A Tree Grows in Brooklyn [75th Anniversary Ed]: A Special Edition of the Beloved American Classic Coming-Of-Age Novel (Perennial Classics)

A perennial classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, was first published in 1943. I don’t remember how old I was when I first read the novel, nor do I remember absorbing as much of the rich, sensitive writing as I have with this second, recent reading. The book, set in the early 1900s, rarely leaves the Brooklyn area and most of that takes place in rough tenement neighborhoods. It is tough living, especially for poor people. And Francie’s family is poor. Her mother scrubs floors in three tenement buildings to keep the family in food and rent. Her father works as a singing waiter, when he can get a job, but he has a serious drinking problem. Even so, he’s a loving father and his children adore him. Mary Frances Nolan, or Francie, is the oldest child, followed by her brother, only a year younger. Much later another little girl is born. The story is told mostly from Francie’s point of view. Francie is always thinking, her creative mind trying to make sense of what is going on around her. The hardships and rough living conditions are accepted, mostly without complaint, but her dreams soar with her imagination, intelligence and creativity. At that time and place, graduating from sixth grade was an impressive accomplishment, but Francie has the impossible dream of going to college. Francie’s life is metaphorically compared to a Chinese sumac, the Tree of Heaven, common to Brooklyn tenement yards. The tree is indestructible; can seemingly grow out of cement. Francie often sits on a fire escape in the shade of the tree’s umbrella-shaped leaves to blissfully read and dream. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant story of perseverance and hope amidst hardship. Even if you read this book years ago, it’s worth reading again. This second reading brought fresh insights and a deeper understanding of our country’s attitudes and values of that time period. I recommend this book for anyone twelves years and older. It is truly an American classic.

I was seriously deprived as an adolescent. I never even heard of Betty Smith's classic novel "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," let alone read it. And I was an avid reader who lived relatively close to Brooklyn. Whatever the reason for this significant omission in my early literary development, I remedied the situation recently, (yes, it took me a while). I can only echo here what millions of other readers have said since the book's publication in 1943, this is an extraordinary novel which enriches and delights. I can understand why The New York Public Library chose it as one of the "Books of the Century." Ms. Smith grew up in Brooklyn and drew from her own experiences to portray the hardships of the Nolans, a tenement family living in that borough's Williamsburg slums during the early part of the 20th century. Teenage Francie Nolan is an avid reader who wants to become a writer. She adores her father John, an alcoholic with a multitude of pipe dreams. He, in turn, loves his children and tries to be a good father, but he is not able to carry out his responsibilities. Nolan has become a dissipated man due to his alcohol addiction. Francie believes in him regardless, (and she's the only one), because they're soul-mates. Although it seems contradictory, the girl also possesses a strong practical streak. Her mother, Katie, abandoned all illusions for a better life long ago. She is rendered almost emotionless by a surfeit of her husband's grand schemes. However she stresses to her children that education is the only path out of the tenements. Grandma Rommely, Katie's mother, also reinforces the importance of education. There is a single ordinary tree visible from the Nolan's tenement window. It grows doggedly through the cement, in spite of harsh conditions which thwart it's development. Yet, it perseveres. For Francie and her father the tree symbolizes hope - the blossoming of life against all odds. It is like a beacon of of light in the darkness of their daily lives. Francie has the tenacity of that tree, and remains steadfast to her dreams. Unlike her father, she has the inner strength and resourcefulness to make them come true. The author poignantly depicts the Nolan's struggles to survive and grow in a world of poverty, hunger, class prejudice and tremendous loss. Francie, a courageous girl, of strong character, comes of age here under extremely difficult circumstances. The portrait of her family members and her relationship with them is beautifully drawn, especially her relationship with her brother Neely. And turn-of-the-century Williamsburg is brought vividly to life. Broader topics are also introduced which enhance the narrative tremendously, such as, WWI, immigration, and politics of the period. Smith's characters are strong and well developed. She uses flashbacks to tell the fascinating story of John Nolan's courtship of Katie, their marriage and early years together. "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a heartfelt, moving novel which touched me deeply. Betty Smith's prose is powerful, as are her storyline and characters. This is a book I will keep to reread in the future. I cannot recommend it highly enough. JANA

Still reading, beginning a little slow for me but mid way enjoying book, I grew up in Brooklyn so nice to read about things I remember.

A feel good story that will make I want to read it again!!

Another one of my favourite books at last on Kindle. Yaay!! My granny came from Jersey City to Scotland just before the period in which the story is set and my paperback was originally hers. She told me stories about the things mentioned in this book. It's a basic story of life in ordinary working class New York, but it has amazing little touches of real life, like the folk travelling in from Brooklyn all standing at the same time to see a clock to check if they were late for work or not. The tiny real details of life are celebrated and vividly brought to you in this story of a family's every day survival. Fab! Try it out if you can? You might love it as much as I do?

What a beautiful, heart rending account of life in Brooklyn at the beginning of the 1900s and the trials and tribulations of the Nolan family. You are taken on their journey of hardship but with modern progress comes improvement and by then end of this story you feel the next generation being able to take a step up from the last. I loved it.

I first read this book many years ago, when I was in my early teens. One or two of the passages stuck in my mind for some reason, but other than that it didn’t make much of an impression on me. Now, reading it approximately 50 years later, I’m deeply impressed by it. It’s a tender, loving portrait of a forgotten world – tenement dwellers in Brooklyn in the years before World War I. The main character is Francis, a young girl of exceptional promise who has a talent for observing the world around her, finding the positive in almost everything, and writing. All the characters are drawn with sympathy and tenderness, including the alcoholic father, the dying neighbour, and the hard-working young mother. But what struck me most was the lost world in which the story takes place. These people had absolutely nothing at a time when (literally) a few pennies could make the difference between having and not having any dinner. The deprivation was of a kind that we in North America rarely see anymore: things like people living out their whole lives in the space of a few city blocks, babies dying for want of basic medical care, children contributing a few important pennies to the family’s struggle to eat each day, and so on. But these people kept on, and the determined few managed to build lives for themselves and their children. I understand that the author originally wrote this as a memoir, but was convinced by a publisher to rewrite it as fiction. What a remarkable childhood Ms Smith had, and what an exceptional person she must have been to be able to look back on those days with such fondness and tenderness. I highly recommend this book. As the cliché goes, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll get lost in it and come away with a deep appreciation of how much things have changed for the better . . . and for the worse.

Un libro muy recomendable. Nos hace vivir la adolescencia de Francie, una etapa difícil para todos y en este caso en un entorno no muy favorable. Es una historia de supervivencia y esperanza plasmada de realismo y de la posibilidad de vencer dificultades cuando los lazos familiares se mantienen, particularmente entre padres e hijos y entre hermanos.

This Kindle edition of the book is censored, although this is not made clear in the description. I do not recommend it for those who want to experience the author’s work as it was originally intended.