Tag Archives: immigrant

Angela’s Ashes- Frank McCourt

Posted in Non-Fiction by

Angela’s Ashes- Frank McCourt (1996)

Short and Sweet Synopsis:

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” This is the beginning of Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt’s memoir of his childhood growing up in Limerick, Ireland. It is a retelling of the trials that his family faced including, poverty, drunkenness, death, and his own struggles with the Catholic church.

Review:

My love for this book and this author cannot properly be expressed with the words that exist today. Simply put, Frank McCourt has a gift for telling a story. I love his honesty and humor as he recounts horrible things that happened to his family. This book is written as if Frank McCourt was sitting at your kitchen table, telling you the story first-hand. He involves you in the story by talking to you as though you’re an old buddy- often omitting punctuation as a way of achieving this conversational style of writing. This is the first of three memoirs (followed by Tis, and Teacher Man) and after I read each one, I passed them along to my mom. We were never in short supply of things to talk and laugh about together.

Rating:

A++++++ Read this book. I’m serious.

Your Turn:

Did you love it as much as I did?

The Joy Luck Club- Amy Tan

Posted in Fiction, Title H-N by

The Joy Luck Club- Amy Tan

Short and Sweet Synopsis:

This is a story of eight women: four mothers and their four daughters. The four mothers have immigrated from China to America to give their daughters the opportunities that would only be available to them there. Their relationships are strained as the mothers attempt to pass on their Chinese traditions and customs and the daughters live a modern, American life. The mothers form “The Joy Luck Club,” which is a club that meets to play mah-jong, eat great Chinese food, and discuss their daughters. The novel itself is structured like a mah-jong game with four parts and four chapters within each part, making sixteen chapters total. Each story begins with a parable that relates back to the game.

Humble Review:

I love Amy Tan’s writing. This a great book for anyone with a mother or daughter (so umm… all women). The stories, many of which are derived from Amy Tan’s own life, are profound and perfectly placed within the story. The beauty is not just in the story-telling, it is also in the way this book was put together. I truly enjoyed the stories and quickly loved all of the characters.  

Rating:

A I recommend this to ALL women- especially those that find Chinese culture (more importantly Chinese women) fascinating.

Your Turn:

What was your favorite story within this novel?