This is another film and book I have seen/read both.
I have covered both really in this review as they are silmilar and both excellent and compelling, however the book goes into more detail so I tended to favour this.
This is about poverty in Ireland and how a family cope through the eyes of a young boy, Frank McCourt. It tells of the pain and hardship suffered and the indignity of seeing his mother beg for food.
Although this makes it sound somber, there are a lot of funny moments, imagine explaining your poverty stricken parents, who are trying to get you school shoes , as you wear none, and the inspectors calling to validate the claim, find they have ’’gone to Italy’’!! Confused ..well this is the name for the upstairs rooms, they have to reside in due to flooding in the lower rooms.
Also a funny yet sad moment, is when they realise the mattress they are all sharing is flea ridden, they are seen stamping the mattress in the street, late at night with drunk passer-bys offering their advice to what should be done.
On the whole a very sad tale, the father is a drunk with little work, and when he does work the pay goes on the beer, yet at times he buys them treats and they eat like ’’kings’’ when he brings the pay home. However these are far and few between.
There is also death in the young to deal with, but it is still very enjoyable film, in a happy but sad way. I did cry alot but maybe that is because I am sensitive, rather than the book being melodramatic.
The book makes you believe you are living in that time and suffering with the family as well as sharing some usual boy grows up and learns a few things and happy times. His confirmation is soo sad as well as funny, but you will need to read it to see why. He seems to have an eye problem which is never diagnosed properly and gives him trouble, but does not deter him from reading, which is where his knowledge starts on his way to a better life.
You feel for him all the way through the book and even wish him good luck as he takes on various jobs in the hope one day he wil make it.
There are so many wonderful pieces I would love to share but feel I may give the whole plot away, as you read the book it becomes harder to put down, so I would recommend you read it when you have plenty of time, as you may not sleep if you read it at bedtime, I devoured the whole book in two hours as I couldn’t wait to have the chapters revealed slowly, I needed to see what happened straight away. It also tells how he beacme determined he was going to go back to America, he was born there before coming to Ireland as a child, and he dreams of getting back there and never being hungry again.
I have now started Tis ..the sequel and it seems as well written as this, will write a review when finished.
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May 1st, 2001
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