Rating: 
Summary: A good book ~ ruined by other reviews
Review: I have only read up to Book One so far of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, but so far enjoy it. Though it may seem that no one can relate to a poor young girl in Brooklyn at the turn of the century, there is something inside her that everyone can understand.(...)
Rating: 
Summary: the most realistic "family" book ever!
Review: This has been my favorite book since I first read it in 1994 -- dislodging Gone With the Wind since 1986. I have to reserve several uninterrupted hours for reading it because I literally hate to put it down! The story is about Francie, a young girl in early 20th century Brooklyn, her younger brother Nealy and their housekeeper mother Katie and their singing waiter/alcoholic father Johnny. There is also an interesting sub-story about Katie's close relationship with her own sisters throughout the novel. But the story belongs to Francie and all the scenes of childhood and adolescence that make up the mosaic of any girl's life: a schoolyard meanness; trying to earn some pennies for candy; planning for the future by putting 5 cents in a little tin can that is your "bank"; loving an imperfect dad and suspecting your mother really loves your brother more .... and the more tragic events: a molestation and her father's death. Interspersed in all of this are snippets of their interactions with friends and neighbors in Brooklyn, a largely concrete sunless neighborhood where, right outside Francie's fire escape, one tree has the courage to grow despite it all.
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Summary: 25 years later...
Review: Francie taught me about America, immigration, poverty, and how hard it is to be an intelligent woman. My mom let me check this book out from the public library in 1976 -- I was 8 years old. I've read it countless times over the yaars, and it shaped my career choice... I'm a History Professor, and yes, I assign this book!
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Summary: An Extraordinary Book
Review: a tree grows in brooklyn is a really great book about a girl named Francie and her life in the Wiliiamsburg section is Brooklyn. She is really poor. Her mom cleans so much that her hands a rough and ugly. Her dad is a drunk, but he loves her. Her brother Neeley,is loved secretly more than Francie.When she's 14, Francie finds a job. Does she get rich and live happilly ever after? Read a tree grows in brooklyn to find out!
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Summary: A rare treasure of a story!
Review: In the first page of this book, Betty Smith writes very gently and calmly of Francie Nolan, a pre-teenager just beginning to step out on the edge of adulthood. And Smith ties the book up neatly at the end as if she's giving a present to the reader ... which she is. This is one of the sweetest, most eloquently written books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Francie Nolan lives in Brooklyn with her brother Neely, mom Katie and dad Johnny. It is in the early 1900s where the book is set. The family is poor ~~ living almost on the edge of starvation. Francie has taken to reading like a duck takes to water ... once she discovered the joy of reading, she becomes a big bookworm. She is also a keen observer of life around her ~~ her thoughts are often witty and funny as she observes the strange behavior of her mother's sisters and their lives, the neighbors, her brother Neely, her mother and father's relationships with one another. Till Francie grows up to be this amazing woman set on the path of her destiny. Betty Smith takes you along for a wonderful story-filled walk in Brooklyn in the early 20th century. She introduces the smells of old Brooklyn, the noise, the joys and sorrows of being in a poverty-stricken family ~~ the hopes and dreams of the immigrants that left the old country because there was nothing there for them. The hopes and dreams of the parents for their children to have better lives than they did ... falling in love with one another ... the disappointments of being disappointed by life, the wonder of finding joy in anything new or rediscovering something old. Betty Smith has captured the nuances of life and shares a bit of her soul for us readers to find. What I like most about this book is how much I can relate to Francie and her reading habits and her growing up years. She is full of insecurities and questions, loves to read and takes such joy in reading ... especially when she promised herself that she was going to read every book in the local library, starting from a to z. And Smith captures that longing perfectly, as if she has had the same dreams and desires when she was 11. I can rave about this book forever, but it isn't as much fun as reading this book. This book deserves to be read by everyone who has such joy in reading. This book deserves to be given to young girls on the verge of adulthood and encouraged to be read ... discussed. The love of reading is what all of us here have in common, and reading about it just encourages you to read more! I urge you to buy this book and read it. It's worth every minute and hour of your time. It's one of those rare treasures that won't leave you without leaving a small imprint on your heart. I can guarantee you will fall in love with Francie and her family ... they're just like every other family you know. Just different ... Francie is one character you love to love. Just like I love to read. Don't delay ... buy!
