Hey there bookworms and happy-almost-Friday! I don’t know about you, but I am beyond ready to get this weekend underway. Between long days at the office, a stint at jury duty, and just having a bit of a nonstop schedule lately, I’m ready for a mental break. I have a little weekend adventure planned with one of my good friends, writing to carry with me, and my current read in progress.. so now I just have to survive about another 20-21 hours until freedom. I hope you have awesome plans and lots of books in your queue for the next few days and I wish you a blissful handful of winter days of sanity.
If you’re heading into your downtime in need of a story suggestion, I’m going to recommend the subject of tonight’s review. It’s a classic I’m sad to say I never had the pleasure of reading, so once I picked it for my January book club selection, I finally understood why there was such hype around this brilliant coming-of-age novel. Let’s talk about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
The American classic about a young girl’s coming-of-age at the turn of the century.
“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 Brooklynyou will deny yourself a rich experience… It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919… Their daughter, Francie, and their son, Neely, know more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city’s poor. Primarily this is Francie’s book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie’s growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” – Orville Prescott
“[A Tree Grows in Brooklyn] is that rare and enduring thing, a book in which, no matter our backgrounds, we recognize ourselves.” – Anna Quindlen, from her Foreword
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
I’m beyond elated (and a little sad) that it took me so long to read this book. As a born and bred Jersey Girl, the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Empire State is just a hop-skip-and-jump away. I’ve always been enchanted by my famous neighbor, and being a fan of American History since I was in elementary school just gave me some great things all wrapped up in a magical book.
Like many of the new Americans sprinkled throughout the pages of this novel, I was drawn to the buzz of New York during the turn of the century. Living vicariously through sweet Francie Nolan just made it that much better. Her curious mind, her love of reading, and the love of her family and home with all its quirks made my journey with these characters nothing short of magical.
You know those books you read that just take you away completely? All distractions melt away and you’re truly transported to another time and place? Thats what A Tree Grows in Brooklyn did for me. I soaked up the lives of each and every character with all their ups and downs, the ambiance of turn-of-the-century New York, and re-living aspects of childhood all over again.
If this is a classic you haven’t gotten around to reading yet, I can’t recommend this book enough. I’ve thoroughly berated myself for not enjoying this story until I was in my thirties, but I’m thrilled I can appreciate the joys of the children, and the hardships of the adults.
If I could make one final suggestion, I have to say that listening to this on Audible really made this tale come to life. It’s narrated by Kate Burton and published by Harper Audio and is absolutely worth a listen.
Until next time, happy reading!
