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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I’ve heard my mom gush about this book for pretty much my whole life, and finally read it in January explicitly for this category in the Reading Challenge. Of course, my only regret was that I’d waited so long: I loved this story from page 1. No description I ever heard before made me want to read it, so I'll spare you the plot synopsis. I'll just say: read it. Wistful, haunting, satisfying. I listened to the audio version, which—barring some infrequent random jazz music—was quite good.
About the Book
Publisher’s description:
The American classic about a young girl’s coming of age at the turn of the century.
“A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life…If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience…It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919…Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city’s poor. Primarily this is Francie’s book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie’s growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”
—New York Times “One of the most dearly beloved and one of the finest books of our day.”
–Orville Prescott“One of the books of the century.”
–New York Public Library
Other books in "17 Books Published the Decade You Were Born"
Mentioned in
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25 must-read classics for women
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25 great stories about the immigrant experience
24 books to read when you feel like the world is falling apart
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Read a book your mom loves this year.
The books I can't stop recommending.
