528 pages
English language
Published May 30, 2006 by Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
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.
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.
So many reviews were already written about this book. So I only thank want to thank a very good friend for recommending and lending me this gem. I had very special hours reading it. I laughed and cried with the characters and enjoyed reading about their lives in a country and a time far away from my own, but nevertheless finding similarities between my life and my feelings and theirs.
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.
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.
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.
