A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

528 pages

English language

Published May 30, 2006 by Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-112007-7

View on OpenLibrary

(48 reviews)

1 edition

laura reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

None

5 stars

really enjoyed this :)

btuftin reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Review of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I loved this book. Through the eyes of a child it gives a look at the life of the poor in Brooklyn at the start of the 20th century, which is at the same time rosy and optimistic, and stark and realistic.

Trey Hunner reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Review of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

One of the best coming-of-age stories I've read.

I also really liked Kate Burton's narration in the audiobook. I found the musical interludes between chapters distracting and out of place though.

Matthew M. Conroy reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Review of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A very enjoyable read. Excellent characters, with plenty of complexity, yet written in accessible language (I never needed a medical dictionary). I liked it very much.

Oreo Teeth reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Review of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is one of those books I heard about all of my life and finally got around to reading when one of my book clubs chose it as the monthly selection. I'm very glad I finally fit it in.

Francie Nolan is a very compelling character, and the book reads like the stories my Irish Catholic family used to tell around the dinner table when I was a little kid. It's a very believable story of the struggle of recent immigrants, complete with the racism they faced and the racism they themselves held against other immigrant groups. It's like my grandfather knew these people. It could have been the story of his childhood.

Traces reviewed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Review of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Suggested by a good friend as one of her absolute favorites, I thought I would give it a try. Quite nice. A story of Francie Nolan, a gal from turn of the century Brooklyn, who
grows up through some interesting circumstances.