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Angela's Ashes

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Angela's Ashes

By: Frank McCourt
Narrated by: Frank McCourt
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About this listen

McCourt’s Pulitzer Prize winning look back at his childhood. “It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while…”

“When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.

People everywhere brag or whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying shcoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years. Above all we were wet…”

So begins Frank McCourt’s stunning memoir of his childhood in Ireland and America, a recollection of unvarnished truth and no self pity, of grinding poverty and indomitable spirit that will live in the memory long after the tape has ended.

Now a major film directed by Alan Parker and starring Robert Carlyle and Emily Watson.

©1996 Frank McCourt; (P)1999 Harper Collins UK Funny
All stars
Most relevant
brilliant can't wait for next episode in Frank's life, what a laugh I nearly pood myself


Great story told in a great Irish accent

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I loved it and wanted more! Great narration. I’ve read the books but was so much better having it read by the author himself.

Why Abridged?

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I have listened to this book several times - I used to own it on CD too before Audible, and I keep coming back to it. The whole series is great, but this first one is the best.
Frank McCourt’s narration is excellent, he has a fantastic reading voice that works so well with the text.
The book is both funny, sad and very interesting.

One of my favourite audiobooks all time

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Good book very emotional
Good film as well
Heartwarming and real will listen to it again

Good listen

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This was a enjoyable short story. It’s amazing scene what an Irish woman had to put up with , husband who was an alcoholic ? losing a children not able to grieve properly, expectation of her having no support from her husband. not able to feed her children because her squalor whatever money they receive drinking .what psychological impact this would have on the oldest boy who manage, to find himself going back to America were he was born to start a new life.

The expectation of the family and what mum had to put up with

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