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Summary: Portrait of family unity admid chaos and poverty
Review: 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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Summary: Just as good the second time
Review: When I was thirteen I read this book and loved it. I was Francie in my mind. We lived not far from Brooklyn and while not as poor, shared many of the same problems. The book has always been a fond memory for me. This month it was chosen as a group read for my reading group. Although I rarely re read, I decided to see if the book was as good as my memory said it was. To my delight it was still as wonderful as I remembered. Only this time I had a bit more sympathy for the mother Katie, then I did the first time. Seeing the book through the eyes of a mother, I admired more of the qualities I saw as harsh those many years ago. Betty Smith writes with such detail, that one can see the streets of Williamsburg as seen through Francie's eyes. The Nolan's are a family that literally lives the American dream. They start the book in dire poverty, yet each generation accomplishing more than the one before. And they have the most important gift of all, the love and support of family. Today this would no doubt be labeled a dysfunctional family, with an alcoholic father, a mother leaving her children unattended, an aunt who is a little too free with her favors. Yet we love the Nolans, and root for them through thick and thin. Francie Nolan loved reading and the library above all else. I am now the grown up Francie, still trying to read every book in the library. I am glad I took the time to re read this one. Francie Nolan will be a part of me forever.
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Summary: One of the most influential books I have ever read...
Review: This book was one of the most genuinely touching books I have ever read. I read it when I was just 13. Back then, I had many stressers in my life, and this book helped me identify with other people. I realized that Francie, the main character, was just like me. I saw myself in her and my father in her father. It was touching and very interesting- I picked it up and was immediately sucked in. I finished it in two days! In conclusion, one cannot possibly live their life without reading this amazingly profound classic. It has influenced my life and opened my eyes. Thank you, and good night.
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Summary: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Review: Even the weak small tree in the back yard can grow with only little sunlight. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a poignant novel that beautifully displays the themes of a growing family, often compared to a growing tree. The journeys of the Nolan family, all extensions included, are captured in five 'books', each documenting a period of their lives. Mostly, the focus is on Francie, the book beginning when she is age eleven in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn, though there are also records of her early years and even her birth. When Francie is born and looks as if she might not live too long, her mother Katie is pitied for the sickly baby and she replies: 'Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth. And it's strong because its hard struggle to live makes it strong' (93). Through this coming-of-age novel, Francie constantly exhibits her innermost thoughts concerning life, love, and her family from 1902 to 1919.
After showing Brooklyn in the first book during the summer of 1912 as 'serene', and quoting Francie's observations about the people who surround her, the path continues into lives of Francie's parents Katie and Johnny, beginning when they first met, and delving into their families. The tales of Katie's sisters Sissy, Evy, and Eliza and bits about Johnny's brothers Andy, Georgie, and Frankie are covered as well. Book Three begins when Francie is approximately age seven when the Nolan family moves to a new flat due to the accidents caused by an overwhelming amount of love from Sissy. Francie now begins a new adventure called school, which confronts her with both good and bad incidents. She painfully endures her beautiful father's death, and sees her mother's newest pregnancy, which is Johnny's child. She recognizes her mother's apparent love for Neeley over her, and learns that upon ending middle school she must get her working papers. Francie yearns for education but realizes that she must work to help her family and keep them afloat.
Book Four begins with Francie learning the ropes of factory life and to appreciate the necessity of work. Annie Laurie, Francie's new sister, is born. She will not grow up in poverty as Francie and Neeley did, because of the nice, rich man who is courting Katie. Francie finds her first crush, her first love, her first heartbreak all in this section of the book. In Book Five Francie leaves the necessity of her life of work and prepares for a life of luxury thanks to Katie's new husband. The novel ends with Francie bidding adieu to her old town, her old life, and her old self.
Throughout my journey of reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I both laughed and cried, and realized that there were aspects of this book that I liked and ones that I disliked. I liked knowing about all the people in the family, and knowing their emotions rather than merely knowing about Francie alone. I liked growing up with Francie, and observing her ups and downs. Though all of this possibly could not have been written in a shorter length, I felt that the book was too long and that it dragged at certain points. While I enjoyed the writing style of Betty Smith, I think that some of the vignettes were unnecessary. I most liked the constant symbolism of the tree growing in the backyard. 'The tree hadn't died. A new tree had grown from the stump and its trunk had grown along the ground until it reached a place where there were no wash lines above it. Then it had started to grow towards the sky again'It lived! And nothing could destroy it' (483).
