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Angela's Ashes  By  cover art

Angela's Ashes

By: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
Narrated by: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
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Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Biography/Autobiography, 1997

National Book Critics Circle, Biography/Autobiography, 1997

Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, movingly read in his own voice, bears all the marks of a classic. Born in Depression-era Brooklyn to Irish immigrant parents, Frank was later raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. His mother, Angela, had no money to feed her children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely worked, and when he did, he drank his wages. Angela's Ashes is the story of how Frank endured - wearing shoes repaired with tires, begging for a pig's head for Christmas dinner, and searching the pubs for his father - a tale he relates with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Listen to Frank McCourt talk about this book on C-SPAN's Booknotes (7/11/97).

©1997 Frank McCourt, All Rights Reserved (P)1997 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, Audioworks is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"Frank McCourt is a marvelous writer whose words are made all the better when he reads them aloud..." (Bookpage)

"...one of the best I've heard in years." (The Boston Globe)

"...so good it deserves a sequel" (The New York Times)

"Here we have the stereotypical Irish characters - the drunken poet father; the all-suffering mother; the miserable, hungry kids being turned away by a haughty Church - all made three-dimensional and brought fully to life by both McCourt's language and his loving, intimate narration.... Grim it is - but the tale and its teller transcend the poverty - and so does the listener, who glories in the story and voice from beginning to end." (AudioFile)

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials Top 100


The spirited (but friendly) debate over these titles could have gone on indefinitely. With years of listening, countless customer reviews, and a catalog of seemingly infinite great listens, 100 suddenly felt like a very small number. What we know for sure—each title that made it to this collection is elevated and made special in some way by audio, whether by a layered performance from a single narrator, a brilliantly cohesive full cast, original music, or immersive sound effects. Discover an audio experience for the ages.

What listeners say about Angela's Ashes

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,205
  • 4 Stars
    1,623
  • 3 Stars
    552
  • 2 Stars
    209
  • 1 Stars
    141
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,553
  • 4 Stars
    826
  • 3 Stars
    238
  • 2 Stars
    82
  • 1 Stars
    66
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,855
  • 4 Stars
    1,248
  • 3 Stars
    397
  • 2 Stars
    148
  • 1 Stars
    112

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

He Charmed Me....

If you love the dry humour and boyish charm of the narration...don't miss this memoir of an achingly-poor Irish family told by McCourt himself...it's "beyond the beyonds".

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great story and great listen.

Would you consider the audio edition of Angela's Ashes to be better than the print version?

I loved hearing Frank McCourt reading it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Frank McCourt and how he dealt with his life.

What about Frank McCourt’s performance did you like?

He is a great reader.

Any additional comments?

Great writing for a great story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • CB
  • 07-21-14

NEEDS A SEQUEL -- What happens next?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very interesting story, makes one appreciate what he has.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Frank & Angela, the main characters

Have you listened to any of Frank McCourt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. N/A.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. Just made me kind of depressed to think that people had to live and die this way.

Any additional comments?

I would love to find out what happened next.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb narration

The story itself is quite compelling, but having it read by the author himself to emphasize the words and phrases in his own way, adds a unique and incomparable dimension. It literally brings the story to life, as if Frank McCourt were sitting across the table and telling you the story of his early life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • RM
  • 10-19-17

Amazing story!

The story made me laugh and cry. I was sad when the story was over!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One if the great reads of my life.

Hearing the author read it brought Angela's Ashes to life better than any film could hope to do.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

walk down memory lane

was wonderful listening to author read, made it feel like a conversation. an Irish tale read by an irshman/voice. the story is rich with life and a growing young man's perspective on life's bumpy journey.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing and beautiful

What made the experience of listening to Angela's Ashes the most enjoyable?

Frank McCourt does a wonderful job narrating and giving the characters their own voices, I imagine from his own memory. It's amazing.

What about Frank McCourt’s performance did you like?

I love his accent - it makes the memoir so authentic.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried and loved every single minute.

Any additional comments?

This is my new favorite book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

This is a beautiful tale of one incredible life story. This tale offers so much in the ranges of emotion. You feel incredibly saddened, angry and humored all at the same time. McCourt's quasi-American/Irish accent makes the audio version a joy to listen to. Tis' a good book it is, Tis' some class of a well written memoir.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely story

It sounds and feels real. I'm left with a real sense of the time and place and what it must have been like to live in that kind of grinding poverty. Cheer Frankie on as he rises above and out of it!

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