From the Bookshelf of Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)…

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Betty Smith

Start date: August 1, 2019

Finish date: August 31, 2019

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Discussion leader: Katy

Why we're reading this: Revisit the Shelf Group Reread, August 2019

Previous Group Reads:
Revisit the Shelf Group Read, May 2013
New…more
[close] Revisit the Shelf Group Reread, August 2019

Previous Group Reads:
Revisit the Shelf Group Read, May 2013
New School Classic, August 2012

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

The Stepford Wives - Spoilers
By Lynn , New School Classics · 16 posts · 45 views

last updated Sep 29, 2025 01:54PM

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last updated Sep 15, 2025 11:39AM

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What Members Thought

Aug 01, 2013 Ellie 9218 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Francie Nolan (penny-candy expert, avid reader, and excellent observer of human nature), has jumped off of the pages, and into my heart, and has become my new (fictional) best friend.

This book tells the story from the perspective of Francie Nolan (starting at age 11) growing up in Brooklyn in 1912. Her voice is so very innocent as she narrates her family’s history. She is young, but her mental maturity is beyond her years.

Francie had so much to deal with: extreme poverty, hunger, an alcoholic ( Francie Nolan (penny-candy expert, avid reader, and excellent observer of human nature), has jumped off of the pages, and into my heart, and has become my new (fictional) best friend.

This book tells the story from the perspective of Francie Nolan (starting at age 11) growing up in Brooklyn in 1912. Her voice is so very innocent as she narrates her family’s history. She is young, but her mental maturity is beyond her years.

Francie had so much to deal with: extreme poverty, hunger, an alcoholic (yet caring) father, a crazy aunt, a brother that is favored by their mother. But just like that persistent little tree (tree of Heaven) outside of Francie's window that grows through the concrete in the neighborhood where she grew up, Francie manages to thrive in a hard and difficult world. And what I love so much about Francie is that she sees everything with big, innocent eyes. She gets excited about every little thing. She sees life as magical, and finds comfort in the simple joys of life. My absolute favorite line from the book is simply beautiful:

"People always think that happiness is a faraway thing," thought Francie, "something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains - a cup of strong hot coffee when you're blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you're alone - just to be with someone you love. Those things make happiness."

And of course, I love how much Francie loved books and the great comfort it brought her (My favorite chapter was the one where Francie talks about learning to read.) I loved how she worked herself alphabetically through her local library.

“Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words.”

“From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On that day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived.”

“As she read, at peace with the world and happy as only a little girl could be with a fine book and a little bowl of candy, and all alone in the house, the leaf shadows shifted and the afternoon passed. ”

This is the Classic fiction that I love so much, and I can see why it is timeless. There’s a slow reminiscing feel to it. It’s not a book driven by plot (there really isn’t one) but a simple, beautifully written book that focuses on well-developed, rich, complex characters and powerful themes (perseverance, love, family, survival, and the American Dream).

L.O.V.E.D it….

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Jun 18, 2012 Melanti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2013, historical, e-book, classics

I'm so glad I read this as an adult and not as a teen.

I loved it, but I know there are nuances and innuendo that I definitely would not have picked up on if I'd read it when I was young -- like Sissy's job in a condom factory. That one certainly would have gone way over my head! ...more

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