I knew Frank McCourt in New York City, although not well. He kept so much to himself I didn't have many interactions with him. He sat on a stool in the corner of his brother Alphie's restaurant/bar on the Upper West Side of New York City, where I worked, sipping a glass of something, always alone. I have a feeling that, like all good autobiographies, some events and characters in Frank's book were enlarged, some reduced, others adjusted and sculptured to focus and shape the narrative. If George Orwell did that sort of thing in books like Down and Out in Paris and London then Frank McCourt deserves the same latitude. Frank certainly re-spun the dialogue from what he remembered, aided by years being as aspiring writer and playwright. Be that as it may, the text rings true and it is a thoroughly enjoyable book, narrated well by its writer. It's a tribute to endurance and decidedly a book worth reading or listening to.

I avoided this book when it won all of its awards because I was somewhat aware of the contents and it just seemed depressing to me. I read Teacher Man and 'Tis by the author and then a book club friend told me this was in audio and read by the author, which I consider a real plus. This is an incredible story of a family in Ireland, abandoned by the father, and their story of survival. McCourt's memory of his childhood is riveting. You will love this book

I loved hearing Frank McCourt read this book. I also bought 'Tis and Teacher Man. I listened to all three in a row and just ordered the DVD about the McCourt brothers in America. More often, a book bores me after twenty minutes. Less often, it holds my attention. All his books held my attention.

This book is one of the best I've read in years. However, one must be prepared for the painful story the author tells about his life. I know I felt very lucky for my childhood when compared to Frank McCourt's.

However, the shining star of the book is Frank himself. He overcame the odds and wrote a wonderful narrative to a story of adversity, sorrow, and ultimately triumph.

The book was good, the audiobook is great! The book is read by the author -- which always makes books better, but with the Irish brogue from the author, it makes it a GEM. This is my all-time favorite audiobook, and I'm not even Irish. It's a great story, a great piece of history, a great autobiography, a great audio story.

Excellent book, read by author in a wonderful Irish accent!

I expected to like this book, since it was a Pulitzer Prize winner, and it was fine, but after awhile it just got repetitious. Both the story -- sad, poverty-infused anecdote after sad, poverty-infused anecdote -- and the sometimes sing-song narration of the author became just more and more of the same.

I did appreciate the wonderful Irish humor that buoyed the narrative, keeping it just above the surface of total despair. As an American descended from Irish immigrants, I found myself thinking about my deceased mother, who undoubtedly would have loved the book, and imagining the lives of my Irish ancestors.

No, I generally enjoy memoirs.

As the author, he both added and detracted from the book. Since it's a memoir, he lent an authenticity to the story that would have been absent had the book been read by someone else. It was enjoyable to hear his Irish accent ... and yet at times, his delivery became somewhat repetitious (same tone and pitch). In those instances, I think an actor would have done a better job.

It's so wonderful to find myself agreeing with the masses and loving something that the "powers that be" found worthy of such a lofty honor as a Pulitzer Prize. So many times I've taken the bait of an "award winner" only to be bitterly disappointed in the end. There's something about the old-fashioned, whimsical yet heartbreaking truths in this memoir that really touched me in a way that few books ever have. I laughed, almost cried (that would take a miracle), and just lost myself in the world of the U.S. and Ireland in the early 20th century. The tragedy, the hardships, the triumphs are expressed in a way that made me truly care about the people - that rarely happens for me and I really love when a book can take me there. There are so many things to appreciate about this book - you just need to use your credit on it and see for yourself.

I'm unsure. I didn't particularly care for this book. The first half is really boring, and if I had read this instead of listening to it, I might not have stuck with it. However, I was interested enough to listen to the sequels.

I've already listened to the follow-ups "'Tis" and "Teacher Man" is what I'm listening to right now. They are both by and narrated by Frank McCourt.

His story is narrated in his own words with his wonderful accent. It's told in a thoughtful way. The biggest thing that is a unique experience is the singing. In books when the lyrics are in the book, it's always awkward to read it without knowing the tune. Listening to the book give the reader an opportunity to hear the songs.

There is no main character I would cut. Maybe a few of the side characters that add nothing but pages and minutes to the story.

I selected this book because I thought I was going to be moved by human courage and strength to overcome great odds. This book had great potential to move the reader, however about half way through and clear up until the end, the book shifted and the author got caught up in the "excitement" of "wanking" (i.e., masturbation). This felt like such a disservice to the reader.