A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

From the very first words of this novel I was drawn into the world of Francie Nolan, age 10: Francie is a sensitive soul, avid reader, and future writer.

This heartwarming story of her loveable Irish-American family in Brooklyn in the early years of the twentieth century, with its cast of richly drawn characters and documentary detail of the world they live in, is funny, sad, touching, thought-provoking, and wonderfully well told.

Betty Smith’s insight into the human condition—and human psychology—is exceptional, and exceptionally well expressed, and her sense of humor keeps it from ever being depressing, no matter how… show more.

Published in 1943, this was certainly my favorite coming-of-age novel which I read in high school. I grew up in a neighborhood in Queens with trees and parks while to me, Brooklyn was a world of concrete.

Francie intrigued me with how she survived her drunk father, her single-minded mother, and the harshness of poverty. My working-class world was a lot less dangerous and drastic than Francie’s so she intrigued me as she never wavered or lost her belief that everything would work out. The novel is the epitome of the coming-of-age book since it is truly about growing up… show more.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the semi-autobiographical novel by Betty Smith, gives us one of the most vivid and endearing, appealing yet vulnerable fathers in all of literature.

Johnny Nolan is handsome, debonair, a talented singer, and a terrible alcoholic. His bond with his only daughter, Francie, is at once playful and profound. Francie adores her charming and doting father, worries incessantly about his well-being, delights in his exuberance and gallantry, and fears his inevitable demise.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was first published in 1943; the 1945 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, won the best supporting actor for… show more.

This was the first chapter book I remember reading when I was a little girl, and I still love the story. Set during the early 20th century, Francie, her younger brother, and their mom struggle to survive. The children hoard trash to sell to the junk man for the pennies he pays them on Saturday. Their mother works as a janitress in exchange for rent and a few dollars. Their father works as a singing waiter, but drinks away his earnings. 

I followed Francie from age eleven to age seventeen. I felt like I knew her and was cheering… show more.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is another classic, this time of the coming-of-age variety. The humble, industrial area of the city is evoked with gritty realism here. Protagonist Francie’s early 1900s neighborhood is as alive as its resourceful heroine struggling with the challenges of poverty, an adored alcoholic father, and family survival. Both Brooklyn and Francie will stay in your heart forever. There is so much beyond a child’s control, especially in a world dominated by poverty. I am deeply touched by this story and all its film adaptations.

I read this beautiful book as a young girl and have returned to it several times. This speaks to the novel’s ability to hook the heart as it is seldom that I read a book more than once. The novel follows a young girl named Frannie and her impoverished family—the father is a tender-hearted alcoholic and the mother, a no-nonsense type who is trying to keep the family afloat. Smith captures her characters so tenderly—all their kindness, dreams, shortcomings, stubborn failings. This is one of those books where it seems impossible that the characters aren’t real people—not just that, but… show more.