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Summary: Maggie-Now
Review: 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. I could not stop thinking of the Moore family characters and how real they seemed. The values and the traditions of the day were so important then, I feel sad that there is a lack of tradition and heritage in America today. It grieves me so that I really do not know much about my family history and wonder if others feel as I do. This book made me laugh, cry and wonder. It truly deserves the time and effort to read. I looked at my own children differently and dreamed their dreams through their eyes. Wondering if that spunk of my middle child was the Irish in her, or thinking of my maiden name and wondering what my English ancestors were like and how they came to America, what did they do for work, were they poor like the Moores, having to take in laundry or sweep a street? So many questions I have now, because I picked this old book out of a closet, dusted off the cover and opened my mind to the past of all of us. The characters are believable, the vivid detail of the late 1800,s and early 1900,s was depicted effortlessly, and humor and pain will engulf you. The flavor of heritage and tradition flows throughout the book and takes you back to a time you may have never lived in, but one in which you are strangely familiar. The characters felt like family. Already I was lonely and missing them when I read the last page and had to close the book.
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Summary: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- Book Review
Review: Shortly after reading this book, I have come to realize why A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith, is considered a true literature classic. The story illustrates a beautiful picture of Brooklyn, New York during the turn of the twentieth century, and the types of lifestyles the working poor lived. The story is focused on the life of Francie and Neely Nolan, the children of a sweet but heartbreaking couple, Katie and Johnny Nolan. The mother, Katie Nolan, is brutally honest, never one to publicly express emotion or sugar-coat things for her family or friends. The father, Johnny Nolan, is a charming young man who serves as the backbone for the family, but has a terrible problem: alcoholism. Smith gives some of the most common problems of children, yet is able to elaborate on them to develop the characters and give the reader a real understanding of them. For young Francie and Neely, their lives are subject to poverty, and they soon learn how valuable every cent is. As poor children growing up in a rural neighborhood, they learn to cope with teasing of their social status and their given situation in life.
With the sudden death of Johnny, the family learns to cope with an even tougher life, and the story begins to unfold. It begins to tell of the physical and emotional changes of Francie as she grows older, and her trials and tribulations as she goes from a successful student to a vulnerable factory worker. As life goes on for this family, we begin to sympathize for it, and come to gain respect for all that they must pull together for to get through whatever life throws their way.
Not only will the story appeal to the reader, but also the writing style that Betty Smith takes on. The setting descriptions that she gives of the beautifully constructed buildings, blooming flowers, passers-bys, and the whirlwind of life that Francie is observing are amazing and cause the reader to have an early fondness for the book. Imagery also plays another part in the development of the characters and the story. You could feel the warmth of the sun beating down through the windows of the bakery Francie made multiple visits to for cheap, day old bread. You could smell the coffee that Katie had brewed the day before, and tasted the freshly cut rye bread to go along with it.
Through the experiences Smith put the characters in, and the development of the tale of this unfortunate family, the reader is able to understand that many endless themes and messages are interwoven within the story. Hope, survival, and courage are all included with these themes, and are illustrated through the way that Francie and Neely live their everyday lives. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a book recommended for any classic collection, and can be enjoyed and appreciated by people everywhere. This heartwarming story is sure to touch all hearts of those who read it, and will give them a new view on life, and how lucky they are to live in the world they do today.
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Summary: A tree grows in brooklyn-was it really a tree?
Review: The question raised while reading this Novella was, was it really a tree growing, yes it was, a tree of love and hope and desperation. Upon my readings, I have come acrost the event of
Sissy being a trollop, putting herself out for all to see and anyone who has a buck. What would become of Francie in 20 years, would she follow in the footsteps of Sissy, as a group we've decided, that yes she definitely would. The apple never falls far from the tree.A tree that grew in Brooklyn. P.s. Johnny was a drunk.
