A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

published

June 1st 2006 (first published 1943) by Harper Perennial Modern Classics

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binding

Paperback, 528 pages

isbn

0061120073 (isbn13: 9780061120077)

description

Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brookly...more

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Jason rated it:

04/27/08

Read in April, 2008

a combination of charlotte bronte, charles dickens, and theodore dreiser...or any one of the american realists...
suffers a bit from the pauper syndrome, for some reason this affliction only effected books written from say 1800 to 1940...
also a variation on the ordeal novel...(see comments on dave egger's 'what is the what')...
around 200 pages in and francie is more of a figure of pain and sorrow than a character i feel i really know...she feels like a mop that smith is using to soak up all...more

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Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 0060001941)

03/20/08

Read in March, 2008

I think my mom once said that this was her favorite book, and yet somehow I hadn’t read it until now. In my early teens, I remember coming across a paperback edition that had been lying around the house … and not making it past the first couple pages. The writing was way over my head (which had been addled by too much fluff reading of Baby-sitters Club, probably).

It’s probably for the best, though, for while this book centers around the young girl Francie Nolan, this coming-of-age st...more I think my mom once said that this was her favorite book, and yet somehow I hadn’t read it until now. In my early teens, I remember coming across a paperback edition that had been lying around the house … and not making it past the first couple pages. The writing was way over my head (which had been addled by too much fluff reading of Baby-sitters Club, probably).

It’s probably for the best, though, for while this book centers around the young girl Francie Nolan, this coming-of-age story is appropriately shelved in the adult section — for some language (I really am such a prude when it comes to cursing, but while this book had it sprinkled liberally throughout, I didn’t find that it bothered me much — the writing was that good) and certainly for “thematic elements.”

So. What is this book about? I couldn’t begin to summarize. The storyline is hardly even a cohesive story at all — not with a formulaic introduction-conflict-resolution, anyway. It’s more a series of varied vignettes, ranging from humorous to harrowing, wise to whimsical. It seemed like in every one of the fifty-some chapters, I’d find some paragraph that spoke to my soul. When I’d (finally) close the book for the day, I’d sigh contentedly, as though reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was like the pickle Francie enjoyed on page 45: “She didn’t exactly eat it. She just had it.” Yes, that was kind of like my reading — I didn’t exactly read it; I just absorbed it.

Okay, so really: what is this book about? Well, it’s about a family in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century, trying to make ends meet in impoverished conditions — and trying to be happy in spite of their circumstances. The characters were very likable (which, for me, often translates to good, morally sound people — basically true in this case, despite some questionable habits) and yet simultaneously very real. They struggle throughout almost the entire course of the book, scraping up a penny or two for a tin-can bank — the hope for a better future for the children Francie and Neeley — while going hungry and cold in the meantime.

Yet somehow, though they are destitute, you can’t but help feel these Nolans (and Rommelys — the mother’s family) are rich in the things that matter: in moral courage and in their relationships with one another … and, yes, in happiness. Francie wisely reflects on page 457:

“People always think that happiness is a faraway thing … something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up.”

It’s all the little, uncomplicated things of this story that make it a happy one — a book worth reading … and one that will stay with me for some time, I’m sure....less

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Julia rated it:

08/17/07

bookshelves: the-classics

Read in November, 2006

Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" has been passed down through at least three or four generations and is highly regarded as a classic novel perfect for any young adult bent on entering adulthood and escaping from the gaping clutches of a complicated childhood.
While it was not for those reasons that I first picked up "Brooklyn," I came to regard it as one of the finest books that I had ever read. At first glance, it is a very deceitful book: short; words spaced nicel...more

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1 comments

Nian rated it:

07/01/08

Read in June, 2008

Quite an enjoyable book.

Loved:

1. The characters. My favorite was Francie, of course. We’re both avid readers.

2. The story about growing up and everything.

3. The messages about family, love, relationships, responsibility, being rich/poor, and etc.

Disliked:

1. The structure. This whole book is divided into parts titled Book One, Book Two, and so on. It started off with Francie being eleven years old, and into Book Two, it went back to Katie and Johnny’s era, where ...more Quite an enjoyable book.

Loved:

1. The characters. My favorite was Francie, of course. We’re both avid readers.

2. The story about growing up and everything.

3. The messages about family, love, relationships, responsibility, being rich/poor, and etc.

Disliked:

1. The structure. This whole book is divided into parts titled Book One, Book Two, and so on. It started off with Francie being eleven years old, and into Book Two, it went back to Katie and Johnny’s era, where they first met, what happened, etc. It’s a personal dislike of mine, but I hate flashbacks. Okay, not really flashbacks, per se, but like when the author flips the hourglass and takes you back in time after she has already talked about the present for a few chapters or so. You either start with the pass and end with the present or start with the present and end like that. It’s the logical order. For this book, as soon as I got up to Book Two, I was like, “When will we get back to Franice being eleven?” I liked those years. I didn’t want to have to wait till I’d finished a hundred pages or so just to get back to the present. My interest would have already wandered by then.

