This is a book I read years ago that never made it to my list. I'd seen Malachy on a talk show after his brother Frank's "Angela's Ashes" was a huge hit. Malachy was interesting and full of life, but I can't say I loved this book. I'd rate it 2-3.

Great story telling abilities but too much debauchery and deplorable stories for my taste.

Part of McCourt's life story. Migrated to the USA. Married young, severe alcoholic, got involved in gold smuggling in India. Very funny book + written as would be spoken in Irish: added entertainment.

And another half star bc I listened to him for years on WBAI, where he was very good company. Some of this hadn’t aged well, but then I would hit a line or phrase that delighted me. And I’m a sucker for Irish writers. The best part for me was the description of his early days in NY

This book was just offensive.

Funny & real

DNF...did not finish. While I enjoy quick witted Irish humor, diary like snippets of drinking, womanizing & name dropping became tedious & disgusting. To each his own.

"Now I’m resolved to try it, I’ll live on a moderate diet,
I’ll not drink and will deny it, And shun each alehouse door,
For that’s the place they tell us, We meet with all jovial good fellows,
But I swear by the poker and bellows, I’ll never get drunk anymore.
A man that’s fond of boozing, His cash goes daily oozing,
His character he’s losing, And its loss he will deplore.
His wife is unprotected, His business is neglected,
Himself is disrespected, So I’ll not get drunk anymore."
-OLD TEMPERANCE SONG, quoted in the memoir

This was a free eBook which I selected because I am such a fan of Frank McCourt, Malachy's brother. I must admit it produced some laughs, but I didn't appreciate it as much as Frank's memoirs. Of course, since they grew up together, their background is the same---growing up Catholic and poor in Limerick, Ireland with a drunken, no-good father and making their way to America as young men.

It seems to me, Malachy squandered much of his early adult years with drunken philandering and gallivanting the globe smuggling gold. His vocabulary was rather amazing---I learned some new words, but the editing of the book was poor. It was sometimes hard to determine if something strange was his Irish lingo or an error in the publication. His story is irreverent, even sacrilegious at times. The quote above came late in the book, if only Malachy had followed that advice much sooner! According to the Author's Note, he turned his life around in later years.

I am left wondering: what does the title mean? There is no monk and no swimming! I mentioned earlier, the memoir was quite humorous, and the style was unique, but I wouldn't look for another by this author. My rating is 3.

Frank McCourt made you cry with Angela's Ashes. His brother Malachy will have you laugh until your side aches. Another life story from the one of the McCourt boys, this tale deals primarily with Malachy after he arrives in New York and seeks a career as an actor. He's a masterful storyteller, and DAMN, does he have some stories!

Some good anecdotes here but Frank's brother is a walking cliché; drunken, fighting, Brit-hating, hell-raising Irishman. A selfish, self-obsessed nightmare as a husband and father, only half redeemed by his honesty about his short-comings and coming across somewhat as a bit of a bully. Read Frank instead.

Silly book, with real life encounters with white privilege and being an outsider in a place you've called home for many many years. I resonate deeply with this. Fun-loving, drunk, wanderer, is the main character, and some of his adventures will shock you and make you giggle at how ridiculous they are.

Once you get through the Irish jargon - this book is hilarious! I enjoy reading both brothers (McCourt's) accounts on moving to America. They are great story tellers.