'Tis Good To Be Irish
By
Preston Sinclair
"I had the formal feeling, but no pain" Frank McCourt
'Tis by Frank McCourt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
'Tis is the second memoir by author Frank McCourt. The poignant painful relationship between his mother, his father and himself is the thread that holds his story together and ties it to Angela's Ashes. I enjoyed the parts about Frank McCourt's career as a teacher and wonder if his unorthodox teaching methods would go over in today's common core classrooms, but his insights are invaluable and humorous. As his story continues the anecdotes become sketchier and I wonder if it's because of the hazy gauzy affects of alcohol on the memory, or if there were parts that he just didn't want to share. The character of his wife Alberta became very one dimensional and distant. There's a change in his life when his daughter Maggie is born; however, Maggie never has a chance to become fleshed out for the reader and she fades away quickly. She's introduced too near the end.
I'm looking forward to reading Teacher Man.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
'Tis by Frank McCourtMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
'Tis is the second memoir by author Frank McCourt. The poignant painful relationship between his mother, his father and himself is the thread that holds his story together and ties it to Angela's Ashes. I enjoyed the parts about Frank McCourt's career as a teacher and wonder if his unorthodox teaching methods would go over in today's common core classrooms, but his insights are invaluable and humorous. As his story continues the anecdotes become sketchier and I wonder if it's because of the hazy gauzy affects of alcohol on the memory, or if there were parts that he just didn't want to share. The character of his wife Alberta became very one dimensional and distant. There's a change in his life when his daughter Maggie is born; however, Maggie never has a chance to become fleshed out for the reader and she fades away quickly. She's introduced too near the end.
I'm looking forward to reading Teacher Man.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
A blurb about dinner with friends at an Irish pub.
Let me just say that as a man of Irish descent, I would be remiss if I didn't relate this story about dinner with friends at an Irish pub. We met at Coleman's Corner Restaurant in Watertown, New York. I share my birthday with an old friend from high school and we get together every year to celebrate with mutual friends. I ordered Bangers And Mash for the first time. It was incredible! The four sausages were served to perfection (I could only eat two, and asked for a doggy bag). They were so rich and sweet. The mashed potatoes were light and fluffy and I covered them in butter and a gravy that was thin and savory. It was definitely Irish comfort food. There was an item on the menu called the Irishman's Breakfast which consisted of three pints of beer and a side of chips. I considered it, but then thought better of it. A good time was had by all.
Please check out my review of Angela's Ashes Och, "Tis Such a Sad Story
Please check out my review of Angela's Ashes Och, "Tis Such a Sad Story
References:
RootsIreland: Genealogy
Wikipedia: Article about 'Tis
IrelandXO: Community
IrishCentral: Article about Frank McCourt's Limerick Ireland
DailyNews: Photo gallery of Frank McCourt.
