Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Angela's Ashes  By  cover art

Angela's Ashes

By: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
Narrated by: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.49

Buy for $22.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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 Best Memoirs to Make You Laugh, Cry, and Think


The memoir, as an art form, is one of the most difficult and complex to pull off. That’s why these titles are so impressive: not only are they excellent works in their own right, but they’ve achieved cultural acclaim, resonating with listeners of different ages, genders, races, religions, and identities. Often narrated by the authors themselves, these audiobooks allow listeners to be immersed in each story and feel all of the raw and unfiltered emotion that comes with them.

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

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great..

Great story of a difficult life.. Tears, laughter and family. The author did an amazing job reading this.. I ABSOLUTELY recommend it to any and all

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

A pint for Frankie McCourt!

My wife read the book a couple years ago and loved it! She highly recommended it to me. My great grandparents were from the Limerick area so I was interested in the story. I finally found the time using Audible with the book being being read by Himself! I loved it! The honesty, the struggle, the persistence, and a touch of the blarney to be sure!
Thank you Mr. McCourt for sharing your story. Thank you Angela for raising such a fine Irish son. He is quite a writer he is.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

I love this story

This is one of my top 10 favorite books I've ever read. It has always left an impression on me every time I've read it. Hearing it being read by the author just made it that much better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Excelent book

Would you listen to Angela's Ashes again? Why?

Absolutely

What was one of the most memorable moments of Angela's Ashes?

The priests comforting Frankie at age 16

What about Frank McCourt’s performance did you like?

I liked his voice and the way it made the story seem authentic

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and I did stay up way to late 2 nights in a row trying to do so

Any additional comments?

I am hoping for a sequel, I would love to meet the adult Frank McCourt

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Wonderful!!!

This was by far the best audible book I’ve ever listened to! A heartbreaking and also inspirational life story of Frank McCourts early years in Ireland. Also I can’t imagine hearing his story from anyone other than the great writer himself. I wholeheartedly recommend this masterpiece to all book lovers!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

a reason to be greatful

After listening to this book, I immediately bought the sequel. Frank mccourt recounts in a flawless way the hardships of growing up in great depression era Ireland. He was a remarkable man. In today's world it is nice to be reminded of all we have and to be truly greatful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Mesmerizing, heartbreaking and transcendent

Every American should listen to this honest account read by McCourt himself in his endlessly charming brogue to gain an appreciation of the wealth and luxury so many of us have come to accept, expect and to fault. The honesty and candor of this book charms and enlightens on every level. Just listen. I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks, many of them great. I have a new favorite.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

A true storyteller!

Frank McCourt is such a gifted storyteller and narrator. His memoir is heartbreaking, funny and moving all at once. What a gift to hear it told in his own voice with his marvelous accent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Even better in McCourt's voice

I read this in print years ago, and it was my first Audible purchase. I've been listening to Frank McCourt now for days, in my car, when I'm home working, in my office.
I'm going to miss listening to him!

The story of course is one of much heartbreak. It gave me great perspective that I needed reminding of.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Beautiful

Wonderful to hear Frank McCort's voice singing his songs and telling his tale. This story is beautifully sad and funny, sometimes at the same time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!