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A Monk Swimming : A Memoir
A Monk Swimming A Memoir
Author: Malachy McCourt
The actor-brother of Frank McCourt offers an entertaining, witty memoir of life in New York City during the freewheeling 1960s, detailing his quest for fame and fortune, family life, battle with alcoholism, and reunion with his long-estranged father.
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ISBN-13: 9780786884148
ISBN-10: 0786884142
Publication Date: 6/2/1999
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 75

3.4 stars, based on 75 ratings
Publisher: Hyperion
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed A Monk Swimming : A Memoir on + 179 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Slapped with a libel suit after an appearance on a talk show, Malachy McCourt crows, "If they could only see me now in the slums of Limerick, a big shot, sued for a million. Bejesus, isn't America a great and wonderful country?" His older brother Frank's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela's Ashes, took its somber tone from the bleak atmosphere of those slums, while Malachy's boisterous recollections are fueled by his zestful appreciation for the opportunities and oddities of his native land. He and Frank were born in Brooklyn, moved with their parents to Ireland as children, then returned to the States as adults. This book covers the decade 1952-63, when Malachy roistered across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, but spent most of his time in New York City. There his ready wit and quick tongue won him an acting job with the Irish Players, a semiregular stint on the Tonight show hosted by Jack Paar, and friendships with some well-heeled, well-born types who shared his fondness for saloon life and bankrolled him in an East Side saloon that may have been the first singles bar. He chronicles those events--and many others--with back-slapping bonhomie. Although McCourt acknowledges the personal demons that pursued him from his poverty-stricken childhood and destroyed his first marriage, this is on the whole an exuberant autobiography that pays tribute to the joys of a freewheeling life.
ruffnit avatar reviewed A Monk Swimming : A Memoir on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is a really fascinating book. If you like studying people you will enjoy this book. He is quite a different writter from his brother but he holds his own. His approach to story telling is on the lighter side. He has a wonderful since of humor and his use of the english language is awesome! I believe you will enjoy reading about his escapades!
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reviewed A Monk Swimming : A Memoir on + 174 more book reviews
Malachy McCourt writes with humor, candor and irreverance in this autobiography of his life, first in Limerick, Ireland and then in America. A wonderful look at a colorful man who lives his life to the fullest, if not the best at many times. I enjoy autobiographies and memoirs, and I really loved this one.


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