A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in Bound Together

Jul 29, 2014 B the BookAddict rated it really liked it

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A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is the story of Francie (Frances) Nolan growing up in the slums of Brooklyn in 1912. Over the years, it has been called a timeless classic, a description which will undoubtedly remain steadfast.

“Francie’s mother is small and pretty but steely and tough but her father is warm and charming and, above all, a prisoner of his need for drink.”* Kate, the mother, is the breadwinner of the family, clean houses for the money, which feeds, clothes and keep the family warm (when t
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is the story of Francie (Frances) Nolan growing up in the slums of Brooklyn in 1912. Over the years, it has been called a timeless classic, a description which will undoubtedly remain steadfast.

“Francie’s mother is small and pretty but steely and tough but her father is warm and charming and, above all, a prisoner of his need for drink.”* Kate, the mother, is the breadwinner of the family, clean houses for the money, which feeds, clothes and keep the family warm (when the money stretches that far). Kate favours Neeley, the son, while Johnny, the father, provides the love and understanding Francie needs. Francie is a lonely child who collects junk for pennies to help supplement the family’s income. She has no friends, her companion is Neeley (when he's around) and a beloved aunt.

She longs for school but school, when she gets there, is not the place she has imagined. It’s tough and cruel, the teachers are harsh, and Francie suffers many indignities. But it provides the outlet she requires, she learns to read and her love of reading and writing is born. It is here that she decides she will become first, a writer, then a playwright. It is at school she also learns the spitefulness of girls, and vows “I will never have a woman friend”. At the end of grade school, her beloved father’s death means that Francie must finish school and go to work; her first two jobs are factory work, followed by office work in New York; across the Brooklyn Bridge and a place Francie has always longed for. Francie’s story and that of her family’s continues well into her late teens.

Perhaps the impact of this story is that the reader, as well as Francie, says goodbye to her young self at the novel’s close. Personally, I was deflated to learn there was no sequel; I loved Francie and felt I had grown up in Brooklyn with her. I wanted more; what happened to Francie, where did she go, who did she love (if she loved), did she become a playwright. Quindlen says there is no doubt that this is a memoir, rewritten at the behest of editors, as a fictional story. So probably I do know what happened in Francie’s later life although I still wanted to read it, wanted to hear it in Francie’s words.

Anna Quindlen, in her wonderful introduction says: “It is not a showy book from a literary point of view. It’s pages are not larded with metaphor or simile or the sound of the writer’s voice in love with it’s own music. Its glory is in the clear-eyed descriptions of its scenes and people.” [ ]“This is that rare and enduring thing, a book in which, no matter what our backgrounds, we recognise ourselves.”

Quindlen's last sentence is so true: I found Francie’s story waking some forgotten memory in me – until that is, I reminded myself that I grew up in a upper middle-class family in Melbourne in the middle 1960s. I am pleased to find that people of all ages are still reading Smith’s wonderful novel. I think it is a story that remains relevant no matter the year or your age. It will always remain one of my most treasured reads. Thanks to Anastasia for recommending the book to me. Most Highly Recommended. 4.5★

*Quoted from Quindlen’s Introduction.
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