“Poetic, funny, uncomfortable, Angela’s Ashes has everything and gives a damning account of what it was like to be poor in Ireland.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
I really love memoirs and Angela’s Ashes has sat on my TBR for an age before I finally picked it up a few months ago, once I did pick it up, I didn’t put it down until I got to the end. It’s one of the most beautifully written memoirs I have ever read and a delightful (if painful in parts) read.
Poetic, funny, uncomfortable, Angela’s Ashes has everything and gives a damning account of what it was like to be poor in Ireland. While many people were emigrating to America, the McCourts were coming back and what follows is a touching, beautiful, and often funny account of Frank’s upbringing, his life through the eyes of a child growing up in poverty in Ireland.
Said to be the first ‘misery memoir’, Angela’s Ashes is so much more than that, and the way Frank’s humour shines through lightens up many parts of what could be a devastatingly sad memoir.
A highly recommended, unputdownable read. I look forward to reading the author’s other works. McCourt’s poetic use of language is unforgettable and his descriptions so crisp and realistic, it almost felt like you were there with him, just without the empty belly.
Reviewed by:
Kath Cross
Added 18th September 2018
