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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

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.

©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

"It's pure heaven when McCourt reads...[He] sighs, we weep. He speaks, we are transported." ( The Christian Science Monitor)
"I'd listened to the audiobook which was read by Frank McCourt himself and vibrates with humor, heart, passion, and nostalgia..." (Roger Ebert)

What listeners say about Angela's Ashes

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ABRIDGED VERSION

I downloaded this audiobook because I was assigned to read Angela’s Ashes for an AP Lang assignment. I thought it would be easier to follow along with the book by listening to it but was confused when the reader skipped over parts. I was disappointed when I realized this is a shortened version, and I wasted my first free book on this. I wish it would’ve been made clear this is an abridged version before I got it.

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5 people found this helpful

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ABRIDGED

I’m really mad, I didn’t realize this was an abridged version since it didn’t say it anywhere!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing stories from an incredible storyteller

Where does Angela's Ashes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think this is the best audiobook I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

McCourt's stories of his childhood in the U.S. and Ireland bring up so many different emotions, sometimes simultaneously. I laughed so much, despite the tales of sadness and despair.

What about Frank McCourt’s performance did you like?

He is (or was) a master storyteller. I loved that he sang the songs and did the various voices. Listening to this was like stumbling into a pub and sitting next to McCourt as he recounts his life.

Any additional comments?

Everyone should listen to this audiobook, even if you've read the print version. Each is amazing in its own way. I was so sad when the book was over that I immediately downloaded 'Tis, which picks up after Angela's Ashes.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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ABRIDGED!!

I am fairly new to Audible and did not know that there were two different versions of books- abridged and unabridged. I accidentally purchased the abridged version of Angela's Ashes and thought I was losing my memory. Having read the book TWICE, although years ago, I felt like I was listening to a summarized version of the book with the Author (Frank himself) racing through. I was actually quite relieved to find the unabridged version and happy to spend the money on the purchase, because the WHOLE story is well worth the money.

Audible needs to do a better job of advertising the books as both ABRIDGED and unabridged so that people aren't making this mistake.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The characters of his mother and father were told harshly but also sympathetically.

Amazing story! Told about sad circumstances without bitterness. I have read it, but listening to it in his Irish brogue was great.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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What an amazing journey…

He author was amazing and I felt like a bird listening to a heart life.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Ugh! Abridged!

Why isn’t this clear? It was great, but now I’m left to go back and “re-listen” to the real thing!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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What a waste. This is not the full book

No where did it say that this was not the full book. I just wasted a credit. Very unhappy.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Since I’m a fan of action...

I struggled to listen to it and wanted to shut it off. It was boring.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Doesn’t get better

Frank McCourt knows how to write a story and even better, reads it like you. ‘Re right there telling’ it to you in an Irish pub.
A winner. Don’t pas this one up!

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