Rating: ****
Tags: Fiction, General, Coming of Age, Literary, Family Life, Domestic Fiction, Classics, Bildungsromans, Poor Families, Girls, Brooklyn (New York; N.Y.), Lang:en
Summary
The beloved American classic about a young girl's
coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving
tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and
heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The
story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and
her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg
has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than
sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking,
and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable
Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family
connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly
captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich
moments of universal experience. Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and
adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in
colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a
sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an
aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother
who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early
the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her
father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is
her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant
need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of
cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie
struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty
Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was
first published over 50 years ago. Her frank writing about
life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel
society, but the book's humor and pathos ensured its place in
the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young
and old. (Ages 10 and older)
--Emilie Coulter
“One of the books of the Century.” (New York
Public Library )
“A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true
one. It cuts right to the heart of life. . . . If you miss
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a
rich experience.” (
New York Times )
“One of the most dearly beloved and one of the
finest books of our day.” (Orville Prescott )Amazon.com Review
Review