2. Johnny Nolan. I don’t care how realistic he is, being a drunk and all, but I absolutely hated the guy. I wished he could have dropped dead a few chapters after his appearance. I don’t think I’ve ever harbored such hateful ideas about a fictional character before—okay, I have, for Voldemort in the Harry Potter books. But he was at least smart.

3. The ending. Is it just me, or did it feel really hushed how Francie suddenly grew up and wanted a sweetheart? Or when her mother wanted to marry the sergeant? I thought the author could have focused a bit more on the ending than what she wrote about in Book Two, but that’s just me.

Out of all the required books we’d have to read these past two years, I’d say this was the most favorable—yes, even more so than The Catcher in the Rye, which I thought was pretty bland and persistent-but-not-in-a-good-way. The book was trying to teach you about life, but not really done in a condescending way that makes you think you have to act/behave a certain way if something like that gets thrown at you. ...less

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Ebookwormy rated it:

05/25/08

bookshelves: 1-character-forming, carp-500

This is one of those books I wasn't sure I would like until I got all the way to the end. I came to love Francie Nolan early in the story and wanted so much for her to fulfill the promise to BE the heroine; which she does. That alone makes this a book to read and re-read. Francie's parents, Katie and Johnny Nolan are captivating and complex in that they each contain admirable traits as well as crippling faults.

Initial exposure to the crushing poverty in which Francie lives is disturbing, and...more This is one of those books I wasn't sure I would like until I got all the way to the end. I came to love Francie Nolan early in the story and wanted so much for her to fulfill the promise to BE the heroine; which she does. That alone makes this a book to read and re-read. Francie's parents, Katie and Johnny Nolan are captivating and complex in that they each contain admirable traits as well as crippling faults.

Initial exposure to the crushing poverty in which Francie lives is disturbing, and generally created a feeling of gratitute in me -- both for myself and that we have the ability to provide food for our children. This book is rich in wisdom. Themes of the importance of family and loving imperfect people abound, as well as struggling with discrimination, loneliness and fairness. Perception is examined effectively in the context of complex relationships. Overcoming poverty is, of course, a theme; some do it through education, some through marriage, all through hard work and perseverence, and some never do.

Some of Francie's observations and conclusions are not wise, particularly in her younger years, but she always manages to right the ship before it tips.

The last section, as Francie matures to young adulthood, was a bit weaker in comparison, but by that time, I was already hooked. Weaker how? While the storyline remains strong, the characters seem to lack the depth of those developed in previous sections. It's not a fatal flaw, but it was a bit disappointing. This also contributes to a feeling that the ending is a bit contrived (partly because it ends positively). I wish the characters of the final section were a bit more developed, particularly the strong male characters that emerge, as this would have made it even more powerful.

This book has a distinctly feminine touch as the entire narrative explores interwoven relationships among Francie's family and the neighborhood. This approach creates a masterful work that may not be as interesting to male readers. I can picture this as a great discussion book for mothers and (adolescent) daughters....less

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1 comments

Becky rated it:

07/28/08

bookshelves: children-and-ya

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: kids and teens ages 10-17

I recently read this book for my monthly book group, after a lifetime of hearing the book referred to.

Overall, I liked it. It strikes me as being a very "old-fashioned" book, and I can't quite put my finger on why/how. It's not like reading Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle, which sounds fresh and even contemporary, even though it's an older book. Tree seems entrenched in its time period, it seems like more of a historical artifact than a true "novel" with ...more I recently read this book for my monthly book group, after a lifetime of hearing the book referred to.

Overall, I liked it. It strikes me as being a very "old-fashioned" book, and I can't quite put my finger on why/how. It's not like reading Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle, which sounds fresh and even contemporary, even though it's an older book. Tree seems entrenched in its time period, it seems like more of a historical artifact than a true "novel" with a plot and characters that I cared about.

That having been said, I also have to flip-flop and say that I really liked the fact that the "plot," such as it was, was simply day-to-day events in Francie's life. Nothing terribly extraordinary happens in the course of the book, and I am absolutely the first person to cheer about art being fashioned from mundance occurrences. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn does this very well, in a way that put me in mind of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books.

However, what this book really reminded me of was Margaret Sidney's Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, a guilty pleasure of mine. The Pepper family is extremely poor, as is Francie's family, and they work themselves up into a jubilant, hang-wringing frenzy over such little things as having some raisins to bake into their muffins. While I didn't find Francie and the Nolans to be as over-the-top ridiculous as the Peppers, Francie's wide-eyed, innocent view of the world definitely put me in mind of the perpetually agog Peppers.

That having been said, I also have to say I liked the childlike, naive tone and was glad it carried through the entire book. Francie is unintentionally humorous and startlingly wise by turns -- that's just as it should be.

So I am really of two minds about this book. I did like it and enjoy it. I think that if I'd read it as a child or a teenager, I would have liked it even more. But I have to admit, I don't understand why there's so much buzz about this book (I've been hearing the title tossed around all my life), why it endures. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Your mileage may vary!...less

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Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0060736267)

04/04/08

bookshelves: american-literature, book-club, classics, favorites

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: everyone

Francie stood on tiptoe and stretched her arms wide. "Oh, I want to hold it all!" she cried. "I want to hold the way the night is - cold without wind. And the way the stars are so near and shiny. I want to hold all of it tight until it hollers out, 'Let me go! Let me go!'"

