Buttmunker

I saw the film adaptation of Angela's Ashes a couple years ago, and came across the memoir by Frank McCourt a couple weeks ago - and picked it up. Loved it.

After I finished this...this...glimpse into the life of the McCourt family, I noticed that the author had written a sequel called Tis. I didn't waste any time picking that up, and I'm almost finished with it. During the reading of Tis I discovered through the internet that Frank's brother, Malachy, had written his own memoir, so I ordered it online so that when I'm finished with Tis, I won't have to waste anytime between glimpses into this family.

Online I also saw that there were two documentaries made about the McCourts: The McCourts of Limerick and The McCourts of New York. I will eventually pick up the latter, as the first isn't yet available on DVD.

On the book cover of Angela's Ashes, there's a picture of a little shoeless boy whom I have to assume is the author, Frank McCourt. Now I know the McCourts grew up in poverty, and I was wondering how this nice picture of Frank came about. Was it a random photographer? How did it come into Frank's possession?

There obviously weren't any pictures of the other McCourt children, as there isn't one evident in Malachy's memoir.

It's funny that those poverty-stricken McCourt brothers came to America and made their fortunes. Malachy McCourt has appeared in several movies - movies I've seen dozens of times but didn't know about the McCourts then. But he's been in The Field, She's The One, and Green Card.

Will Malachy McCourt's book be made into a film any time? Will Michael or Alphie McCourt (the two youngest sibs) write their own memoirs?

The title Angela's Ashes - what did it mean? I always thought it was a reference to the babies - her three other children - who died.

mariakitty

So many times I have wondered about the title of Angela's Ashes...when I was reading the book I kept expecting her to die because of the title! I agree that the title is to honor Frank's dead siblings. Wasn't this book fantastic? I haven't read Tis because someone told me it wasn't that good, but now I'm definitely going to read it.

I too assumed that the picture on the cover was Frank. Possibly it was taken by his grandmother as she wasn't quite as poverty-stricken as the rest of the clan. Or maybe it isn't Frank at all. I am going to look into this!

mariakitty

One more thing....did you enjoy the movie of Angela's Ashes? I adore Robert Carlyle who plays the father, but there were so many medicore reviews that I never picked it up. Was it too much for American audiences possibly?

Buttmunker

I saw the movie when it first came out on video, and I do remember liking it. Once I'm finished with all the books, I intend to buy the movie.

Crocker Jarmen

I picked up 'Tis when it first came out and I was very disappointed with it. I think I was just expecting something else, because I picked it up a few years later to flip though and wound up reading it straight through again. I now think it's a wonderful book, and would encourage anyone to read it.

Malachy's first book A Monk Swimming is one of the funniest things I've read. I think that half the time he's full of shit, but his tales and wonderful expressions ('Now fetch me a drink before my tonsils think I've gone off with a woman and left them'') make you value the joy of the tellings over their accuracy. I buy a copy of this book to give to someone as a Christmas gift every year.

worrywort

A real treat is listening to Frank's books on tape, he's a wonderful reader.

Beaver

I guess the cover photo is not the original one:
http://www.limerick.com/angelasashes/controversy1.html
http://www.limerick.com/news/archive1.html

Beaver

Here's some more info on the book:

http://www.limerick.com/angelasashes/angelasashes1.html