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Overview
Overview
A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick
A special 75th anniversary edition of the beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the twentieth century.
From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for growing up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn, New York demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family's erratic and eccentric behavior--such as her father Johnny's taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissy's habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce--no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolans' life lacked drama. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans' daily experiences are raw with honestly and tenderly threaded with family connectedness. Betty Smith has, in the pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, captured the joys of humble Williamsburg life--from "junk day" on Saturdays, when the children of Francie's neighborhood traded their weekly take for pennies, to the special excitement of holidays, bringing cause for celebration and revelry. Smith has created a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as deeply resonant moments of universal experience. Here is an American classic that "cuts right to the heart of life," hails the New York Times. "If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, you will deny yourself a rich experience."
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Smith, Betty
- ISBN: 9780060736262
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.00 x 1.25
- Number Of Pages: 493
- Publication Year: 2005
Customer Reviews
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Wonderful story!
Kristine S. - 5 years 2 months agoThis is one of my all time favorite books. I read it every single year, when springtime fills the air. This story makes me think of spring renewal as well. The main characters blossom throughout this story. #SpringPicks
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A girl makes her way through life in 1900's Brookyln.
Alex A. - 5 years 7 months agoFrannie Nolan is an Irish girl being raised by two working class parents in Brooklyn, New York. She learns as much from the streets of her neighborhood as she does from the books she borrows. The cast of characters is colorful, diverse and always interesting. This has been my all time favorite book since I was 11 years old and I recommend it to everyone who asks. It's one of the best coming of age stories and is a perfect blend of the harsh realities and quirks of life.
HPB Staff Review -
Your time on earth is filled with glory.
Dorothy M. - 6 years ago#SummerReading Betty Smith takes you back to the beginning of the 20th Century in Brooklyn. The main character, Francie Nolan, is a young girl at first but grows into a young women. Reading this book you realize some things don't every change... love, hate, rejection, and renewal. Smith helps you to love the most unloveable of characters because in the end, don't we all have struggles and want someone to accept and love us? One is shown to look at things through new eyes as if to “Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.” The book has it's share of hardships, but one is left with a sense of hope and success. I highly recommend this book to the young and old alike.
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Worth the Read!
MACEY B. - 6 years agoThis is a fantastic read. The author does a great job depicting the complex relationships within a family, realistically portraying the weaknesses and strengths of each individual. I found that I became very attached to the characters despite their “ordinary” lives. A truly touching novel.
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Highly Recommend
Kayla P. - 6 years agoThis book might not be for everyone. It is not heavily plot-driven; it's all about character development. I thought Smith did an excellent job at bringing the characters to life and making each of them likable and sympathetic. She has a way of making you think while her characters deal with poverty, family, education, and feminism. I had a hard time putting it down. #SummerReading