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A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Paperback)

by Betty Smith (Author) "SERENE WAS A WORD YOU COULD PUT TO BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (372 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 18.95
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A Tree Grows In Brooklyn + The Glass Castle: A Memoir + The Time Traveler's Wife
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Product Description

From Amazon.com

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 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


From AudioFile

Anyone who missed reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or who wants to know this moving story again should run, not walk, to the nearest source of this outstanding audiobook. The novel richly merits its status as a "classic." Francie, the protagonist, grows up in the slums of Brooklyn during the early part of the twentieth century, and life treats her badly. Less favored in her dysfunctional family than her brother, forced to leave school early, maltreated by fate and by people--she plunges forward, indomitable, courageous. What makes the listening experience so fine is the compelling and convincing narration by Bernadette Dunne, who not only has Francie down pat, but also captures the assorted other characters. She feels Francie's pain at the setbacks, her joy at the triumphs. And, as Francie matures, so does Dunne's presentation. Clearly Dunne was committed to creating something fine and, like Francie herself, she has. T.H. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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SERENE WAS A WORD YOU COULD PUT TO BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

372 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (372 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars AN AMERICAN CLASSIC..., Dec 10 2007
By Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
Written over sixty years ago, time has not diminished the capacity of this book to capture the reader's heart. This coming of age story that takes place in turn of the century Brooklyn will simply enthrall the reader with its descriptive passages and its richly developed characters. This book survives the passage of time without becoming anachronistic, because the themes upon which it touches are universal ones.

The story centers on the Nolan family. The central character is the daughter, Mary Frances Nolan. Known as "Francie" to all and sundry, she is an intelligent child growing up in poverty in the tenements of Brooklyn with her charming father, a singing waiter and an alcoholic, her hard-working and practical, no-nonsense mother, and her younger brother, who enjoys favored son status in his mother's heart. Surrounding the family are a host of characters that are richly drawn and serve to add to the ambiance of the story as it enfolds.

The events that transpire in the book are seen through Francie's eyes. Her family's struggle with poverty, her father's alcoholism, her mother's steely-eyed determination to keep her family afloat, and Francie's thirst for knowledge and desire for higher education all serve to make this child strong and thrive, where others might only despair. Such is Francie's strength of character. It is that strength that helps her to battle her self-doubts, her loneliness, and lack of friends, while growing up.

This is a beautifully rendered story, a true American classic that will keep the reader turning its pages.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Good, Jan 11 2007
This is a novel to be read and enjoyed for many different reasons. As an initial matter, it paints a portrait of Brooklyn at the turn of the twentieth century. Many books contain descriptions, but this book contains something more. I could hear the chaos on the streets, including the noisy children, horses and vendors. I could smell and taste the coffee that Francie's mother left boiling on the stove at all hours of the day and night. It went beyond mere description--this novel involved all of my senses and made me truly feel what it was like to live in that time and place.
Beyond the amazing imagery is a somewhat simple story of a family in crisis. Johnny, the father, drinks too much and can't hold a job but is the light and life of the family. Katie, the mother, loves her family ferociously, but has been imbittered by the strain that Johnny and their perpetual state of poverty places upon her. The story truly belongs to Francie and Neely, the two children, who survive by staying together, inventing stories and games for each other, and finding joy in their meager surroundings.

The most noteworthy aspect of the novel, to me, was its utter anger. I have heard Steinbeck's Travels with Charley described as "an angry book". A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was much angrier. Francie's childlike but astute observations concerning how society ignores the needs and struggles of the working poor explode with anger. Francie's shining moment is when she shames the doctor who comments in front of her that all poor people are dirty, without thinking that she and her brother can understand him. Sissy's shining moment is when she shames Francie's teacher who ignores poor children to the point that she fails to release them to use the bathroom, causing them to have humiliating accidents. Even Francie's and Neely's victories contain an undercurrent of anger. They catch the leftover Christmas tree, warming the heart of the peddler who threw it. But because he is poor, he cannot openly be happy for them, and has to throw curses after them as they parade home with their prize.

This book contains magic and heartbreak, heroics and cowardice, beauty and hideousness. It describes what it was like to be a poor child in Brooklyn in 1908. Above all, it reminds us that poverty and human behavior is universal. Shamefully, children and adults are still going through what Francie and her family went through 100 years ago.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and movie, Dec 31 2006
What can you say about a classic? This is known to many now as just a movie, but I have to say that the book is even better. If you liked Carson McCuller's THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, or TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, then TREE will warm your heart the same way.

Set in (obviously) Brooklyn in the early part of the last century, it is the story of struggle and hope. I was expecting a palid and dim copy of the movie, not-so-brought to life, but instead I got a riveting tale. Betty Smith is an excellent writer and this book can be read by children as well as adults.

While this is one of my top five favorite books, I would also recommend the novel EAST OF EDEN for those who like a longer, more complex story. Steinbeck at his best.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I've lived it--and a tree really does grow
When I got this book, I had a warm feeling because I knew it was a classic and because I rarely get American books. Read more
Published on Feb 8 2005 by ThomsEBynum

5.0 out of 5 stars Only two
There are only two books that I've read recently that I can recommend to the average Amazon buyer. The first is McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood" which is probably the... Read more
Published on Jul 22 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful classic!
I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was about twelve years old, and I decided to give it a whirl once again. Read more
Published on Jul 19 2004 by CoffeeGurl

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction page-turner!
I bought this book mainly because I had always seen it on high school book lists but never read it while I was in high school, and thought I should read it. Read more
Published on Jul 1 2004 by Karen Abraham

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching story; great detail and imagery
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a great touching story of a young girl growing up in poverty stricken early 20th century Brooklyn, New York. Read more
Published on Jun 26 2004 by gjetta00

5.0 out of 5 stars a true classic
Set in the early 1900's, a tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is an old classic we should all revist. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2004 by K. P QUINN

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES
I was first introduced to this book by my mother at the tender age of 10. Since then, I have read it countless times, and find myself picking it up and reading sections of it from... Read more
Published on Jun 19 2004 by steendean

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful coming of age story
A tree Grows in Brookly will always have a special place in my heart, it along with Maggie-now was given to me by my late grandmother when I was younger. Read more
Published on Jun 7 2004 by "July Lady"

5.0 out of 5 stars About time!
I've been singing the praises of the book (and movie) now for many years. It's about time Oprah and everyone else realized what an American classic this is. Read more
Published on Jun 2 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Maggie-Now
I am writing a review on the book, Maggie-Now, by Betty Smith. I have yet to read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, but I am excited to do so. Read more
Published on May 28 2004 by Julie bailey

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