Monday, April 21, 2008

What I am reading


A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

"Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was first published over 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humor and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old."

My Review:
I just finished A Tree grows in Brooklyn. This should be on the every ones Must read list Classics list. It is like a time capsule back to the early 1900's. I loved it! Read it if you haven't, get it if you don't have it!

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1 comment:

Connie Peterson said...

Oh, I LOVE that book! Have you read "Maggie Now" by the same author? They are both wonderful books. I was talking about them just the other week to a friend.