Title of the Book:Angela's Ashes   Author: Frank McCourt # of Pages: 378   Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆ ☆  Review:

 Have you ever reflected on your childhood? Perhaps the memories that came back to you led you to a new understanding of how you became the person you are today. Maybe the knowledge that you have now makes you feel differently about a situation than you did in the moment. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is an excellent illustration of such a reflection. It follows the path of a young Irish boy born in America all the way through to adulthood. As a young man the thoughtful memoir resonated with me very well and I think it will for many other people too.

The story is written through the eyes of the author as he grows up, because of this the descriptions, and the voice they are given in, naturally advance with the narrator and his journey through childhood in Ireland. While you never hear the author directly commenting on his experience from an adult point of view there are subtle criticisms in the vignettes that he relates. Examples of this can be seen in the repetitive and slightly humorous exchanges between his teachers and their students, as well as the way he describes the interactions between him and the adult figures in his life. This all results in a very relevant and thoughtful piece that focuses on what we gain, and lose, with our experiences as children.

Speaking of experiences, Frank McCourt has a myriad of them that he shares with the readers. Most of these experiences are not positive. Despite this, the novel is not written to make you feel sympathetic toward the author and the many injustices that come against him. In fact, what you get when you read this book is a searingly honest look at the imperfections that plague humans. No one is safe from this uncovering, even the author himself does things that are very hard to get behind. Surprisingly this doesn’t alienate you from the characters or make them unlikeable, it actually does the opposite. Even characters that may have come across as villains or antagonists are more fleshed out and human because of the common thread of mistakes that all characters share. Because of this it makes you feel as if the author is without bias, and is fairly representing the events that transpired.

Just like people no books are perfect. The series of event’s in Angela’s Ashes is sometimes unfocused and hard to follow. It could talk less about the “interfering” that the narrator does. However, these imperfections don’t deter me from making a recommendation of this book to anyone that would enjoy a well developed coming-of-age story. It is engrossing through the last chapter that contains a single word. Within the context this word holds much meaning. It is partly a sigh of resolution to and acceptance of ones past and identity, but more powerful than that is the hope that the word holds. I hope you take the time out your life to read Angela’s Ashes, if you open your mind to how real and honest it is, you certainly won’t regret it.