Angela's Ashes -- Frank McCourt

I can't believe it took me so long to read this book. It is an amazing accounting of the author's childhood growing up beyond impoverished in pre-war/wwII Ireland.

The story was incredible, but the book itself was also incredible. McCourt's voice is most unique, and he breaks almost every one of the 'rules of writing'. He needs no dialogue tags because, although he uses much dialogue, he uses no quotation marks or standard punctuation that is expected in dialogue. He does not limit a paragraph to one speaker. He has MANY sentences that exceed 49 words (who the hell every pulled that number out of their arse anyways?). He is a true story teller and the mechanics of his writing prove that again and again.

His story is one of hope and ideals. His writing is also that, because despite his nonconformance to the 'rules', he DID find an agent and he DID find a publisher... both prepared to take a risk on a good story that would, in many other writing worlds, be slammed to bits. In so many ways, this book is an inspiration.

gotta go with that kiddo-gives some of us whanabees a bit of hope at least right?

his start has no major fantastic hook either. he just gently walks into the story.

kinda like east of eden then?

in a lot of ways, yes. they both let you wander in, and then slowly wrap you up in the story without you even realizing it... but you know you have to keep reading to know what will happen next

yep-kinda like it that way for the most part-then over at AW the man would be pillared and such as a pathetic writer-hmmm-maybe that should make some wonder huh?

i thought about that a lot while i was reading.

i have several authors who i enjoy who have, especially in the last few years, pumped out a LOT of books. The quality is going down, the stories are predictable, and, more than anything, the mechanics of their writing has become crap. The grammar is terrible, the vocabulary is forced, and the sentence fragments that are clearly useless pointless crap to add to word count drive me crazy, to the point where, yes, for three of them, i have tossed their latest books in the trash and will not waste my money on any more.

But McCourt, like several other awesome writers who come to mind, don't thumb their noses at things like grammar and vocabulary, but they instead create totally new perspectives of them, use them and stretch them and even manipulate them to make the words turn to magical, musical stories with ebb and flow and depth.

seems like we-um-er-have the same tastes and ideas about writin' nice to see d and me aint alone in the world of whatever

You and D could teach the world a lot Dave. And I had just mentioned Joyce Carol Oats in much the same respect to Hinny. She rarely uses commas even, and her sentences are at least by half run-on train-of-thought. She begins every story kind of like a wisp of thought that she slowly builds on. Then, you have to hang in confused for a good half of page of confusion to let the story begin to build. But then it does, and it keeps building till the ends, which are often abrupt, often where you are saying shoot, brilliant. Damn, I think she's my new horror idol. And she actually has something to say in every story.

yup and you can't put the damn book down can cha?

Nope. Been carrying it around. She's got me think-a-dink-ing.

good-you put you in your books-piss on the rest of em-it is you and you alone that makes the read

Frank took years to write this brilliant book
He had to move past his anger at his childhood, poverty and distaste for his father before he would allow himself to sit and write. He was also a university instructor in NYC. It's been said that he was often found at the Whitehorse Tavern , telling stories to the pub goers. I kick my ass that I never ventured in there while he was alive.

the anger at his father was something i was wondering about. As i read the book, you both loved smiled at his more gentle interactions with his dad and hated his father for all the rest, but there was never any sense of judgment from the author himself. It was always something that he sort of let you decide on your own. he did an amazing job of controlling that anger and letting us decide for ourselves.

This is one book I read over and over
I never tire of it. I am amazed that he was able to write it as he did, often with a hint of humor. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if he hadn't waited for the anger to leave.