Why Does Angela'S Ashes A Memoir Focus On Poverty?

On the night of my engagement party, Luca Moretti walked his childhood sweetheart over to me. "Clara accidentally stained her dress," he said. "Let her borrow yours for a while." He added, "Everyone knows you're the main character tonight. It doesn't matter what you wear." I didn't bother objecting. The gown was already on her. I stood behind the half-closed back door in a borrowed black dress while his men laughed over their whiskey. "Luca, is your real fiancee going to lose it?" someone asked. Luca barely looked up from his glass. "Anna is going to be a Donna. She needs to learn grace." Another man snorted. "Besides, she's an orphan. Where's she gonna go without you?" Luca smiled. "She can't leave me." They didn't know I had never been an orphan. I had buried the Valenti name for five years because I wanted Luca to love me as Anna, not as the Valenti daughter. My father is the Mafia Chairman, the man every family answered to when the highest table met. That night, I took off the Moretti emerald ring, left it beside the guest book, and called home. "Papa, I’m not marrying Luca. Don't come to Chicago."

Peter Crowley finds out that it's been three days since I last lodged a purchase request from him. Thinking that I've finally learned how to become a good wife, he decides to text me as a form of reward. "I've already restored your adoptive mother's treatment privileges. You should be more docile from now on. Don't keep lying just to ask for more money from me. "I know that it's tough, being from the bottom rung of the society and all, but I'm not a gullible idiot, you know." What Peter doesn't know is that I've already finished drafting a divorce agreement by the time I receive his text. Before leaving the manor, the only thing I can take with me is the white T-shirt and the jeans I wore when I first married into this family. No one will ever believe that I, the glamorous and radiant Mrs. Crowley, don't have enough decent clothes to take up an entire closet. Every cent meant for any private expenses needs to go through a corporate approval system. All of the fancy clothes and jewelry are locked up in a safe, too. If I ever need money, I'll have to submit a request to Peter's secretary, Cara Harden. This is all because Peter looks down on my background. He thinks that I'll somehow develop a bad habit of spending money excessively just because I've married rich. But three days ago, my adoptive mother was in critical condition. I quickly put in a request for 200 thousand dollars for her surgical bills, only for Cara to drag out the approval system's procession. In the end, my adoptive mother died in the hospital. Peter has no idea that the only reason why I can tolerate his behavior for so many years is for the sake of the medical resources that can cure my adoptive mother. Now that my adoptive mother is dead, there's no need for me to continue staying in this marriage.

After losing her mother, Cassandra Laurel's life becomes a nightmare under her cruel stepmother, Loreen. Desperate to throw Cass out of the family mansion, Loreen forces her into a sudden marriage with a dirty street beggar named Liam Lucas Javier. Because of a strict family rule, Cass has no choice but to leave her comfortable life behind and move into Liam’s broken-down apartment in the slums. At first, Cass expects the worst. But the longer she stays with her new husband, the more she realizes that something is terribly wrong with this picture. Cass tries hard to find the truth while working to become a fashion model. At the same time, her mean stepmother plans a bad trick to ruin her name and steal her money. Cass must face the lies, fight her stepmother's tricks, and follow her mysterious husband into a world of secrets—only to find out that her husband, a beggar, is a billionaire.

Those words defined Claire Reid's entire life—and her death. At twenty-eight, she dies in a hospital bed surrounded by the family she sacrificed everything for: the father who forced her to quit school, the sister who took everything she had, the husband who treated her like an inconvenience, and the mother who demanded endless gratitude for their abuse. As her heart stops, Claire sees their relief and realizes the devastating truth: she wasted her life loving people who never loved her back. Then she wakes up. One year earlier. One month before her family frames her for theft. This time, Claire refuses. Refuses to give money. Refuses to stay silent. Refuses to be grateful for crumbs. Armed with knowledge of their betrayals and a fury born from her wasted first life, she systematically dismantles their manipulations, exposes their schemes, and reclaims her identity. But when she tries to leave her cold, arranged marriage, something unexpected happens.

Evelyn Harlow’s been fighting for every inch her whole life. She drags grief like a shadow, drowns in debt, and keeps pushing through a world that’s never given her a break. Then her mother dies, and everything falls apart. She’s desperate, looking for any way out. That’s when Kieran “KJ” James walks in—slick smile, dangerous eyes, a plan that sounds straight-up impossible. Two years back, Eve’s identical twin, Sophia, supposedly died in a fire at billionaire Alexander Voss’s mansion. No body. No closure. People kept whispering—maybe Sophia ran, maybe she hid, maybe she vanished on purpose. Now KJ wants Eve to step in. Take Sophia’s place. One year. One identity. One fortune. All she has to do is walk into Sophia’s old life and pretend she fits. But Alexander Voss isn’t what she pictured. He’s cold, tightly wound, broken in ways money can’t fix. He loved Sophia—obsessively. The moment “she” comes back, the air between them snaps. Fury, longing, and old ghosts crowd every second. Their attraction burns, sharp and reckless. Every touch shakes Eve’s lies. Every look pulls Alex closer. She’s slipping—wrong memories, details she can’t fake, secrets she doesn’t know. Then Marcus Kane—Sophia’s ex, Alex’s old best friend—spots her. He doesn’t blow her cover. Just circles, waiting for his chance. And when Detective Reyes reopens the fire case, the truth starts to claw its way out. Sophia didn’t run. She died. And someone wants Eve next. Desire. Danger. Lies that burn. Welcome to Ashes of Desire.

My mom is a woman who takes frugality very, very seriously. When I suffer from a high fever, she feeds me moldy chicken noodle soup. In fact, I can only wear my older sister's hand-me-downs since I was a little girl. After working hard for so long, I finally qualify for the final interview of a top-500 company. I keep telling my mom repeatedly to not cause any trouble for me. Alas, my monitor winks out when I've reached the most critical point of my interview. At the same time, the router has lost access to the internet. I rush out of my room hurriedly, only to see my mom flipping off the main switch in the darkness. "Why did you leave the lights on at night? Imagine how much money you'll have to pay! I've already calculated everything for you. If we turn off the lights, we get to save a few pennies per night!" Thanks to those pennies, I end up losing my job that can guarantee an annual salary of a million dollars. Later on, my older sister, Andrea Fletcher, is diagnosed with a kidney disease. In order to latch onto Andrea's rich husband, Kirk Herrera, my mom forces me to work overtime at a shady factory just to gather enough money for Andrea's medical bills. Even when I'm about to die, my older brother, Anthony Fletcher, and my dad keep blaming me. "You can't even get hired at a proper factory! You really are useless, Alice! Your mom went through all those frugal nonsense just to raise you for nothing!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day I'm about to attend the online interview. I just chuckle coldly as I look at Andrea, who has just found out about her kidney disease and is waiting for me to earn enough money for her kidney transplant. Then, I toss her expensive, specialized medication into the trash can. "What use is there for you to take the medicine, Andrea? What a waste! Mom already stated many times that being frugal is the way of life! "You should drink more water instead. Once your rich husband finds out how good you are at saving money, he'll definitely compliment us for knowing how to balance our finances!"