Helpful Score: 8
Slapped with a libel suit after an appearance on a talk show, Malachy McCourt crows, "If they could only see me now in the slums of Limerick, a big shot, sued for a million. Bejesus, isn't America a great and wonderful country?" His older brother Frank's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela's Ashes, took its somber tone from the bleak atmosphere of those slums, while Malachy's boisterous recollections are fueled by his zestful appreciation for the opportunities and oddities of his native land. He and Frank were born in Brooklyn, moved with their parents to Ireland as children, then returned to the States as adults. This book covers the decade 1952-63, when Malachy roistered across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, but spent most of his time in New York City. There his ready wit and quick tongue won him an acting job with the Irish Players, a semiregular stint on the Tonight show hosted by Jack Paar, and friendships with some well-heeled, well-born types who shared his fondness for saloon life and bankrolled him in an East Side saloon that may have been the first singles bar. He chronicles those events--and many others--with back-slapping bonhomie. Although McCourt acknowledges the personal demons that pursued him from his poverty-stricken childhood and destroyed his first marriage, this is on the whole an exuberant autobiography that pays tribute to the joys of a freewheeling life.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a really fascinating book. If you like studying people you will enjoy this book. He is quite a different writter from his brother but he holds his own. His approach to story telling is on the lighter side. He has a wonderful since of humor and his use of the english language is awesome! I believe you will enjoy reading about his escapades!
This bestselling memoir tells the story of Malachy McCourt, who left a childhood of poverty in Limerick, Ireland, heading for the promise of America. Armed with savage humor and a gift for storytelling, he ran from the memories of a druken, vanished father and the humiliations of Angela, his mother.
He arrives in new Tork - a dark glittering place, with saloons on every corner, and a new story waiting every night. Larger than life, a world-class drinker, McCourt carved out a place for himself: in the saloons, as the 1st celebrity bartender; on stage, performing the works of James Joyce and Brendan Behan; and on television, where the tales he spun made him a Tonight Show regular......
He arrives in new Tork - a dark glittering place, with saloons on every corner, and a new story waiting every night. Larger than life, a world-class drinker, McCourt carved out a place for himself: in the saloons, as the 1st celebrity bartender; on stage, performing the works of James Joyce and Brendan Behan; and on television, where the tales he spun made him a Tonight Show regular......
Malachy McCourt writes with humor, candor and irreverance in this autobiography of his life, first in Limerick, Ireland and then in America. A wonderful look at a colorful man who lives his life to the fullest, if not the best at many times. I enjoy autobiographies and memoirs, and I really loved this one.
I prefer Frank McCourt's writing to his brother's.
This was written by the Malachy McCourt,the brother of the very well-known author of "Angela's Ashes", Frank McCourt. It is an autographed copy. It is about Malachy's life after he leaves a very poor living situation in Ireland and starts up his new life in America. It is his memoir.
Frank McCourt's brothers' story.