Rating:
Summary: continues to be a favorite
Review: I first read this book when I was eleven, and it profoundly influenced both how I see the world and my awareness of inner experience. In the past fifteen years, I have read the novel at least eight times and it has shaped the way I approach my chosen career fields of Psychology and Sociology. Each time I flip through, I draw new connections from the story about the development of America's white immigrant population, women's roles in society, and the advantages and challenges that sprout from public education. However, my gut emotional reaction to the book never changes; it will always make me laugh and cry!
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Summary: The story of a Hard Working Family
Review: If you want to read about a hard working family who gets through tough times, read "A tree grows in Brooklyn ", by Betty Smith. Imagine you have a father who you love more than anyone in the world, but who drinks to much and uses all of his money for liquor. How would you feel if you had a father who was addicted to liquor? This book gives the reader an idea of how hard life would be growing up with a dad who drinks and a mother who works so hard to get money and help the family have a better life. Other characters in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" have hard lives. The main character is Francie. The book tells the story of her life growing up in Brooklyn. Francie is a smart girl who likes to read and write. She lives with her mother and father and brother. Her parents married when they were very young. Her dad,Johnny ,drinks all the time. He loves his family but isn't happy. He is not happy because he didn't have enough education. He dreams all the time but it doesn't come true. Francie's mom works very hard because she wants Francie and Neely to have a better life than she did. Francie's Aunt Sissy loves her very much and hangs out with her when Francie's mom is busy. I really thought this was an interesting book. I thought it was interesting to learn about how different their lives were compared to mine. I learned so much about what life was like in the early 1900's.They wore different clothes and played different games. When I read this book I really wanted to know what happened to the characters. I would recommend it to readers who like books about hard lives. I would recommend "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" to girls over twelve years old.
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Summary: An Amazing Piece of Literature
Review: One of the best stories I have ever read. The book is amazing throughout, as Francie and the Nolans struggle through life in the Willamsburg tenaments. Francie is an amazing character, one of the most complex I have ever read about. She offers a completely different perspective on the world, one of innocence. The story itself is complete. Very well written, with great descriptions and complete thoughts.
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Summary: A very touching story..
Review: I just completed reading this book for my monthly book review group. I really wanted to give the book five stars, and the only reason I didn't was because when I first started reading it, I had a hard time staying with it through the first few chapters. Once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. I think perhaps Betty Smith was ahead of her time in her writing. The book had mistakes, but they were few and far between. I thought Smith did an excellent job of portraying her characters and I felt a warm connection to each one of them. When Smith describes how the family lived in poverty and the buying coal for the stove, I remembered my own childhood and the hard times my own family had. I recommend this book to anyone. Francie will win your heart, your respect, your sympathy and well...there's not much more to say, I really loved the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Review: "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," by Betty Smith, is a wonderful example of teenage hardships and a girl's struggle in her coming of age. Francie Nolan serves as an illustration of these hardships. In the novel, Francie is seen growing up. We are privileged to be given a window into Francies heart and the Nolan home. The novel shows Francies struggles with her family and school life, her fight to overcome the poverty that she was born into and to become a success.
Francie was not born into the ideal family. The Nolans were poor, but they survived. They had love and enough money to have food, clothing and shelter. Francie's father, Johnny Nolan, was a fun-loving gentleman. Francie loved how he referred to her as his "prima donna," and she cherished the relationship that they had. Katie Nolan, Francie's mother, was not as fun-loving as Johnny, but she loved her children and provided for them. Francie thought that she was not loved by her mother, but Katie instilled responsibility and independance in Francie, even though she did not think of this as love at the time. Katie was a very hardworking mother. Her job as a janitor kept her very busy and it gave her a very rough appearance. Neeley, Francies younger brother kept himself very busy by collecting recycling products to make a little extra money for himself and for his family.
To Francie, reading and writing were the basis of life. She lived for weekend mornings when she could read, and she got so much joy out of going to the library and finding a new book. When Francie came home with a new book, she would read it on the fire-escape and indulge her active imagination. Francie applied her imagination to everyday experiences. She loved watching her neighbor get dressed up for her dates and she fantasized that the girls' dates were not coming for her, but for Francie. Francie got pleasure out of very simple and ordinary things, like her friend Frank's horse. Francie did not have an ideal school life, even though she imagined that she did. She battled solitude and loneliness throughout her school career. Her education, however did lead to better things for her.
Francie's struggles in her life and her ability to endure show a strength that people long for today. Francie was able to overcome poverty, death, sexual abuse, and stress of adolescence. "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a wonderful book that I advise every woman, regardless of age, to read. It is a book that everyone can relate to in one aspect or another and Betty Smith truly gave us a masterpiece that will remain in our hearts forever.
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