Angela's AshesAngela's Ashes
Score Modern
What it's about
Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn during the Depression, but his family moved back to Limerick, Ireland, where they lived in desperate poverty: a flooded slum, little food, children dying of illness, and a charming father who drank away every wage. Frank tells his childhood in the voice of the boy he was, from his earliest memories until, at nineteen, he finally sails back to America.
Why it's worth reading
It's a miracle of a memoir: harrowing poverty told with such humor and wonder that you laugh on nearly every page. It won the Pulitzer Prize and became one of the best-loved memoirs ever written.
You'll love it if you liked
The Glass Castle
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African ChildhoodGood to know
It's written in a child's present-tense voice with little punctuation, which takes a few pages to adjust to. The deaths of young children are part of the story.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller84 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #24 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #70 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #129 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
More by Frank McCourt
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Quick answers
Is Angela's Ashes worth reading?
Yes. It's a miracle of a memoir: harrowing poverty told with such humor and wonder that you laugh on nearly every page. It ranks #129 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 85.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Angela's Ashes about?
Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn during the Depression, but his family moved back to Limerick, Ireland, where they lived in desperate poverty: a flooded slum, little food, children dying of illness, and a charming father who drank away every wage. Frank tells his childhood in the voice of the boy he was, from his earliest memories until, at nineteen, he finally sails back to America.
How long does it take to read Angela's Ashes?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Angela's Ashes won?
Pulitzer Prize (Biography) winner (1997).
What should I read after Angela's Ashes?
If you liked it, try The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.