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In the tradition of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and Alice Taylor’s To School Through the Fields, Tom Phelan’s We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It is a heartfelt and masterfully written memoir of growing up in Ireland in the 1940s.
Tom Phelan, who was born and raised in County Laois in the Irish midlands, spent his formative years working with his wise and demanding father as he sought to wrest a livelihood from a farm that was often wet, muddy, and back-breaking.
It was a time before rural electrification, the telephone, and indoor plumbing; a time when the main modes of travel were bicycle and animal cart; a time when small farmers struggled to survive and turkey eggs were hatched in the kitchen cupboard; a time when the Church exerted enormous control over Ireland.
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It recounts Tom’s upbringing in an isolated, rural community from the day he was delivered by the local midwife. With tears and laughter, it speaks to the strength of the human spirit in the face of life's adversities.
Read We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood Tom Phelan 9781501197093 Books
"Genre: Biography and Memoir
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pub. Date: March 5, 2019
After reading the Goodreads blurb, I figured this book was a no-brainer for me. The blurb suggests that Tom Phelan’s memoir is in the tradition of Frank McCourt’s memoir, “Angela’s Ashes.†Considering, I loved “Ashes†what could go wrong? The answer is plenty. Going in, I already knew from the book’s title that Phelan’s tale would be much more upbeat than McCourt’s. But, give me a break. Phelan makes it sound like his growing up poor in Ireland in the 1940s, was nothing short of wonderful.
The whole biography is saccharine. He even jokes that since his childhood he was groomed to become a priest. Now I get that this is Ireland. And I also get that families can be very proud when their children devote their lives to the Church. (It doesn’t hurt that the family’s social status is upped when this happens). Remember the 1977 movie, “Saturday Night Fever?†John Travolta played the character Tony Manero, a 19-year-old Italian-American living in Brooklyn. Remember how upset his parents were when his brother left the priesthood? It may be different decades, different cultures, but the same pride in having a son as a priest. So as an Italian-American, when I say I get it, I truly do. But, (and this is a big but) Phelan never expresses any frustration or even a thought on how his adult life was taken out of his hands. The author is determined that his tale be nothing shy of heartwarming.
Perhaps I am being a little too harsh in my critique. There is a poetic quality in the author’s prose. I did get a kick out of all the Irish words and expressions that I read. I thank the author for the glossary. I did laugh at ‘drunk Uncle Paulie†stories. Plus, there are similarities between “We Were Rich†and the John Grisham novel “A Painted House.†A book I did very much enjoy. Both stories revolve around a rural back-breaking lifestyle. Both have loving, wise and demanding fathers. Both books have the same good vibes about them. Still, Grisham’s novel reads more realistically. There are unsolvable problems in “House.†(To be fair, in this memoir the chapter “Midnight Phone Call†can make you teary. Yet, the sorrow is expected, which takes out some of the punch). So, if you are looking for a sweet uplifting story that takes you back to a simpler time in life, then this one is for you. Sometimes, even I can be in the mood for such a read. Personally, I felt set up by the comparison to McCourt. I guess I was expecting a memoir with a more grit."
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We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood Tom Phelan 9781501197093 Books Reviews :
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood Tom Phelan 9781501197093 Books Reviews
- We Were Rich.... is a wonderful book full of funny stories that have me laughing out loud! I’ve only just begun and can’t wait to read what else happened in Tom’s life on the farm. Wonderfully descriptive filled with love and humor on each page.
- Tom Phelan's memoir is a warm, rich, and colorful memoir, carrying you to another place and time, bringing to life the people, the love, the places, and the events that meld into the creative and generous adult that emerges. Laden with heart and candor, these pages embrace laughter and tears and leave you reluctant to part ways. An truly absorbing read.
