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Angela's Ashes

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Angela's Ashes

Written by: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
Narrated by: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
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About this listen

Pulitzer Prize, Biography/Autobiography, 1997

National Book Critics Circle, Biography/Autobiography, 1997

Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, movingly read in his own voice, bears all the marks of a classic. Born in Depression-era Brooklyn to Irish immigrant parents, Frank was later raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. His mother, Angela, had no money to feed her children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely worked, and when he did, he drank his wages. Angela's Ashes is the story of how Frank endured - wearing shoes repaired with tires, begging for a pig's head for Christmas dinner, and searching the pubs for his father - a tale he relates with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Listen to Frank McCourt talk about this book on C-SPAN's Booknotes (7/11/97).

©1997 Frank McCourt, All Rights Reserved (P)1997 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, Audioworks is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division Simon & Schuster Inc.
Biographies & Memoirs Ireland Fiction Classics
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What the critics say

"Frank McCourt is a marvelous writer whose words are made all the better when he reads them aloud..." (Bookpage)

"...one of the best I've heard in years." (The Boston Globe)

"...so good it deserves a sequel" (The New York Times)

"Here we have the stereotypical Irish characters - the drunken poet father; the all-suffering mother; the miserable, hungry kids being turned away by a haughty Church - all made three-dimensional and brought fully to life by both McCourt's language and his loving, intimate narration.... Grim it is - but the tale and its teller transcend the poverty - and so does the listener, who glories in the story and voice from beginning to end." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Angela's Ashes

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The best thing on Audible!

I’ve read the book years ago and have seen the movie but this performance is beyond my expectations. I laughed out loud so many times during this performance. One word - Fantastic.

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Loved this book!

One of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to! It’s a wonder Frank survived his childhood. I will recommend it to all my friends.

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Fantastic story.

The ultimate story of Irish struggle...in every sense. Having the author read the story was an added bonus but the first chapter read by the female was pretty bad. Otherwise you cant really fault this cracker of a story.

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Emotional Story

I listened to this book everyday on my commute to work. Frank tells the story beautifully and i love the simplicity and innocence of his character and how he reflects on times of his life that were terrible. This traumatic story is so motivational and really shows the difference the way the world was before and during WWII

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Exceptional

Interesting, heartbreaking, captivating , poignant and all the rest of the most amazing memories of the writer. I will listen again just for the sheer historical significance of the Irish family struggles.

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FM was a national treasure!

Beautiful prose, brilliant story, unforgettable memoire, and a narration that will never be outdone. AA won a Pulitzer for a reason, afterall. can't recommend it highly enough.

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Loved it!!!

I have recommended this book and his following books more times than I can remember! There is only a few books I can read/listen to more than once and this is one of them! #Audible1

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amazing!

Read by the author, really brings the book to life. it's sad, it's funny, but above all it feels very real.

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Laugh and cry and cry and cry and laugh

Thank you Frank McCourt. Lovely story telling in his very unique way. Will start Tis soon.

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'Tis A Great Book Entirely - Effective Narration

This book is filled with Irish clichés (the good-for-nothing drunk Da, the ever-suffering Catholic Mam with a pile of kids), but it's undeniably true-to-life. Frank McCourt relates a series of mindblowing anecdotes about growing up horrifyingly poor in Brooklyn and Ireland. There is gritty description, legitimate humor, and genuine pathos in this book. Yes, it advances stereotypes (clearly not all Irish - actually not many - fit this cartoonish depiction), but 'Angela's Ashes' is a generally enjoyable look at Mr. McCourt's life experience (I, for one, do not doubt the veracity of his childhood tales of jawdropping poverty, personal failings, and recurrent infant death). 'Angela's Ashes' sounds - on it's face - dark and depressing, but the underlying theme is actually the resilience of humanity. Additionally, the prose is unparalleled, the pacing is spectacular, and the "characters" are palpably real. This is a marvellously-written book.

Authors reading their own stuff isn't always a good idea. Too often it's a glaring mistake.. but Frank McCourt's narration is great: his emotion reading some segments is genuine (and gives heartrending impact to the beautifully-written words); his authentic and not-too-thick Irish accent lends the book veritas; and he actually sings the numerous little ditties/shanties he puts into the text.
That said, McCourt reads too slowly (I had to speed playback to 1.25X to optimize the reading) and his cadence makes it clear he is reading rather than relating.
Altogether, a professional reader could have brought a different feel to the audiobook, but using McCourt was generally a good move from Simon & Schuster Audio.

This 9.5/10 audiobook is emotionally-gripping and well-worth your Credit. I can highly recommend this deserved Pulitzer Prize winner.

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