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Summary: A Book That Taught Me How to Appreciate Every Day
Review: How I wish I could have been a child like Francie Nolan! Yes, her family was poor and grief striken, but she enjoyed every day of her life! She made the good times seem magnificent and had a wonderful way of perceiving the bad times! The simpleness of her eating jello with whipped topping for the first time and the way she described that experience brought me to tears! How she craved education and new experiences! I hope from now on that when I encounter a new day that I look upon them the way Francie did! I believe that everyone experiences this book differently and that's what makes it such a jewel of literature!
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Summary: Classic
Review: This book was quite good. This book was only on my reading list since my senior year in high school. I am a freshman in college and have finally read this lovely peice of literature. Betty Smith portrays a beautiful life of Francie Nolan and her growing up in Brooklyn. Her family-Johnny and Katie (her parental units), Laurie and Neely (her sister and brother), Sissy and Eva (her aunts) all help build the pages of this book with a since of character and wit. The simplicity in this book is fantastic. I'm not very good at summarizing but basically it is about Francie and her family through out a period of over a decade in New York. Francie's family is poor, yet they are one of the purest families out there. I especially loved "Book One", this section made me feel like a kid again. I loved Betty Smith's descriptions of the weekends, and collecting "junk" and the pictures of the candy stores and library in my mind. It is a classic indeed and recomend it to anyone.
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Summary: Growing Up
Review: It's not every book that will grab you from the opening paragraph and draw you into the characters lives the way this one does. 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' was a fascinating novel describing the life and times of a young girl growing up in the early nineteen hundreds, but the experiences are not dated - they are repeated with every generation of young women, and the writer does a wonderful job depicting the inner turmoil. I loved the way the author described things, I loved how it was a book about life that I could relate to, but the thing I loved the most was that when I finished it, I wanted more.
'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' was an amazing story that follows Francie Nolan throughout her early life in Brooklyn. It touches on the many trials and tribulations a child growing up in the slums of Brooklyn had to face in the early nineteen hundreds. The entire novel was split into five books and each represented a different point in time. The novel didn't have a single conflict, but instead it had problems overlapping problems throughout the story to show the reality of growth and development. The main goal in the novel though, was the maturation of a single child from their own perspective. It simply cuts right to the heart of life. The so-called solutions to the problems most of the time turn into larger problems and seldom solve anything in the novel, but that goes to show how honest and true this novel really is.
The main character is Francie, a shy timid girl the reader can see changing and blossoming through the course of the novel, but the cast for this play has many actors. It takes many people to influence one's life. Francie's mother Katie Rommely-Nolan, played a huge role in this story, as she should because a mother's role is important to life. Francie's father Johnny Nolan also played a huge part in her life. He was an alcoholic singing waiter who was never around very much but influenced Francie's idea of life, death, and the value of everything. I noticed throughout the book that Francie compared everything to her father which showed his unbelievable importance even without a constant physical presence. Neely Nolan was crucial to this story; he was not only Francie's brother but also her best and only friend. Francie was also very influenced by her Aunt Evy who was a stern woman in many ways but you could tell that she enjoyed life, her Aunt Sissy who in the beginning of the story is a wild, crazy type and then settles as the story continues. Both of these women have husbands and children, but they don't play as much of an important role in Francie's life as the aunts themselves. There's also Francie's grandmother Mary Rommely, who indirectly plays a very important role in Francie's life because she taught Katie the grounds for raising her children. Other vital characters include Francie's bosses, teachers, schoolmates, significant others and random people she met on everyday travels throughout the city.
This novel taught me that things are not always what they seem and that hardly anything goes exactly according to plan, and that you shouldn't take anything for granted. It mainly taught me however, to live life to it's fullest everyday so that I may get everything that I can out of it.
If you have lived and you can read, you'll enjoy this novel. If you can't read, get it as a book-on-tape collection and you will love it too. Everyone could take this novel to heart because it's a novel about each one of us in the world, one that no matter whether you're a bum that lives in a cardboard box in the alleyway, or the king of England you can empathize with the author's growing pains, and that's the most important part. How can anyone deny reading a story about themselves? Some people are partial to science fiction, some people love editorials, all people would love this book.
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