Literature: Angela's Ashes
This week, I finished reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.
Excellent novel!
It's a memoir based on the author's poverty stricken childhood. He was born in America, but after his infant sister's death, his parents gathered up their sons and moved to Ireland, mainly due to family pressure. The father is a drunkard who cannot hold down a job and drinks away the government provided dole money. The mother is negligent in most ways... but likely due to depression from her situation with her husband, near constant pregnancies, and the death of several of her children and near death of another. I don't want to go into too many details because I already feel I gave too much away.
This was a really good read, though parts were difficult to bear. The author has an interesting way of writing that really puts you into the mindset of his child-self. It also made me take a closer look at the life I find myself in (and raising my child/ren in).
I actually read an article shortly before I started reading this novel. The article was about another man's experience in England, growing up in the lower working class. It was a great read (though I think I forgot to save the article), and this book was a nice deeper look... though Irish lower working class was typically far worse than English lower working class from what I understand.
A favorite? Yes!
Would I recommend it? Yes!
Do I plan to keep it? Yes, after I see if my mother wants to borrow it.
Excellent novel!
It's a memoir based on the author's poverty stricken childhood. He was born in America, but after his infant sister's death, his parents gathered up their sons and moved to Ireland, mainly due to family pressure. The father is a drunkard who cannot hold down a job and drinks away the government provided dole money. The mother is negligent in most ways... but likely due to depression from her situation with her husband, near constant pregnancies, and the death of several of her children and near death of another. I don't want to go into too many details because I already feel I gave too much away.
This was a really good read, though parts were difficult to bear. The author has an interesting way of writing that really puts you into the mindset of his child-self. It also made me take a closer look at the life I find myself in (and raising my child/ren in).
I actually read an article shortly before I started reading this novel. The article was about another man's experience in England, growing up in the lower working class. It was a great read (though I think I forgot to save the article), and this book was a nice deeper look... though Irish lower working class was typically far worse than English lower working class from what I understand.
A favorite? Yes!
Would I recommend it? Yes!
Do I plan to keep it? Yes, after I see if my mother wants to borrow it.