Tom's account of his life growing up in rural Ireland is both heartbreaking and heartfelt. Life on a farm at the time has to be one of the hardest livings there is. He tells his story with truth and candor and a distinct lack of self pity.

I am a huge lover of the Irish memoir-- of hearing about life living in Ireland. I think it all started with Frank McCourt. I have never heard Phelan before this was marketed, but I was very intrigued once I did.

Irish author Tom Phelan chronicles his young life through a series of stories in rural Ireland in the 1940's and 1950's, telling of his family, their farm and his schooling.

I honestly really loved many aspects of this book. I loved that each chapter felt like a story on its own. It lent to hearing more about his life, but also having this ability to read the chapter solely and not feel disconnected if I put the book down and came back a day later. The narrative of a fiction writer shone through well in this style of writing.

I know Phelan's life is his life, but I truly enjoyed getting to see a glimpse of rural Ireland. Every time you read a memoir of Ireland from a writer it's Dublin or Limerick, a big city in other words. To see a part of Ireland through this lens that felt more everyday? I think it brings some more of the humanity into the country. It says hey, this isn't the Quiet Man, this is life in Ireland. I so appreciated the realism of it all.

I don't think Phelan shied away from anything, we got some sadness, but there was also joy. You find that just within the title. I am going to have to go find some of Phelan's fiction now. If this is how he writes in general, I have a feeling I will really enjoy it. Thank you!

I love stories like these! Just pleasant little memories of bygone days. I don't think any of us actually knew how poor we were growing up. So, consequently , we were rich! I guess it didn't matter. When you're young, you have lots of good adventures, and Mr. Phelan has lots of tales to share. Wonderful book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

Simple, Sweet, First person accounting of life on the farm and Irish to boot! There is a deep appreciation for growing up with hard work and challenges and you develop character that others may not.
In my life, I was poor and didn't know it. This prompts me to write down more information for those that come behind me.

This is a very interesting memoir, compared to Angela's Ashes by the publisher, this was on the more positive side than Ashes. It tells of life growing up in a farm in Ireland and what it was like. It was enjoyable.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I’m a sucker for Irish recounts of life, especially circa 1950s-1960s. I LOVED Angela’s Ashes. Tom Phelan creates the same atmosphere with We Were Rich and Didn’t Know It, but it reads more like a collection of short stories in chapter form, sometimes relating to other chapters and less like a novel. Phelan has the ability to make depressing situations comical, and find the silver lining. Quick and engaging read.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, Phelan does an excellent job giving a sense of his childhood in Ireland. My only real gripe is that it is a bit disjointed at times and falls victim to some unnecessary repetition. I think the order of some of the essays could have been reconfigured for a smoother experience.

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!

A sometimes sorrowful, often humorous look at growing up in 1940's Ireland, when the kitchen was truly the heart of a home and the location of everything from bathing to turkey plucking. Tom Phelan shares with readers a look at his close knit family, dealing with bullies, and life on the farm. It is an engaging heartfelt memoir that paints a brilliant picture of simpler times.

I am a big fan of reading memoirs or stories about children growing up in Ireland. My dad was born in an Irish Catholic family (of six brothers and seven sisters), and though he grew up in a poor part of a city in Massachusetts and not Ireland, he tells stories that remind me of some told in this story, and I love them. I loved reading about the pure raw “innocence” of Tom’s childhood and how “simple” life was back in the day. I admire and appreciate the honesty and reflection shared by Tom in his memoir!

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 star review. It was an enjoyable and I would recommend. to others. Generously provided to me through NetGalley

We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It is a beautiful memoir describing the joy and sorrow of living in the rural times.

Tom Phelan's writing is lively with avid descriptions of farm life. I found it fascinating learning about the Tom's perspective of living in a rural community. It's insane how things have changed over the years especially with looking back living without a telephone, internet, computers, etc. It's a definite eye opener realizing how much our society is dependent on technology now.

This was a smooth and enjoyable read... I usually don't read memoirs but this was a change and glad I stepped out of my comfort zone with this book. It's a super quick and easy read!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Published to GR: 1/1/19
Publication date: 3/5/19

I always feel a little guilty giving a rating to a memoir. Who am I to judge someone’s recollection of a life? However this was compared to Angela’s Ashes which is a pretty high bar to put out there. I considered this an average memoir. Also think had he written this at a much younger age it may have been a little less of a rosy picture of poverty.

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!

The full review can be found on the OneReadingNurse blog at https://onenursereader.wixsite.com/onereadingnurse-1/home/we-were-rich-and-we-didn-t-know-it-by-tom-phelan

The pre-pub comments comparing this work to books such as Angela's Ashes are a good indicator of both literary style and the rawness you'll find here. The author's memories are vivid and depict a simpler but harsher life. Some of it made me wince and some made me smile. Worth a look.

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.

Phelan’s memoir tells of his boyhood in Ireland in County Laois, where he labored day and night, helping his father run their small farm. They had so electricity, telephone or motorized form of transportation, they ate only what they could grow or slaughter, and all the time they were in the constant shadow of the Catholic Church. This might seem like a grim childhood, and to be sure at times it was, but Phelan also draws on the small victories, the love of the land and of family. At a time when we have so much and are satisfied with none of it, Phelan’s story is one of grace and beauty