The title of this novel refers to a tree that grows persistently up through the concrete and harsh conditions of a poor tenement neighborhood in early 1900s Brooklyn. But it is also a metaphor for...more

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Kathy rated it:

07/08/08

Read in January, 2006

OPENING LINE: "Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York."

I found a beautiful hardcover first printing of this book in a used bookstore in South Haven, Michigan. I remember that my writing mentor, Carol said this was a favorite book of hers, and I had wanted to read it since. I am almost done with this book, I love it. The opening introduces the most important symbol in the book, which is the tree referred to in the title. I believe the tree represents hope.

"Th...more

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Jing rated it:

(review of isbn 0786135360)

11/13/07

bookshelves: advisory

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: understands harship, proverty, family and values

The main protagonist of the book is Francie. She ages overtime and had experience many events that made her what she was in the end of the book. One of the events that changed her life was the family's proverty and eventaully her father death. She couldn't decide how she would go on in life without her father always helping the family out. The next thing was choosing between high school and a job. The family was poor, yet having a education could benefit the person later on in the future...more

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Alison rated it:

03/02/08

bookshelves: classics, rgbookclub

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: book lovers, adolescent girls, anyone who feels defeated

I didn't think I was going to like this book. Not before I read it, but as I was reading it. Although the story was interesting and somewhat engaging, I thought the writing was a little one-dimensional, and honestly, a little flat. Some of the characters seemed to fit too neatly into their little boxes...the prim piano teacher, the penny-pinching butchers and shop-keepers, the tough but kind cops.

But, then as I got toward the end, and Francie began to work a real job and help support her...more

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Kelley rated it:

09/17/08

recommends it for: girls 15 plus

Warning, contains spoilers.

My Dad's birthday is March 17. Once again, I found myself drawn to listening to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn again just before his birthday. It seems to be an emotional habit. Once again I am joined to my fictional kindred Francie Nolan. I am not like her in every way, but the parallels continue to astonish me. How did Betty Smith know?

Francie and Kelley:
Irish Catholic charming musical handsome daddy
Alcoholic daddy— mine had 3 DUIs
Dad who took temp work...more

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3 comments

Dana rated it:

02/01/08

bookshelves: to-re-read

I remembering reading this book in--it was probably the fifth grade-- for Book-It, a program that encouraged reading in elementary schools by rewarding kids with Pizza Hut pan pizza. I was a fat kid and, like most kids, fat or otherwise, I liked pizza (it just so happened I could typically down a few more slices then the average adolescent). Thus, the affair with books and compulsion to collect as many stars on my Book-it pin as possible began.

I remember this book in particular as one of...more

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Melody rated it:

(review of isbn 0899663036)

05/13/08

bookshelves: classics

Read in May, 2008

Reading this book was a little like watching an old Shirley Temple movie, with the person playing Shirley’s role a little less adorable – I was certainly entertained – but I was also taught many a lesson during the course of the story which was filled with more than a few clichés. The main lesson, of course is depicted by the tree –

“Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lot...more

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David rated it:

01/14/08

Read in December, 2007

recommended to David by: surfing amazons book store
recommends it for: those that like people

read this book apart form it being mentioned almost every were in .America and on countless variations plays , TV.series.(1974).. film but notably Will& Grace series.
were she takes apartment in Brooklyn and when will visits, she points out look will trees do actually grow in Brooklyn... to which he replays "the book must be true" as a sort of off comment...
Much of the book can be thought of as thinly disguised autobiography. Many of the characters derive from actual inhab...more

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Liza rated it:

09/17/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: girls young and old

This was a great story about a girl, Francie growing up in early 20th century Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The story was very honest and surprisingly candid for the time. Francie's also honest about her aunt Sissy's wild side which showed that regardless of the time period, people haven't changed for a century., in

The story is told from Francie's point of view. She and her brother Neely live with their parents in a small apartment. The daily challenges of surviving are told so well that you f...more

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Julie rated it:

09/02/08

Read in September, 2008

Love it. This was a birthday gift from Jen and I have to say thanks! Usually, when I hear that a book is a "classic" or worse, "a masterpiece," my gut response is to say "no thanks." It's probably because I had to read so many during high school and college that I got thoroughly sick of the "classics." (You may gain a greater understanding of something by dissecting it, but it still dies in the process.) Anyhow, I managed to get through to this part of...more

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Brian rated it:

03/22/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Brian by: My wife and daughter
recommends it for: anyone

This was a really engrossing book that I had a hard time putting down. I started this book by listening to the unabridged version of it read on CD's by the actress Kate Burton. When I traveled to Los Angeles on business during the week of March 10, I brought along the CD's and as I drove all over Los Angeles (spending time in LA, Kent and Orange counties) I listened to the CD's. Then in the evenings, after taking care of all my email and voicemail messages, I read the book. It really helped ...more

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Michelle rated it: