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Jul 14, 2011

K.D. rated it:

My brother was the one who told me to read Frank McCourt’s 1996 Pulitzer-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes. It was one of the books that made me who am I today: a voracious reader.

It took me 12 years before reading its 1999 sequel, ’Tis (short for “It is”). Reason: I wanted to let the cute and innocent boy Frank and his brothers Malachy, Michael and Alphie to stay as long as possible in my mind. I did not want them to grow up. I wanted to hold on to the image of those boys running and w More...

14 comments like (18 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

Sadder in some ways than Angela's Ashes. Whereas Angela's Ashes was a story of Frank McCourt fighting the odds and dangers of growing up in a Limerick slum and trying to escape, this book is about Frank McCourt fighting with himself and occasionally American society. This book reveals his darker side, including his own battles with the drink (though these are never as bad as his father's alcohol problems), his insecurities and the chip on his shoulder about growing up in a slum. Frank had a toug More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 07, 2011

Elisa rated it:

Ci sono giornate eccezionali in cui la discussione di una poesia apre la porta a una luce bianca abbagliante e tutti capiscono i versi e capiscono di aver capito e quando la luce si smorza ci sorridiamo come viaggiatori al ritorno da un'avventura.

Con Frank McCourt accade esattamente lo stesso. Seguirlo per le strade di New York è come sbirciare in una stanza rimasta chiusa per decenni, lasciandovi entrare un fascio di luce.
Il suo passo incerto e goffo si fa più solido con il More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2008

Mark rated it:

Couple of points here:

McCourt's story is mesmerizing. From what he came from to what he become is beyond inspiring and thought provoking; however, I have some qualms with McCourt.

Knowing what he knows about the dangers and pitfalls of alcohol, why the hell does he touch the stuff? It goes on to ruin several of his relationships and opportunities and yet he never comments on this. He never touches on the point of alcoholism in families and how his father's drinking did or More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 16, 2007

Brandi rated it:

First, let me say that I absolutely adored this book. While not as dear to my heart as the first, I think this story is moving and the voice is, as always, unique. That said, this story is a much more familiar one than the last: Irish immigrant trying to make a life for himself in a new world, and a war-enraged America. This story, though, is much more tangible than "other" immigration stories and unique in that, throughout all the troubles, heartache, injustice, and anger, this is a s More...

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Jan 20, 2009

Susan rated it:

This is an amazing and a motivational book that has inspired me these past few months being a junior. What makes this book inspirtational is how at every event in McCourt's life he finds the positive sides or tries to find something humorous within the event. This has taught me that no matter what life throws me at I can achieve, nothing is a major deal. I was really able to connect to McCourt in this book more than the first, Angela's Ashes because this story took place in New York, and in my n More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Linda rated it:

What a disappointment this book was! After reading the powerful and heart-wrenching Angela's Ashes, I foolishly assumed that if there was a sequel to be written, it would be the author sharing with us some form of wisdom learned from the anguish of growing up with an alcoholic and abandoning father.

Instead what we get is one disgusting anecdote after another of McCourt masturbating in the restaurant bathroom in between bussing tables, masturbating in a public park with children around More...

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Aug 25, 2011

manuti rated it:

Los dos primeros Libros 2005-2006. 12 libros al año.
Después de leer Las cenizas de Ángela he leído Lo es, y me alegro un montón. Los dos libros son un auténtico drama, pero con un punto de humor, sobre todo basado en la inocencia del protagonista, Frank McCourt. Esta inocencia, no es solo la del niño y adolescente durante sus años en Limerick, sino también la del profesor de instituto en Nueva York. Me ha sorprendido mucho, toda la parte donde cuenta sus problemas con los alumnos, que hoy son aq More...

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Jul 31, 2011

Book Concierge rated it:

Frank McCourt burst on the literary scene with his memoir Angela’s Ashes, which outlined his childhood lived in abject poverty in Limerick Ireland. This book picks up where that one left off. He begins by recounting some of the overseas voyage, befriended by a priest who encourages him to talk to the “wealthy Protestants from Kentucky,” and who is dismayed when McCourt’s embarrassment over his teeth, his eyes, his clothing, keeps him from asserting himself. But although nothing is as he expecte More...

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Mar 19, 2011

Kimberly rated it:

I enjoyed this sequel to "Angela's Ashes", because of Frank McCourt's ability to recollect dialogue, and his way of writing the words so well that you can just HEAR the Irish accent while you read.

It is so amazing and inspiring to see where Frank comes from, the slums of Ireland, with his essentially single mother to college, eventually graduate school, & later a teacher in New York City. It's a long road out of the slums & out of his own head of fears, limitations, & low self esteem to the pla More...

