false 4912 42 The sequel to Frank McCourt's memoir of his Irish Catholic boyhood, <I>Angela's Ashes</I>, picks up the story in October 1949 upon his arrival in America. Though he was born in New York, the family had returned to Ireland due to poor prospects in the United States. Now back on American soil, this awkward 19-year-old, with his "pimply face, sore eyes, and bad teeth," has little in common with the healthy, self-assured college students he sees on the subway and dreams of joining in the classroom. Initially, his American experience is as harrowing as his impoverished youth in Ireland, including two of the grimmest Christmases ever described in literature. McCourt views the U.S. through the same sharp eye and dark humour that distinguished his first memoir; race prejudice, casual cruelty and dead-end jobs weigh on his spirits as he searches for a way out. A glimpse of hope comes from the army, where he acquires some white-collar skills, and from New York University, which admits him without a high school diploma. But the journey toward his position teaching creative writing at Stuyvesant High School is neither quick nor easy. Fortunately, McCourt's openness to every variety of human emotion and longing remains exceptional; even the most damaged, difficult people he encounters are richly rendered individuals with whom the reader can't help but feel uncomfortable kinship. The magical prose, with its singing Irish cadences, brings grandeur and beauty to the most sorrowful events, including the final scene, in which Angela's ashes are scattered over a Limerick graveyard. --<I>Wendy Smith</I> 1779262 1999 'Tis total:8854|5:1269|4:2953|3:3390|2:1043|1:199| 8854 30612 10731 673 4 2 false false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 13:05:09 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 10 10:19:09 -0700 2008
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 ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 20 15:59:24 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 01 18:43:08 -0700 2007 'Tis is the sequel to Frank McCourts Angelas Ashes about a boy brought up in poverty in Ireland, with many siblings, his mother and his alcoholic father. 'Tis focuses on his adult life, once he had obtained enough money and traveled to New York. It describes his years in the army and going to school...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Fri Feb 16 15:45:56 -0800 2007 Fri Feb 16 17:08:40 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 20 18:25:11 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 18:44:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 27 06:16:20 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 06:17:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 03:48:24 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 03:48:44 -0700 2009
While Angela's Ashes focused a great deal on the overwhelming poverty of the McCourt family, '...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Thu Jun 25 17:25:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 20:42:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sun Feb 01 09:43:41 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 09:52:40 -0800 2009 once 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 b...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 14 09:16:11 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 14 09:22:40 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 16:02:30 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 07:18:04 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 04 10:00:34 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 04 18:00:42 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 13:14:46 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 13:23:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 12:04:43 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 12:16:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 00:01:12 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 23:21:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Fri Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 22:55:02 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 16:21:19 -0700 2009 2 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 10 13:32:11 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 08:31:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 18:05:49 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 18:41:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 23 07:10:21 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 21:50:46 -0800 2008
Confused at times. The Frank of Angela's Ashes is someone you want to root for; by 'Tis you kno...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 12:47:32 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 08:22:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 03 17:17:23 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 06:48:46 -0700 2008