A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

from DeltaQueen50

This book is, I believe, an American Classic. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is the quintessential coming-of-age story for young girls. Francie Nolan's difficult childhood growing up in the early 1900's in the slums of Brooklyn resonates with pride, resourcefulness, and heart. We are giv...

from thornton37814

I can't believe that I waited so many years to make the acquaintance of Francie Nolan, her brother Neeley, and her parents Katie and Johnny. They reside in Brooklyn. Francie learns quickly that she is the only one in her class whose parents were born in the United States. The others were children...

from Carmenere

Being close to the last reader on the planet to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I finally decided it's more than about time to discover why this novel seems to be such a beloved book. Taken at face value alone this is the story of young Francie Nolan, the oldest child of scrubwoman Katie and somet...

from mckait

Oh my what a trip into the past this was. I read this book several times as a child. In fact, I was about Francie's age when I first read it. My only memory was of a girl in a window and a tree. For some reason that image stayed with me more than the story. I can't say that the story came back to...

from lkernagh

A wonderful, poignant coming-of-age story, capturing pre-World War I Brooklyn as seen through the eyes of young Francie, a girl of grit and determination. As a social documentary, it captures the struggles of the poorer working class of Brooklyn of the time period and warns of how pride can be bo...