A Monk Swimming : A Memoir
by Malachy McCourt
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Book Summary Information
Author: Malachy McCourtEdition: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 1999-06-02
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 304
Book Reviews of A Monk Swimming : A Memoir
Book Review: This guy is funny...
Summary: 4 Stars
I liked his brother Frank's "'Tis" better than "Angela's Ashes" (except the last part) and I liked this much better than 'Tis (which covers much the same era). Malachy is entertaining, I like the stories about Fire Island and bars on Third Avenue and the drinking and the acting gigs-- no boo hoo stuff about Ireland, this is an American book through and through.
Summary of A Monk Swimming : A Memoir
An entertaining memoir of a rollicking life in New York of an Irish immigrant. The title is derived from the young Malachy's mishearing of the words 'amongst women' in Hail Mary. Malachy McCourt, younger brother to Frank, had his childhood portrayed in the much loved best-selling book, Angela's Ashes. Here he tells the story of his own hell-raising days when he left Ireland and went in search of fame, fortune and fun in New York. The Exuberance of the Irish lifestyle in New York is matched with the scenes of rollercoaster emotional life, and a fair amount of alcohol. A MONK SWIMMING, the story of a life lived uproariously, is light-hearted and immensely readable, outrageous and comicSlapped 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.
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