Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2006)
First published in 1943
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for growing up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn, New York 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, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans’ daily experiences are raw with honestly and tenderly threaded with family connectedness. Betty Smith has captured the joys of humble Williamsburg life―from “junk day” on Saturdays, when the children traded their weekly take for pennies, to the special excitement of holidays, bringing cause for celebration and revelry. Smith has created a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as deeply resonant moments of universal experience.
I actually read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn way back in 2019. I finished it a few days after my son was born and since I was walking around in a total mommy brain fog, I forgot to enter it into Good Reads! I realized that when I came across the book while reorganizing my bookshelves. So while the details of the book are hazy in my mind, I do remember that I loved it.
The main character is Francie Nolan, who is eleven years old when the book starts. She lives in an impoverished area of Brooklyn. This is Francie’s coming of age story but it’s also a lot more than that. It’s about immigration, the American dream, resiliency, family and love. Francie’s mother works long, hard hours as an apartment building cleaner. Her father is an alcoholic who works as a singing waiter when he’s not drunk. There are other members of Francie’s family that are prominently featured as well, like her aunts and younger brother.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a novel that you can completely immerse yourself in. Even though there are many characters, they all have great depth. Smith takes her time and the story is told with great attention to detail. It’s semi-autobiographical – Smith grew up in the same part of Brooklyn in the same time period – which I’m sure is why the novel feels so authentic. Highly, highly recommended.
