Honore's review
Angela's Ashes
by Frank McCourt
interesting
You should consider yourself very fortunate not to have grown up in a home with an alcoholic father and no money. Maybe some day you can write a book about your life that will be ten times better than his.
How DARE you presume ANYTHING about my personal life!
About her life perhaps they aren't, but Honore's books are far more than ten times better than his.
Just my humble opinion.
McCourt wrote this book from the point of view of a child. That was Ireland the way he experienced it. He didn't have the fortune of experiencing the better parts of his country's culture. He never takes a complaining tone in the story, either. He just tells it like it was. I personally found the story very humbling. Of course I won't develop negative opinions of Ireland from this book. It did make me curious to learn more of the country, though.
In my mind, those who think this book is essentially about Ireland are missing what Angela's Ashes has to offer. This book is not about Ireland. It's about poverty, class, drug abuse, religion, death, the lack of birth control, and so on. Replace Ireland with any other country on earth if need be since McCourt's story is certainly not unique to Ireland.
I think those that are offended by this book are generally allowing their biases affect thier judgement becuase it is silly to think a memoir can somehow indict a Nation, or affirm stereotypes. It's a memoir, not a novel, which means he's telling his story based on his experiences and perspectives. His dad was an alcoholic. Should he hide that, or not write about it, becuase not every Irish-Catholic is like his dad, or because it's offensive? Or Are you really saying that McCourt just made it up to make other Irish-Catholics look bad?
For me, the value in Angela's Ashes resides in what it tells us about being human, and serves as a reminder of what impoverished children suffered, and are still suffering, in the world today.
I love it!! I'm with you 1000000% of the way!!
Honore's review
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Honore's review
rating:
bookshelves:
negative-rating-on-the-pritchard-sc
I simply can not begin to fathom why Angela's Ashes garnered so much attention, much less seemingly endless lofty praise. Not only is it the most contrived, sappiest, self-pitying, typical Tale of A Poor Immigrant, ever, but as one of Irish-Catholic ancestry myself, I found it to be so incredibly, unbelievably insulting, I almost threw it across the room. The Smug Mr. McCourt somehow manages to affirm EVERY negative stereotype of the Irish that exists. This is how the story goes, more or less:
Everybody was poor, blah, blah, blah. REALLY poor, blah, blah. Everyone yells at everyone a lot, blah, blah, blah. All we had to eat were potatoes, blah, blah, blah. And they were moldy, blah, blah, blah. Some people came down with consumption and died, blah, blah, blah. Every male is unemployed and at the pub, getting drunk every day, blah, blah, blah. Did I mention we were poor, blah, blah, blah? Still, nothing to eat but moldy potatoes, blah, blah, blah. Oh, a...more
Everybody was poor, blah, blah, blah. REALLY poor, blah, blah. Everyone yells at everyone a lot, blah, blah, blah. All we had to eat were potatoes, blah, blah, blah. And they were moldy, blah, blah, blah. Some people came down with consumption and died, blah, blah, blah. Every male is unemployed and at the pub, getting drunk every day, blah, blah, blah. Did I mention we were poor, blah, blah, blah? Still, nothing to eat but moldy potatoes, blah, blah, blah. Oh, a...more
interesting
You should consider yourself very fortunate not to have grown up in a home with an alcoholic father and no money. Maybe some day you can write a book about your life that will be ten times better than his.
How DARE you presume ANYTHING about my personal life!
About her life perhaps they aren't, but Honore's books are far more than ten times better than his.
Just my humble opinion.
McCourt wrote this book from the point of view of a child. That was Ireland the way he experienced it. He didn't have the fortune of experiencing the better parts of his country's culture. He never takes a complaining tone in the story, either. He just tells it like it was. I personally found the story very humbling. Of course I won't develop negative opinions of Ireland from this book. It did make me curious to learn more of the country, though.
In my mind, those who think this book is essentially about Ireland are missing what Angela's Ashes has to offer. This book is not about Ireland. It's about poverty, class, drug abuse, religion, death, the lack of birth control, and so on. Replace Ireland with any other country on earth if need be since McCourt's story is certainly not unique to Ireland.
I think those that are offended by this book are generally allowing their biases affect thier judgement becuase it is silly to think a memoir can somehow indict a Nation, or affirm stereotypes. It's a memoir, not a novel, which means he's telling his story based on his experiences and perspectives. His dad was an alcoholic. Should he hide that, or not write about it, becuase not every Irish-Catholic is like his dad, or because it's offensive? Or Are you really saying that McCourt just made it up to make other Irish-Catholics look bad?
For me, the value in Angela's Ashes resides in what it tells us about being human, and serves as a reminder of what impoverished children suffered, and are still suffering, in the world today.
I love it!! I'm with you 1000000% of the way!!