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Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Er groeit een boom in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

30 reviews

b0ygenius's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

WOWWWW i love this book so much definitely one of my favorite coming of age stories ever. such a beautiful story about hope and family and strength and survival and i think i really needed that right now. i’m always hesitant to read classics bc sometimes they are very slow and long and the language is hard to read but this one isn’t like that at all; the language is very accessible and easy to read i don’t think i had to look up any words the whole time i read it, it was slow at first, not necessarily boring i thought it was interesting but there was a lot of backstory and a lot of setting the scene for the second half of the book so it took me like 2 weeks to read the first third but then i read the last two thirds in two days. highly recommend 

this book is this is me trying and nothing new by taylor swift in book form 

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clfirlik's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75


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aurorasandsadprose13's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved this book! It was a bit slow to start, and it was not exactly what I was expecting, but I really loved Francie and learning about her life. This was super character driven without much of a plot but it was still engaging and interesting.

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applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Not even sure what I can say about this book. I spent so long reading it during a very strange, turbulent time in my life. To be sure, some portions did not age well in both their language and their attitudes. Other passages, though, felt almost like biblical prescriptions. (Mary Rommely could sell me every single copy of a book she wrote on life advice.) Following a lonely, reflective, bookish protagonist as she grew more and more aware of the world was heart-breaking in the most unexpected ways. It made me want to cry, cheer, and scream with rage over the lot of women in a world built on our labor and suffering. Not a page went by where I wasn't rooting for the loving, gritty, and at times luckless Nolan family. I look forward to returning to this book as a time capsule of who I was when I read it. 

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lisakate1126's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a beautiful book! Much more character/setting focused than plot focused, but that made it all the more enjoyable since I normally read plot-heavy books. I loved Francie and can understand why it’s such a classic. Would recommend for anyone who loves books!

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thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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slayne's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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alchemy's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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bookishandlegal's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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thaatswhatsheread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


I finished it, and the reading experience was easy and I found myself interested in Francie's story, but I felt uncomfortable about the casual Antisemitism in the first part of the story. I can see why people like it. There is a coziness to the story, especially as we get to know the colorful characters in Francie's family and neighborhood, and it's definietly quite quotable. My copy had plenty of great quips and descriptions underlined.

I wish Francie had been a bit more active in the roles that she played, but I found myself finding her mother Kate to be a more interesting character. I was glad that we got the section where we saw how she and Johnny met, and how life hardened them to the point where they are when we first meet them. I found myself happier for her at the end of her arc.

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