Anticipatory Entry

My friend Mae recommended Angela’s Ashes to me and warned me that it was a difficult read. I accepted the challenge without any knowledge of the story background. It was disappointing to discover that there is no summary on the back cover, but I decided to take a chance and read it. Something that is very intriguing to me is the surplus of awards and prizes it has won and the great reviews it received. I discovered that this story takes place in Ireland because a review on this memoir includes, “Frank McCourt’s lyrical Irish voice” (Mary Karr).  Due to the praise for this novel, I am anxious to start it. Judging the book by its cover, it appears to be about the author, Frank McCourt’s childhood living in poverty. This is the impression I get because the cover includes a picture of a young boy with dirty clothing and no shoes. The book most likely outlines the struggles of growing up as a pauper of Ireland during McCourt’s time. This is not the ordinary, trite plot line of a hard childhood. There is something eclectic and fascinating about the setting in Ireland because I am not very familiar with this country. Reading deeper into the title, I assume that Angela is one of McCourt’s family members, possibly a sister or mother. Referring to the “ashes” in the title, I can infer that this family member dies. I did not commit to this book before I read the first page. Its a somewhat easy read but includes advanced vocabulary.

WORD COUNT: 259