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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Reread 2023: Sadly part of this is way more relevant now than it was when I read it 20 years ago.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorite books so I was excited to read another Betty Smith. Maggie-Now has Smith's compulsively readable writing and charming depictions of historic Williamsburg (albeit from the Irish American perspective, there are very few mentions of other people besides White Irish and European immigrants) but lacks the overall complexity that ATGIB provides. The book mostly centers on Margaret Moore, also known as Maggie-Now, and her relationship to the men in her life. She is ruled by three male figures: her father, Patrick Dennis Moore (aka Patsy Denny, later Pat) who is a crotchety Irish immigrant that seems to never be happy; her brother, Denny Moore, who was born to Maggie-Now's mother late in life and was handed to 16-year-old Maggie as her mother died; and her love, Claude Bassett, who is never happy staying in one place and continuously leaves her every March only to return at the first snow of the following winter. Unlike ATGIB's Francie, who very clearly portrays Smith's own feminist views, Maggie-Now is stuck in her circumstances and doesn't make much effort to escape them. She lives to care for these men, no matter how poorly she is treated (or ignored).
While there was an element of being stuck in your circumstances in ATGIB, the characters are crafted with care so even those that cause more pain, like Francie's father Johnny, are still loving and admirable in some ways. Pat Moore on the other hand seems to never have a good word for anyone, even his hard-working daughter who has given her whole life to care for her brother and father. Maggie-Now feels like Smith's criticism of a woman's role in society which she definitely accomplishes. You will find yourself cringing at what is expected of a young Catholic woman in a poor neighborhood. However, Maggie-Now is missing any element of fight and leaves you feeling hopeless at the world (despite this being 2020, 62 years after original publication). That all being said, I did fly through it despite the dreariness and it made me intrigued to read the rest of Smith's work.
While there was an element of being stuck in your circumstances in ATGIB, the characters are crafted with care so even those that cause more pain, like Francie's father Johnny, are still loving and admirable in some ways. Pat Moore on the other hand seems to never have a good word for anyone, even his hard-working daughter who has given her whole life to care for her brother and father. Maggie-Now feels like Smith's criticism of a woman's role in society which she definitely accomplishes. You will find yourself cringing at what is expected of a young Catholic woman in a poor neighborhood. However, Maggie-Now is missing any element of fight and leaves you feeling hopeless at the world (despite this being 2020, 62 years after original publication). That all being said, I did fly through it despite the dreariness and it made me intrigued to read the rest of Smith's work.
This book was fine, but there is a detachment in the storytelling that made this only a 3-star read for me.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
beautifully written with little windows into life. A bit long and dragging at points with the protagonist not born until nearly 100 pages in.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
I have a feeling that this will end up being one of my favorite books I read this year. And not just because it has my name in the title.
Betty Smith tarafından kaleme alınan Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) romanını okumayan yoktur sanırım; özellikle 90’lar çocuğuysanız. Hayatın zorluklarından kaçmak için hayal gücüne ve kitaplara sığınan Francie’yi neden sevdiğimi uzun uzun açıklamama gerek yoktur diye düşünüyorum. Sonrasında başka kitaba denk gelmedim Betty Smith tarafından yazılan; geldiysem de fark etmedim açıkçası. Ta ki Bir Hiç İçin kitabını görene kadar…
Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor, Brooklyn’de geçiyor. Betty Smith Bir Hiç İçin romanıyla yine Brooklyn’e götürüyor bizi; bu sefer de Maggie’nin çocukluktan kadınlığa geçişini, onunla birlikte ailesinin de yıllarını nasıl geçirdiğini izliyoruz. İç kapakta New York Times’ın kitapla ilgili yazısından bir alıntı var mesela ve “Kitap öyle göze batmayan bir beceriyle yazılmış ki, neredeyse hayatın kendisi kadar doğal bir şekilde akıyor…” diyor. Gerçekten de öyle! Sizi bilmem ama benim kalbimi ilk başta zaten bu becerisiyle kazanmış Betty Smith, onu fark ettim. Karakterleri seversiniz, sevmezsiniz, o ayrı ama 492’nci sayfaya nasıl geldiğinizi bile anlamıyorsunuz, öyle güzel akıyor kitap.
Devamı: https://zimlicious.com/betty-smith-bir-hic-icin/?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=link&utm_source=goodreads&utm_content=bettysmith
Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor, Brooklyn’de geçiyor. Betty Smith Bir Hiç İçin romanıyla yine Brooklyn’e götürüyor bizi; bu sefer de Maggie’nin çocukluktan kadınlığa geçişini, onunla birlikte ailesinin de yıllarını nasıl geçirdiğini izliyoruz. İç kapakta New York Times’ın kitapla ilgili yazısından bir alıntı var mesela ve “Kitap öyle göze batmayan bir beceriyle yazılmış ki, neredeyse hayatın kendisi kadar doğal bir şekilde akıyor…” diyor. Gerçekten de öyle! Sizi bilmem ama benim kalbimi ilk başta zaten bu becerisiyle kazanmış Betty Smith, onu fark ettim. Karakterleri seversiniz, sevmezsiniz, o ayrı ama 492’nci sayfaya nasıl geldiğinizi bile anlamıyorsunuz, öyle güzel akıyor kitap.
Devamı: https://zimlicious.com/betty-smith-bir-hic-icin/?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=link&utm_source=goodreads&utm_content=bettysmith