A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick
The beloved American classic about a young girl’s coming-of-age at the turn of the twentieth century.
From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family’s erratic and eccentric … spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family’s erratic and eccentric behavior—such as her father Johnny’s taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissy’s habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce—no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolans’ life lacked drama. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans’ daily experiences are tenderly threaded with family connectedness and raw with honesty. Betty Smith has, in the pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, captured the joys of humble Williamsburg life-from “junk day” on Saturdays, when the children of Francie’s neighborhood traded their weekly take for pennies, to the special excitement of holidays, bringing cause for celebration and revelry. Betty Smith has artfully caught this sense of exciting life in a novel of childhood, replete with incredibly rich moments of universal experiences—a truly remarkable achievement for any writer.
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I loved this book. I wanted more, the characters were so interesting. Hard book to close and return to my reality.
A nice story about fin-de-siecle lower class New York/Brooklyn. Too much of the story is implausible to make it a great tale which is too bad because the tale is not far from being a real winner.
I think this is one of the best books I have ever read! I cannot believe that I never read it!
A great classic
A classic!
My mom had me read this book as a child because we lived in Brooklyn. I liked it then and never forgot Francie Nolan. As an adult reading it again, I loved it. Such wonderful characters. They remind me of my grandmother’s sisters
I read this book as a young adult and loved it. it’s a treasure that I will read again and again.
This became my favorite book in 5th grade-
This book will stay with you for a long time. A classic.
Cliassic, must read!
I haven’t read this book in 100 years. It was a book I had to read in school. Wonderful book
EVERYONE should read this treasure!
Great introduction into the time before WW1 – Brooklyn came alive for me in this book. People back then sure knew how to push through tragedy and hard times. Francie and her family took the bad with the good, and even found good in the bad. As my mother might have said, “They don’t make people like that anymore.”
One of the best books ever! You will live in Brooklyn with the characters, I promise. Dont miss this book!!!
It’s a classic!
This is a classic. Don’t miss it. One of my favorite books.
One of my favorites. Just reread it again, and still touched by characters.
It was so heartwarming & happy @ sad @ character building & inspirational & everything worth while in how a family should be. A lovely book. As they say, they don’t write them like this anymore. One of my favorite books ever. Five stars for sure.
Well written
First published in 1943, this coming of age saga set at the turn of the 20th century is listed as a PBS Great American Read Top 100 pick. A great read.