Product Description

Francie Nolan is a Brooklyn girl with a Brooklyn name and a Brooklyn accent. Her family are brave, devoted immigrants, struggling to survive and rise above the squalor, poverty and violence that surround their tenement home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13309 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09-17
• Binding: Paperback
• 487 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny candy connoisseur and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colourful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men and a brother who will always be the favoured child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was first published more than 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humour and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old. (Ages 10 and up) --Emilie Coulter, Amazon.com

From the Back Cover
A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life... If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience... It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city's poor. Primarily this is Francie's book. She is a superb feat of characterisation, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie's growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.' -New York Times

'One of the books of the century' -New York Public Library

'This story radiates life.' -Daily Telegraph

About the Author
Betty Smith was born in 1896 and died in 1972. She wrote four novels, including A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Customer Reviews

A Profoundly Moving Classic
I was seriously deprived as an adolescent. I never even heard of Betty Smith's classic novel "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," let alone read it. And I was an avid reader who lived relatively close to Brooklyn. Whatever the reason for this significant omission in my early literary development, I remedied the situation recently, (yes, it took me a while). I can only echo here what millions of other readers have said since the book's publication in 1943, this is an extraordinary novel which enriches and delights. I can understand why The New York Public Library chose it as one of the "Books of the Century."

Ms. Smith grew up in Brooklyn and drew from her own experiences to portray the hardships of the Nolans, a tenement family living in that borough's Williamsburg slums during the early part of the 20 century. Teenage Francie Nolan is an avid reader who wants to become a writer. She adores her father John, an alcoholic with a multitude of pipe dreams. He, in turn, loves his children and tries to be a good father, but he is not able to carry out his responsibilities. Nolan has become a dissipated man due to his alcohol addiction. Francie believes in him regardless, (and she's the only one), because they're soul-mates. Although it seems contradictory, the girl also possesses a strong practical streak. Her mother, Katie, abandoned all illusions for a better life long ago. She is rendered almost emotionless by a surfeit of her husband's grand schemes. However she stresses to her children that education is the only path out of the tenements. Grandma Rommely, Katie's mother, also reinforces the importance of education.

There is a single ordinary tree visible from the Nolan's tenement window. It grows doggedly through the cement, in spite of harsh conditions which thwart it's development. Yet, it perseveres. For Francie and her father the tree symbolizes hope - the blossoming of life against all odds. It is like a beacon of of light in the darkness of their daily lives. Francie has the tenacity of that tree, and remains steadfast to her dreams. Unlike her father, she has the inner strength and resourcefulness to make them come true.

The author poignantly depicts the Nolan's struggles to survive and grow in a world of poverty, hunger, class prejudice and tremendous loss. Francie, a courageous girl, of strong character, comes of age here under extremely difficult circumstances. The portrait of her family members and her relationship with them is beautifully drawn, especially her relationship with her brother Neely. And turn-of-the-century Williamsburg is brought vividly to life. Broader topics are also introduced which enhance the narrative tremendously, such as, WWI, immigration, and politics of the period. Smith's characters are strong and well developed. She uses flashbacks to tell the fascinating story of John Nolan's courtship of Katie, their marriage and early years together.

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a heartfelt, moving novel which touched me deeply. Betty Smith's prose is powerful, as are her storyline and characters. Author Anna Quindlen writes an excellent Foreward for this edition. This is a book I will keep to reread in the future. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
JANA

Lovely but with occasional overdoses of schmaltz
This is paper and ink that through the mystical alchemy of writing becomes something other.

The descriptions of early twentieth century Brooklyn are vivid and observant. The neighbourhood is brought to life in all of its squalor and glory. Francie Nolan, the heroine, is often hungry and cold and she lives in the slums but she cannot complain of boredom. The world is at her doorstep and she is a resilient child living in the new world. She is not condemned to live the tough old life that her parents and grandparents lead. An optimistic note underpins the harshness of Francie's existence.

There is some exploration of social and family issues throughout the book and these are thought-provoking. The thing I like best though, is the book's pathos. I wept a lot while I read 'A Tree'. I wept for the poor Nolan children at every turn. I was very moved by my tears and shall certainly pull this book out again when I need to let go of my emotions! Smith really knows how to wring the reader's heart out. It's mostly in the small ways that she gets me - the ways in which people show one another that they care, the unselfish acts, the unasked for kindnesses, the strong helping the less strong.

This is a lovely book with only a few overdoses of schmaltz (what could be more fitting for a story set in Brooklyn?) I guarantee you won't be left dry-eyed.

WOW
I read this book a few months back, simply because it sounded really good. After I'd really gotten into it, I couldn't put it down. It is both inspiring and astounding, which is hard to find in a book. It really portrays how a working-class family lived in Brooklyn in the 1900s, and, although the jumps from time-to-time are a little confusing, they are very real, and help you to really understand the family. I actually cried at several points in this book, even though what was coming was inevitable, and I truly think it is a great book for all ages (I'm only 12!)