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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A timeless classic about a girl growing up in a poor family in early 1900s Brooklyn. Very well written and inspiring. A book everyone should read and would love!
A beautiful story about growing up, and all of the magic and tragedy that it inttales.
This was a classic I had not read before. After reading it, I understand why it has withstood the test of time. This story follows the life of young Francie and her family as she grows up in pre WWI Brooklyn. Struggling with poverty, the family’s strength is in their love for one another. Their struggles are handled with fierce determination, …
I loved this book. The characters are well written! It ties the story well. I read it for two book clubs
Love
A banned book that referred to sex before marriage. I found this during a “banned book” promotion. Today it’s hard to believe that it was so controversial, but there you have it.
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” has no plot. It’s not thrilling or very romantic. It’s definitely not something I would’ve picked up had it not been for school. Yet, I still enjoyed it. In fact, I’d probably consider rereading in the future.
I liked to learn about certain events in Francie’s life and it really educated me to the ways of people in …
Some of my favorite quotes are from this book. A wonderful coming of age story of love and loss at it’s best.
This is a classic for a reason. I felt like I was right there with Francie on the fire escape reading a favorite book.
I love this book, each time I read it I realize one more aspect.
I read this book the first time when I was in about seventh grade. My mother gave it to me. I have read it again about once a year since. Each time I catch s all incidents that I have missed. I am now almost 78 years old. I will keep reading this and Sandburg and Frost about …
I first read this book more years ago than I can remember. I’ve read it several times since. The characters are wonderful and the storylines are compelling.
This did not hold my interest as I had expected. Too much hype thrown the decades.
“Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York. Especially in the summer of 1912…Prairie was lovely and Shenandoah had a beautiful sound, but you couldn’t fit those words into Brooklyn. Serene was the only word for it; especially on a Saturday afternoon in late summer.”
These opening lines of Betty Smith’s classic “A Tree Grows in …
one of my all time books … have read several times.
Nice read at any age and can be read at bedtime.
One of my favorite books of all time.
What a sweet story about a girl and her family in Brooklyn. She grows up with hardship but determination.
Terrific coming of age story and good presentation of another time.
i thought it was a great rendering of the world of immigrants in this country. i am a first generation Italian/Irish American and i could relate to much of it even though it took place decades before me.
This is one of my favorites that I felt was a little flawed. The last quarter of the book is weaker than the rest of the book. I felt like she didn’t know exactly how to end it. I think that is one of the reasons the movie stops before the end. She needed an end that reflected the title and I don’t think it lived up to it. Still, very much …