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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ever since Matilda, I've had a soft spot for stories portraying young girls who battle solitude and difficult circumstances, seeking refuge in books. I love reading about how they use their brilliant minds to grow, find their place in the world, and take quiet revenge on life's unfairness.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is no exception: during her—half heartbreaking, half heartwarming—journey from childhood to adult life, Francie faces obstacles greater than Mrs. Trunchbull, but her wit, curiosity, and imagination serve her well, helping her endure even the darkest moments.
(May 2025)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is no exception: during her—half heartbreaking, half heartwarming—journey from childhood to adult life, Francie faces obstacles greater than Mrs. Trunchbull, but her wit, curiosity, and imagination serve her well, helping her endure even the darkest moments.
(May 2025)
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This classic takes place in the exact neighborhood where I was born and raised so it will always resonate with me. Reading about Francie living it after the turn of the 20th century is WILD! All that aside, it is a fantastic, emotionally moving piece of literature.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't have word to explain the amount of love I hold for this book.
This is so outside my genre that is isn't funny but i really enjoyed it. It filled the hole in my heart for terrible chick lit that i sometimes to need to read without actually having to succumb to chick lit. It was an enjoyable read if you're not all science fiction fantasy headed like me, i'd recommend it for sure.
ps why can't we half star? this would really be 3.5 stars
ps why can't we half star? this would really be 3.5 stars
Oh what a lovely story. I loved the age at which Betty Smith chose to place Francie, and how Francie’s world became more vivid as she grew up and her perceptions sharpened. I loved Francie’s quiet fierceness and the sparks of self worth in her that grew into steadfast determination as the story progressed. I loved the Nolans and I loved that it was - at its heart - a book about women by a woman. What a beautiful read.
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn starts almost excruciatingly slow, with the author dedicating paragraphs to the family's coffee habits. But over time, the detail becomes endearing and I gained an affection for the main character & her relationship with her mother as the eldest daughter. The author masterfully depicts the pains of poverty (and the joys you find despite it all)!
But all that comes undone in the later chapters, when all their problems disappear after their mother marries rich. Then, one can't help but think, is the whole point of this book "be hot or die poor?" Not only does the mother get to marry rich because she was a looker at a politician's event, Aunt Sissy's childbirth problems are immediately resolved because her latest husband affords her the opportunity to have a doctor deliver the baby instead of a midwife. Notably, Aunt Sissy was "bad" (read as: hot enough to make all the men stare & had sex).
The last of the Rommely women, Aunt Evy actually loses her husband at the end of the book -- the only woman of that trio to not be explicitly described as pretty or a looker in any way. But that's okay, because the mother, Katie, has married so rich she can now cut Aunt Evy a check whenever.
But all that comes undone in the later chapters, when all their problems disappear after their mother marries rich. Then, one can't help but think, is the whole point of this book "be hot or die poor?" Not only does the mother get to marry rich because she was a looker at a politician's event, Aunt Sissy's childbirth problems are immediately resolved because her latest husband affords her the opportunity to have a doctor deliver the baby instead of a midwife. Notably, Aunt Sissy was "bad" (read as: hot enough to make all the men stare & had sex).
The last of the Rommely women, Aunt Evy actually loses her husband at the end of the book -- the only woman of that trio to not be explicitly described as pretty or a looker in any way. But that's okay, because the mother, Katie, has married so rich she can now cut Aunt Evy a check whenever.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Best book I’ve found under my bed and read on a whim so far this year. Ig sometimes classics are classics for a reason or whatever.
The formula of a kid telling me about the random things happening in their life until it builds up to some major event or death or something so they have a “coming of age” moment will always get me
The formula of a kid telling me about the random things happening in their life until it builds up to some major event or death or something so they have a “coming of age” moment will always get me