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Feb 09, 2011

Barbara rated it:

Quite some time ago I reviewed McCourt's first autobiography, Angela's Ashes. 'Tis is the second book which picks up as Frank is sailing from Ireland to America, where he expects to see everyone has a tan and beautiful white teeth, i.e. the Hollywood version. First lesson, New York City and its people don't much resemble his expectations.

He's still poor as a churchmouse of course but he finds a job sweeping the floor and emptying ashtrays in the lobby of the Biltmore, then moves on t More...

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Mar 23, 2010

Jana rated it:

This was my first introduction to Frank McCourt's writing. I was a little reluctant to start with his famous Angela's Ashes, because it seemed really heavy and sad. 'Tis is the story of McCourt's arrival at age 19 to America, his struggle to acclimatize to life in a new country, find jobs, educate himself, and eventually become an English teacher. I had mixed feelings about the book, so here is both the good and the bad:

The Good-
*McCourt is a master story-teller. I loved t More...

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Oct 27, 2009

Piedmont_Michael rated it:

(Previously published in BookLove blog) - After Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, one of the bleakest books I’ve ever read, I wasn’t sure what to expect from ’Tis. Frank McCourt was born in New York City , but moved back to Ireland with his family as a small child. The fact that young Frank, at the age of 19, was able to escape extreme poverty in Ireland and move to New York City is an accomplishment by itself. Within several days of arriving, he receives the first of many warnings about the evil More...

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Sep 18, 2009

Rebecca rated it:

Tis is the continuation of the story begun in Angela's Ashes, taking off right where Angela's Ashes ended - with McCourt landing in America to begin his new adventure in the Land of Opportunity.

While Angela's Ashes focused a great deal on the overwhelming poverty of the McCourt family, 'Tis instead focuses on the differences McCourt notices between Ireland and America. In addition, there are a great many stories about the mistakes he makes in his early days and his constant yearning More...

1 comment like

Jun 25, 2009

Richard rated it:

I’d mentioned to a friend of my mum’s that I had read Angela’s Ashes and enjoyed it, to a point (see my review). Unknown to me, Frank McCourt had at the time recently released ‘Tis, so quicker than you can do an Irish jig I was merrily ensconced in the continuation of his memoirs. Oh how quickly that went from merriment to drudgery. Maybe I got too absorbed in Frank’s bitter retelling of life in America – man is this guy got self-esteem issues and a large Irish chip on his shoulder or what!
More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2009

Jan C rated it:

This is the follow up to his book Angela's Ashes. I think the previous book leaves the reader with him getting on a boat to America. And he's still on that boat when the second book starts. It is more about how he made his way in America. What are some of the things that turned him around - like a bartender telling him he ought to find his way to the library instead of spending so much time in his bar. And he took him up on it. I think he worked on the docks. Went into the Army (not by choice). More...

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Aug 14, 2007

Laura rated it:

If you have read Angela's Ashes and Teacher Man, this is more of the same. Having just read Teacher Man, there was ALOT of overlap in this book. But I listened to this one, rather than reading it, and McCourt's accent does make the whole venture more amusing. Like a true irishman, he can charm birds out of trees BUT he also tries to get away with murder, which makes you love him and hate him at the same time. I'm still trying to get his inflections and verbal mannerisms out of my head...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 18, 2009

Kristy rated it:

While I found this book to be better then Angela's Ashes - still really not that good. I have huge problems feeling sorry for people who choose to drink, and then end up hurt in some way by it. I don't buy his excuses about his drinking. I know it can run in the family - but I also know some people who have never touched the drink because of their alcoholic parents. Again, I just don't really see it as an excuse.

I thought his teaching style was unique. And of course I have confl More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Racquel rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. At first it was very hard to get in to. It was probably because I did not read Angela's Ashes first. Frank McCourt wrote that first, then Tis and lastly Teacher Man. The whole time you are reading Tis you are rooting for Frank. If you have any family who immigrated to America then you will definitely like this book. Who knows it might even reveal some interesting stories about your family's past that you never knew ( I know it worked for me).

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 06, 2011

Nikole rated it:

If you have read Angela’s Ashes, this book is a continuation of Frank McCourt‘s life after he leaves Ireland and moves to New York City and follows him through his various jobs (including the US military) he held as well as his years as a college student working towards a teaching degree.

Overall, ‘Tis is a good book and fairly enjoyable whether or not you have read Angela’s Ashes or not. I did feel as though this book was lacking the subtle humor that Angela’s Ashes had which was a gre More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Mrs. S rated it:

Ok, I couldn't hold out on the fifth star anymore, Mr. McCourt. Usually, I prefer the childhood piece of memoirs, but in this case, I think the young adulthood/adulthood portion was even stronger. Was this largely because of his pitch-perfect ear for what a class of students sounds like when they smell inexperience on a new teacher from out of town? YES. Yes it was. Am I deliriously excited that McCourt's third book focuses just on his teaching career? YES. Yes I am. There is no schmaltz More...

