Frank McCourt and 'Tis

'Tis by Frank McCourt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This New York Times bestseller continues the aclaimed story of the author, first begun in "Angela's Ashes". It recounts McCourt's journey from Ireland to become an impoverished immigrant to America. He lands in New York at age ninteen, gets a job at the Biltmore Hotel where he encounters prejudice in the apparently classless society, is drafted into the army, sent to Germany. He returns to America where he works on the docks until he can by dint of herculean effort educate himself and become a teacher. He falls in love, not with an Roman Catholic Irish lass, as almost demanded by his race but with a beautiful Protestant blonde.



McCourt weaves a beguiling story out of what could have been a boring read. It captures and keeps the interest of the reader all the while giving pithy insights into characters, the Irish, and America.



McCourt tells his story without using quotations for dialogue, a strange break from writing conventions. The story is told in almost breathless prose which somehow skilfully captures the voice of a struggling immigrant. There are enormous sections of description and descriptive dialogue that despite their length beguile the the reader.



One follows McCourt's struggles to progress as a successful immigrant and devoted husband with a certain fearful expectation of disaster. Why? Throughout the book it is obvious that for Frank and his friends the best solace is found in the bottle and the stories told while guzzling beer and whiskey. Personally, I found it disgusting that a man of such obvious gifts would again and again jilt his girl friend and drink away his money. But this seems to be the lifestyle that literary types admire. Personally, I don't, even if he exaggerated his love for the bottle in the cause of literary effect. As a writer he is skilled. As a model, well, enough said. I didn't expect him to gild the lily by disguising the truth, but I would expect some remorse especially given the alcoholism of his father.







View all my reviews