Rating: 
Summary: Classic For A Reason
Review: I really loved this book. Honestly it WAS a bit hard to get through in certain parts but by the time you close this book you are so glad to have read it. A deeply moving piece and well worth the read. The ending even got me choked up. A must read for anyone!
Rating: 
Summary: touching
Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , is a very touching novel. It takes place in the 1920's and tells what life is like growing up back then , with all of the obstacles that come along the way. Francis is the main character of the book who grows up along with the trees in Brooklyn.
She grows up in a poor family and struggles to fit in and find friends however, that does not bring her down. Francis is still a very happy and cheerful person regardless of what other people may try to tell her. She loves to read and since she doesn't have many friends, she feels and makes her books her friends. When Betty Smith wrote this book, she looked back on her life and the experiences she had, and put some of them in her book. It is written not only for teenagers or adults, but anyone who wants to read about the thrill of growing up. If you miss A Tree Grows In Brooklyn you are missing a truly great novel.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding
Review: I read this book this year, my freshman year. It has been the best book I have ever read and I keep thinking about it. I think you can gather from the rest of the reviews WHY this book is so good. Just buy it, ya hear? You won't regret it one bit!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: How is it possible that out of all the different literature classes I've taken (including a few American and a women's lit classes) that I have never heard of Betty Smith? This is one of the best novels I've ever read. The characters were so real, and the way Smith described the neighborhood and the culture made it seem as real to me as the world outside my door. This is the book that when you finish you hesitate to read another book, because it's really not possible to measure up to it. I admit that I was put off by the whole "coming of age" title this book seems to get, but it's so much more than that. It's a beautiful piece of literature and Betty Smith is an important American and woman author. I hope her other novels come back in print.
Rating:
Summary: About time!
Review: I've been singing the praises of the book (and movie) now for many years. It's about time Oprah and everyone else realized what an American classic this is. The story touched me long before I ever lived in Brooklyn, having moved there from the South. It's timeless and so beautifully crafted that you'd be more than a little off not to be moved by it.I actually found the character of the mother more likeable in book than the movie. She came off as a bit too hard and cold for me in the film, but then the policeman came off better in the movie than the book. Both are great--don't get me wrong--but I always enjoy creating the characters in my mind, with the help of the author. And in this case, it wasn't hard to do. The movie often veers dangerously close to something sappy, but is pulled back just in time by a wonderful cast. I didn't experience these problems when reading the book, possibly because I wasn't forced into the pacing of the film. At any rate, the style of writing of this book is excellent and the characters (even the tree!) will stay with you long after you've put it down. Another reviewer was right: "They don't make 'em like this anymore." Also recommended: McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood and Fall on Your Knees
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: You know those books you continually read over and over? The ones that grab you with their honesty, their utter beauty? This is one of those. This book is by far my favorite book--and considering how much I read, that is saying quite a bit. The writing is simple and elegant in that simplicity. Betty Smith has a way with words that pulls you in and lets you experience everything as if it were entirely firsthand. Because of that, this is not a book to read through quickly, but to savor at length. It paints pictures in your mind that settle into the crevices of your imagination, to be brought out later and enjoyed. They just don't write them like this, anymore.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book that should be one of yours, too
Review: I first read this book when I was in high school and only recently read it again. It is (along with Harper Lee's masterpiece) my favorite novel. Betty Smith captures the essence of coming of age in a tough world. She found both the humor and warmth in a life and environment viewed by most as joyless and poor. Francie is a character to be envied, finding and making the best out of a hard life; she stands up to the world and prentends to be nothing but herself. Smith writes with such vividness that every detail and character is a superb imaginitive feat. This book will be a treasure for generations to come.
Rating:
Summary: the absoulute best!!!!!!!!
Review: this book is a great book that u can pick any spot in it and just read away!!
its a classic story line but it's soo interctly woven with great deatails that you thought only you notice
its the best boook ive evr read)( and ive read alot!)
its worth to buy it...i hav 2 copies hard and paperbak!
ive lived in bklyn for 8 yrs now and i never really look at bklyn the same again..it sounds corny but its tru
anyone can relate to Francie..she goes through everything you ever went through when growing up and even more....
Rating:
Summary: MY ALL TIME FAVORITE
Review: 25 years after reading this book for the first time, I STILL love this book as much as I did the first time I read it. The characters are warm and real and the story still inspires me. I have given a copy of this book to every young girl in my life and everyone of them has been thrilled once they have read it. I re-read this book at least once a year and it has a treasured place of honor among my collection of girlhood favorites.
Rating:
Summary: American classic for GOOD reason
Review: This book knocked me over. At first, I was resistant. Come on, come on, I chided silently. Get on with it. But somehow, suddenly, in the midst of that, I breathed a sigh and resigned myself to completely caring about Francie and her family. At the end of the book, I was sad to leave my newfound friends and wondered how they would fare. A touching story, excellent look at the time period and location. Just a well-written book.
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