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Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes (A Memoir) (2nd Hand Paperback)
SKU B004036
Original price
£3.45
-
Original price
£3.45
Original price
£3.45
£3.45
-
£3.45
Current price
£3.45
Synopsis
Angela's Ashes (Series of 3) #1
Angela's Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's astounding humour and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.
"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."
So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank's mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy - exasperating, irresponsible and beguiling - does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father's tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.
Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank's survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbours - yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness.
Details
- Format : Slightly Larger 2nd Hand Paperback
- Condition : Good
- Category : Non-Fiction - Autobiography & Biography
- Published : 1996 (This Edition 1999 - Touchstone USA)
- ISBN : 9780684842677
- SKU : B004036
- PPC : SP400gm
- RRP : $14.00
- Quantity Available : 1 only.
External Reviews
"What a surprise and delight it was to discover the writing style and wit of Frank McCourt. Even though his life is tough and at times sad, he is able to describe it with a mix of finesse and honesty that doesn't drag you down. He captures the Irish view and manner of speech deftly. The moment I finished this book I immediately ordered 'Tis his next book and Teacher Man. Some books I give away after reading, but this ones a keeper and I will re-read it in the future."
"This book truly captured me back in high school. It was something of a gateway to both reading literature and developing my own style of fictional memoir writing. This book has a personality all of its own and is just so deeply 'Frank McCourt'. A timeless humour. Simple yet complex. Frank McCourt truly captures the essence of what it is to be a child with questions, questions, questions and their own magical answers." - Google Reviews.
AI Summary
Frank McCourt's unforgettable memoir traces his impoverished childhood in Depression-era Brooklyn and famine-stricken Ireland with raw honesty and dark humour. Through vivid storytelling, McCourt captures the struggles of his family against poverty, illness, and religious constraint, while revealing moments of resilience and unexpected grace. This powerful narrative explores themes of survival, identity, and the transformative power of education, offering readers an intimate glimpse into a life shaped by hardship yet marked by an indomitable spirit. A moving and compelling account that resonates long after the final page.
The Author
Frank McCourt (1930-2009) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and returned to America in 1949. For thirty years he taught in New York City high schools. His first book, "Angela's Ashes," won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the L.A. Times Book Award. In 2006, he won the prestigious Ellis Island Family Heritage Award for Exemplary Service in the Field of the Arts and the United Federation of Teachers John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education.