- This is an extremely well written memoir about growing up in the 1940s-1950s. The concise vignettes highlight many characters who live in his town. Phelan is very adept in using humor in relating his life experiences. As the child of immigrants, many of the hardships faced by his Irish farm family were similar to those experienced by my family in a small Italian town. Phelan's obvious love of his family and his myriad of remembered events makes this an enjoyable read. ( A special thank you for the included glossary of Irish vernacular and farming terms- an added touch much appreciated)
- Genre Biography and Memoir
Publisher Gallery Books
Pub. Date March 5, 2019
After reading the Goodreads blurb, I figured this book was a no-brainer for me. The blurb suggests that Tom Phelan’s memoir is in the tradition of Frank McCourt’s memoir, “Angela’s Ashes.†Considering, I loved “Ashes†what could go wrong? The answer is plenty. Going in, I already knew from the book’s title that Phelan’s tale would be much more upbeat than McCourt’s. But, give me a break. Phelan makes it sound like his growing up poor in Ireland in the 1940s, was nothing short of wonderful.
The whole biography is saccharine. He even jokes that since his childhood he was groomed to become a priest. Now I get that this is Ireland. And I also get that families can be very proud when their children devote their lives to the Church. (It doesn’t hurt that the family’s social status is upped when this happens). Remember the 1977 movie, “Saturday Night Fever?†John Travolta played the character Tony Manero, a 19-year-old Italian-American living in Brooklyn. Remember how upset his parents were when his brother left the priesthood? It may be different decades, different cultures, but the same pride in having a son as a priest. So as an Italian-American, when I say I get it, I truly do. But, (and this is a big but) Phelan never expresses any frustration or even a thought on how his adult life was taken out of his hands. The author is determined that his tale be nothing shy of heartwarming.
Perhaps I am being a little too harsh in my critique. There is a poetic quality in the author’s prose. I did get a kick out of all the Irish words and expressions that I read. I thank the author for the glossary. I did laugh at ‘drunk Uncle Paulie†stories. Plus, there are similarities between “We Were Rich†and the John Grisham novel “A Painted House.†A book I did very much enjoy. Both stories revolve around a rural back-breaking lifestyle. Both have loving, wise and demanding fathers. Both books have the same good vibes about them. Still, Grisham’s novel reads more realistically. There are unsolvable problems in “House.†(To be fair, in this memoir the chapter “Midnight Phone Call†can make you teary. Yet, the sorrow is expected, which takes out some of the punch). So, if you are looking for a sweet uplifting story that takes you back to a simpler time in life, then this one is for you. Sometimes, even I can be in the mood for such a read. Personally, I felt set up by the comparison to McCourt. I guess I was expecting a memoir with a more grit. - Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review
The memoir covers Tom's life from birth to when he takes off for boarding school. Similar events are organized into chapters and follow a fairly logical sequence. Minus the lack of transition between chapters, this is a smooth and enjoyable read!
The first person point of view let me feel like I was actually sitting in the kitchen with the neighbors. Phelan's style paints such avid descriptions of people and places that I truly enjoyed it as a picture of his farm and community. A particularly descriptive part that stands out is about the crawlies in the soil and how connected they (Tom and dad) felt to the land and each other.
There are a multitude of neighbors, townfolk, schoolmates and family members who had a part in Tom's childhood. His father and Missus Fritz were my two favorites, for their kindness and things they said when children weren't listening!
I don't know if I believe that they were as happy as he writes, but I feel like he didn't know anything else. If he had known that the kids were targeting him out of desperation and jealousy instead of animosity, he would have had a better perspectie - but a portion of the moral is about hindsight and how you see things as an adult, things you regret or wish you knew.
Overall I give this a strong 4/5. Happy to recommend to anyone interested in history, Ireland, memoirs; anyone who likes to laugh at anecdotes and clever fixes; anyone into farming even would love this! - First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book. I enjoyed this book so much! It was just many chapters of the life of author, Tom Phelan, growing up on his family farm in Ireland.
My Mother grew up on a farm in Canada. Tom's stories were not so different from my Mother's stories of life growing up. The people, places, sights, smells, all just a little bit of one's history. Wonderful memories, so well written! I could just picture all of it!
#NetGalley #WeWereRichandWeDidntKnowIt