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Apr 04, 2010

CC rated it:

I'm partial to immigrant stories so that gives the book an edge, and though it wasn't as cohesive as Angela's Ashes I'll still give it a four stars cuz three wouldn't do it justice. The great voice is still there and the familiarity of writing escorts you right back into McCourt's world.

Now a young man, McCourt has successfully made his way to America and works dead end jobs, joins the Army, and finally goes to college (how,I kept wondering, with no high school diploma; a question n More...

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Jul 17, 2009

Cynthia rated it:

I read Angela's Ashes a few years ago and I found it depressing and I put off reading Tis, the sequel for a long time. I recently read reviews about Angela's Ashes and a lot of people saw the humor in it. I honestly do not remember any humor in it but I did found a lot in Tis, and I'm so grateful for that.

Tis tells the story of Frank McCourt's first 20 years or so in NewYork in the 1950's-1970's after immigrating from Ireland. He was definitely "fresh off the boat" and s More...

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Nov 21, 2011

Sli rated it:

Početak knjige mi je bio odličan. Sredina me malo uspavala i zamorila nebrojenim ponavljanjima istih motiva, a kraj je ponovno uspio izdignuti ovaj roman iz prosječnosti.
Možda će nekome tko je pročitao obje knjige biti čudno što ovo pišem, ali nastavak mi je mnogo tužniji od izvornika. Osjeti se sjeta u piščevom "glasu" i možda, između redaka, neodgovoreno pitanje smisla našeg vremena na ovoj Zemlji. Hm, ili su to moja pitanja? Vrijeme prolazi za sve jednako. Zanima me čemu ću se More...

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Oct 25, 2011

Graham rated it:

Just as with Angela's Ashes, the prequel to this continued autobiography, or "Memoir" as McCourt likes to call it, the events make a gruelling read. McCourt's life reads exactly like the "Poor Irish" stereotype, on steroids. It is a mesmerising read though: it's the sort of book that is hard to put down; you just have to read one more paragraph, one more section, one more chapter.

If there is one criticism it is that the perspective of the author is one of continua More...

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Jun 28, 2010

Christina rated it:

This memoir picks up from where Angela's Ashes ends with young Frank arriving back in America at the age of 18. It takes him all the way through to the death of his parents and the spreading of Angela's Ashes back in her native Ireland.

This book is not as much of a downer as the first as Frank has finally removed himself from the truly bone chilling poverty & misery of Limerick. However, there is a repetitive theme as he takes over the roll of the adult who truly cannot seem to get h More...

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Aug 10, 2009

Jean rated it:

Like Angela's Ashes, this bio is thoroughly engaging both narratively (I'm being told this is not a word!) and emotionally, EXCEPT at those points where you rebel and can't take the author's side. That didn't happen for me during Angela's Ashes, I guess because throughout that story McCourt is such an underdog. The iffy stuff he does is clearly the result of circumstance. In 'Tis, you just wish he knew better sometimes. But how could he? And why should he be any different than he is? I'm talking More...

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Jul 28, 2010

Kendall rated it:

I love Frank McCourt's writing. On top of just having really incredible stories to tell, the way he tells his stories is beautiful: he writes about the death of his young siblings, his father's alcoholism and abandonment, and his early life living in extreme poverty with the voice of a child, simple and unassuming and forgiving, and with so much humor. And the way that he uses repetition of phrases (always describing his bad eyes as looking like two pissholes in the snow, or imagining his mother More...

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Mar 24, 2010

Jessica rated it:

I am so sad that I waited until after Frank McCourt's passing to pick up his books. I fell in love with his raw humor and colorful take on his depraved Irish upbringing in his first memoir, Angela's Ashes, and so I just had to continue with it's sequel, 'Tis. In 'Tis, McCourt finds himself back in America, struggling to build a life for himself with nothing but an impoverished childhood in his back pocket. Although the situations he finds himself in are dim, McCourt is such a seriously master More...

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May 06, 2011

Luana rated it:

Ciao Frank!
Non sono una recensitrice, non ho idea di cosa si scrive dietro una quarta di copertina per far sì che un libro - quantunque penoso - venga venduto a orde di lettori entusiasti, e il commento che seguito a scrivere è animato solo dal fatto che io non solo ho letto le tue parole, ma le ho fatte mie e le ho rese il mio insegnamento principale di vita.
Ho letto 'Le ceneri di Angela' nel 2010, durante il mio secondo viaggio a Francoforte, una delle città che amo più al mondo, e a More...

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