A Monk Swimming - Softcover

McCourt, Malachy

3.36

4,667 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006531156 ISBN 13: 9780006531159

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1999

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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 comic

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Review:

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. Be jesus, isn't America a great and wonderful country?" His older brother Frank's Pulitzer Prize- winning memoir, Angela's Ashes, took its sombre tone from the bleak atmosphere of those slums, while Malachy's boisterous recollections are fuelled 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 US as adults. This book covers the decade 1952-1963, when Malachy roistered across the US, 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 and a semi-regular stint on the Tonight show hosted by Jack Paar. And his friendships with some well- heeled, well-born types , who shared his fondness for saloon life, bankrolled him in an East Side saloon, which 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. --Amazon.com

Review:

‘One of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Everyone should rush to buy it’
Irish News

‘A drunken exhilarating version of the American dream’
The Observer

‘One grows to like Mr McCourt for his honesty, sympathise with him for his struggle... and laugh and sweat with him when the authorities seem to be closing in... a funny, oddly winning book’
New York Times

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