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franklola's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Addiction, Murder, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Classism, Sexual violence, Rape, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, and Grief
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite books of the year and of all time. Francie’s story will always have a special part of my heart.
——-
“Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me by cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or we’ll dressed. Let me be sincere-deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
——-
“Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me by cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or we’ll dressed. Let me be sincere-deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Infertility, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
periwinkledragon's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
When I first picked it up it was under the impression that it would be sort of Anne of Green Gables-y, but boy was I wrong.
This book is a collection of impressions of an outcast girl in an impoverished and changing little world. Her life is exposed to very intense subject matter and it illustrates how she and her family, much like the tree of the title, grow, even though it seems impossible.
I didn't grow up in anything resembling the tenements of Brooklyn, but I was able to connect with the characters and understand on an empathetic or personal level everything that is in this book. Everyone has their flaws, but everyone is beautiful in their own way. I felt the sadness of Francie from being unique and therefore misunderstood by her peers, I sympathized with Katie at being strapped with a financially useless husband and having to save and protect her family, and I felt the American spirit of self-determination and hard work coursing through this book. The author tapped into the human experience and as a reader you know exactly how Francie feels when she falls in love, you burn with anger at the injustice of the powers that be *cough* Democrats *cough*, and you ache with the pure beauty that lives in the human spirit.
I wouldn't recommend this book for children, there is a lot of heavy and complicated subject matter. Also, until you gain a little more experience this book's beauty would be lost on a young reader. For those of an appropriate age though, this book is wonderful and a forgotten masterpiece it seems.
I urge you to read it, take your time with it, and enjoy the experience of reading this for the first time. Books just aren't written like this anymore and you come out the other side of this book with empathy, education, and appreciation for truth and beauty.
When I first picked it up it was under the impression that it would be sort of Anne of Green Gables-y, but boy was I wrong.
This book is a collection of impressions of an outcast girl in an impoverished and changing little world. Her life is exposed to very intense subject matter and it illustrates how she and her family, much like the tree of the title, grow, even though it seems impossible.
I didn't grow up in anything resembling the tenements of Brooklyn, but I was able to connect with the characters and understand on an empathetic or personal level everything that is in this book. Everyone has their flaws, but everyone is beautiful in their own way. I felt the sadness of Francie from being unique and therefore misunderstood by her peers, I sympathized with Katie at being strapped with a financially useless husband and having to save and protect her family, and I felt the American spirit of self-determination and hard work coursing through this book. The author tapped into the human experience and as a reader you know exactly how Francie feels when she falls in love, you burn with anger at the injustice of the powers that be *cough* Democrats *cough*, and you ache with the pure beauty that lives in the human spirit.
I wouldn't recommend this book for children, there is a lot of heavy and complicated subject matter. Also, until you gain a little more experience this book's beauty would be lost on a young reader. For those of an appropriate age though, this book is wonderful and a forgotten masterpiece it seems.
I urge you to read it, take your time with it, and enjoy the experience of reading this for the first time. Books just aren't written like this anymore and you come out the other side of this book with empathy, education, and appreciation for truth and beauty.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Murder
emily_s_reads's review against another edition
relaxing
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? Yes
4.5
The prose is beautiful and warm, but pretty dense at times. The plot is slow because it focuses on the growth and everyday life of the main character and her family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, and Infertility
Moderate: Pedophilia, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Rape
sjanke2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, War, Classism, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Addiction, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
aurorasandsadprose13's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Death of parent, and Antisemitism
issyjanejane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Pedophilia
dunollie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexism
slayne's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
kierscrivener's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
"Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing out of the grate. It gets no sun and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth and its strong because it's hard struggle to live has made it strong. My children will be strong that way."
Sn absolute favourite. I adore the way Betty Smith tells stories and characters, not only Francie but her family and those around her are fleshed out. Especially her parents Katie and Johnny and her aunt Cissy. They are full characters with flaws and abounding personality but despite all their mistakes they are akways given a compassionate lense. This isn't a nice story, she tells a story of Francie at fourteen (based on herself) being told by a teacher to burn her work for it being ugly and sordid as she wrote what was true. Of her experience with poverty and alcoholism. But despite the grim subject matter, there is so much humanity. She writes with care, always believing good intentions that she imbued compassion for every character.
She never shies away from reality, writing honestly about things that especially in 1943 would have been scandalous. Even eighty years later writing as honestly about sex, harassment and assault as she did is not common.
I have over a thousand words of notes, and ordered a copy so that I can comb through, highlight and annotate and will return with full thoughts. But for now, know I recommend.
And that firstly, I think the opening chapters aren't the best hook, I understand why she wanted to start with Francie but once we move on to 'book two' and see the Nolan and Romley families and Katie and Johnny's life, romance and dynamic. I cared inenormently more. I had context and I had grounding in the story.
Second this is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Her delivery of humour and poignancy is flawless
"The tree hadn't died. It hadn't died. A new tree had grown from it's stump and it's stump had grown along the ground until it reached a place where there were no washlines above it then it had started to grow toward the sky again."
"This tree in the yard. This tree that men had chopped down. This tree they had built a bonfire around trying to burn up its stump. This tree lived. It lived. And nothing could destroy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, and Infertility
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Xenophobia