother who loses three babies to hunger and cold, his loving but weak father who can never manage to get his paycheck past a pub, his strong-willed religious grandmother and aunts, his "dropped on his head" uncle, tyrannical schoolmasters, cunning schoolmates. They are all wonderfully portrayed. The scene of Frank's First Communion is a classic. I read it three times and laughed harder each time. McCourt has a terrific gift for narrative.These are proud people who have fallen on hard times. It was heartwrenching to read the descriptions of their living conditions and realizing how little dignity they were left. Yet, McCourt doesn't wallow in that condition. Instead he celebrates the small victories and still manages to keep his characters human. Frank's struggle to keep his religion and stay true to the church is touching, especially in view of the fact that the church seems to do little to help him. In some ways the book is a subtle criticism of the behavior of the Catholic Church in Ireland in the 1930's and 1940's. It remained removed from the suffering of its congregation. But Frank finally comes to terms with his "sins" with the help of a caring Franciscan priest. It's a wonderful book, full of life and laughter, ultimately affirming joy as Frank comes to America.
    • 4/5
      Others loved it -- I wasn't crazy about it! -- Typical Review: Despite impoverishing his family because of his alcoholism, McCourt's father passed on to his son a gift for superb storytelling. He told him about the great Irish heroes, the old days in Ireland, the people in their Limerick neighborhood, and the world beyond their shores. McCourt writes in the voice of the child?with no self-pity or review of events?and just retells the tales. He recounts his desperately poor early years, living on public assistance and losing three siblings, but manages to make the book funny and uplifting. Stories of trying on his parents' false teeth and his adventures as a post-office delivery boy will have readers laughing out loud. Young people will recognize the truth in these compelling tales; the emotions expressed; the descriptions of teachers, relatives, neighbors; and the casual cruelty adults show toward children. Readers will enjoy the humor and the music in the language. A vivid, wonderfully readable memoir.?
    • 4/5
      Frank McCourt's childhood autobiography follows him from his school days to his relationship with his alcoholic father to his departure from Ireland to America.McCourt's work is an excellent tool for examining writing style and word choice and can provide room for discussion of World War II era Europe and the challenges that poverty presents. As a warning, this book does contain some explicit sexual content, as well as numerous references to alcohol abuse.