Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Here is a summary of what the book is about. From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg 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 tenderly threaded with family connectedness and raw with honesty. 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.

Betty Smith has artfully caught this sense of exciting life in a novel of childhood, replete with incredibly rich moments of universal experiences- a truly remarkable achievement for any writer.

This book was written a long time ago. When I was in high school it was required reading. I am glad I read this book again. It is a classic. The book gives a glimpse of what life was like back then in 1912 and beyond how people lived. After reading this book it makes you grateful for the things you have today.

Happy Reading Everyone!