Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" - Harper Perennial Deluxe Edition

Carolina Elkins: The writing style is simple, straightforward, with passages that do such a beautiful job of describing the situation I often felt as though I work in a particular scene, not just reading about it.

I have read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn on my own two or three times.

I am 62 years old.
To start up again reading back and forth with my husband, which got sidelined when I had a stroke last year, we're going to start with this particular book which he has not read.

Modern authors often do not write as well as authors from the 40s 50s and 60s, in part because of the Internet making us fill in forms and talk that way, too.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the kind of book to read with an older child, one who is interested in a way of life that is long gone.

I rate A Tree Grows in Brooklyn among the top 50 books that I have read in my lifetime, and I have read an incredible number of books, including fiction.

If you enjoyed this book or you're going to enjoy this book, check out another good one for and about a child of around 10 years old, which is by another author, and it is called an "Episode of Sparrows" by Rumer Godden.

But do not stop...

United States on Jan 04, 2024

Pradeep Nadar: Enjoyed

India on Jan 03, 2024

M Challiw: This is one of my fav coming of age novels. All the characters in this book are so well sketched out, highlighting the struggles both physical & mental that people have. I love the family dynamics & portrayel of the various relations. The main theme of this book is to show no matter what cards you are dealt with in life, the way you approach life & go after your goals is what will ultimately decide your success & happiness. I love the detailed description of Brooklyn, and the neighborhood the main character Frances Nolan lives in; makes me want to visit it someday. I recently re read this book, its such a comforting read.

Canada on Dec 21, 2023

steelebox: Such a well written, poignant book set in the early 1900’s where poverty is the norm. The Nolans are a believable family, as poor as their neighbours but perhaps richer in love and certainly wisdom. God bless Johnny - he was my brother.

United Kingdom on Dec 15, 2023

Cheyenne533: Sehr spannend!

Germany on Sep 03, 2023

André Jenkino: O livro provavelmente foi digitalizado de um arquivo em papel e o reconhecimento em OCR deixou passar vários erros, como por exemplo usar /-/ quando se tratava de um H em itálico. Em trechos em que foi possível compreender o que foi feito, menos mal; mas há frases e passagens do texto em que o significado se perdeu totalmente. Péssimo.

Além disso, há problemas com espaçamento/organização principalmente de trechos de músicas e canções que aparecem, aspas que abrem sem jamais fechar, e a cada 150 caracteres há a supressão de um espaço, fazendo com que as palavras fiquem grudadas. Nenhum cuidado por parte da editora/Amazon, claramente sem nenhuma atenção humana.

Nem sempre o avanço da tecnologia é benéfico.

Brazil on May 09, 2022

Laura's Reviews: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been on my “to read” list the last few years as it keeps popping up on lists of classics that are must reads. After this novel was voted #13 on the PBS Great American Read last year, I knew I needed to read it. I chose it as the October pick for the Kewaunee Library Back to the Classics Book club and it was also chosen for my Rogue Book club (aka FLICKS Book and Movie Club) for this month as well.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Francie Nolan and her family. She grows up in the tenements in Brooklyn and yearns to be educated. She reads a book every day from the library and is determined to read them all. Her brother Neeley and herself struggle to survive and collect scrapes and other items to try to get food to survive. Their mother Katie is a hardworking woman who cleans three tenement buildings to give them somewhere to live. Their father, Johnny, is a dreamer who works as a singing waiter, but drinks away most of his income. Will Francie be able to work her way to a better life?

This novel is a book that you don’t read fast for the action, it’s a book that you read slowly to enjoy the beauty of the writing and a look...

United States on Oct 27, 2019

Nancy O: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn captures the life of the Nolan family, who live in the slums of Brooklyn, not by choice, but because they are poor. The book follows them from the opening of the 20th century through the 1920s. The central character here is Francie, the daughter of Katie and Johnny, opening when she is 11, and follows her through her teenage years.

The book is a coming-of-age novel, but at the same time, it's a look at many issues prevalent at the time which one could argue are still prevalent now. For example, beyond the immediate effects of poverty on Francie's family's life, the author has also reflected on how people both on the inside and outside of the Nolan's community viewed poverty. There is a great scene where Francie and her brother went to a "celebration for the poor of all faiths" (211) -- where the kids received little gifts, watched a play, etc., and then there was a give away of a doll. The woman gives a speech about the child giving away the doll, saying that "Little Mary is a very rich little girl," who had received a lot of dolls for Christmas, and wanted to give the doll to "some poor little Mary." All of the "poor" little girls refused to own up...

United States on May 24, 2009