Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A

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Summary: A treasure...
Review: You can see, hear, and taste Brooklyn in the early 1900's while reading this book. I connected with Francie, the heroine, on the first page and loved her by the time I reached the end. I finished the book last night and must find a new book to fill the feeling of vacancy in my heart today. While it's pretty hard to impress me these days, this book made it onto my 'absolute favorite, must read list' of books...please don't miss this one.

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Summary: Francie Nolan's Journey
Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a novel that I read when I was a young girl and one that I've reread several times since then. I love Francie Nolan's story and the descriptions of Brooklyn, NY in bygone years. I love the character because she's growing up practically without any guidance. And I enjoy her guts and her determination to become a writer. The affection she feels for her father is touching and something that many people even today can relate to. All in all, a great book!

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Summary: The Best Book Ever
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. As a young girl, I could relate to Francie and loved every word of the book. It is filled with adventure and joy, sadness and excitement. This is definetly the best book I have ever read. READ IT!!!

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Summary: Beautiful Novel about Life
Review: It was with relish that I opened the book for the second reading of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is one of those novels that you can read over and over and find some lovely detail that was missed before with each reading. This is the coming of age story of Francie Nolan and her family living in Brooklyn in the early 1900's. What is fascinating to me in addition to the story is the accruarate portrayal of life for the working class citizen at that time. Life was hard and could be physically and spiritually back breaking for the uneducated working class man or woman of that time. Betty Smith so beautifully captures this in her prose and observations about life. This may be so, because the author grew up in those very neighborhoods at about that time period.
Francie is the daughter of John and Katie Nolan who grows up knowing that her father is an alcoholic and that her mother loves her brother Neely more. Although this is conveyed to the reader what you really see is the love Francie has for her parents despite their shortcomings. As a child she only sees the way her father sings and his poetic, dreamy view of the world. Francie admires the hard working ethic and coarse love and protectiveness of her mother. We meet her aunts and other neighborhood characters who add to the richness of the story and feel of authenticity of that time period. She views all of the secondary characters for what they are, flawed but worth loving. She is a dreamer who goes from being a little lonely girl with the ability to see lifes ugliness with a sense of wonder and joy to an accomplished woman who still maintains this ability. As the reader we are treated to life through Francie's eyes and that is truly a journey worth taking more than once.

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Summary: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Ageless
Review: This is my favorite book now, and will be for a long time to come....it reminded me of Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt), the story of a young woman against the world. I loved reading all the descriptions (glad I haven't lived them) and watching Francie's experiences to the end. She is a character that wasn't, and-shouldn't, be perfect but one to cheer for. READ THIS!

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Summary: A Charming and Touching Book
Review: When I first picked up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I had my doubts about it, since we had to read it for highschool, and we don't always read the best books for school. However, with every page that I read, I became more absorbed in it. It thoroughly described the hardships that Francie Nolan had to go through while living in the poorer parts of Brooklyn in the early 1900's. All the sad things that Francie had to put up with, all her fun times, and all her problems just touched me so much. It made me realize how lucky I am, how lucky we all are, to be living in such a time as this, with so much more fortune. It touched my heart as much as my grandparents' stories of the old country did, like Grandma Rommely, Francie's grandmother, had described (excepting that I did not come from Europe as they had). It was an amazing book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good book.

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Summary: Betty Smith made me realize my emotional side
Review: I read this book when I had just turned 14. Before that time, I was not an overly emotional person - didn't cry at movies, etc. Let me tell you, if you wish to be involved in the characters you are reading about, to have a touching story stick with you through life or to just have a classic read that is very enjoyable, read this book. Since I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I have better learned to stay in touch with my compassionate, nurturing and sensitive side. I am 24 now and have been known to cry on subway rides because I am so involved in the novels I am reading. This book will surely do that to you.

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Summary: An Endearing Tale
Review: I have seen the video twice for this story and did not realize how much was not included until reading the book!
This is a timeless classic. It reminded me of Angela's Ashes but
with greater sensitivity.
Do not let this one pass you by.

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Summary: An amazing piece of literature!
Review: This book was truly wonderful. Written with beautiful yet poignant and clear language, this book is breathtaking. Following the life of Francie Nolan as she overcomes basically everything--poverty, harrassment, broken hearts--this is a great classic for everyone! I highly reccommend you read this book! Buy it!

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Summary: Really enjoyed this one!
Review: This book was assigned reading for a book club that I'm in, and I am glad it was or I may have overlooked it. The reflections of the main character, Francie, create what for me is a whole other world; kind of a real-life science fiction. This is better than sci-fi or fantasy, though, because it is a glimpse of a real time & place that existed nearly a century ago. Betty Smith writes from the heart about a place that, while holding no appearant beauty to outsiders, is glorious in the author's recollections. It also reminds readers of what the "American Dream" is really made of. The situations are wrought with love, and the characters are very real, multi-dimensional people. I would especially recommend this book to women of all ages.