A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Target Book Club Edition - Softcover

Smith, Betty

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061652768 ISBN 13: 9780061652769

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008

Synopsis

The American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century.

From the moment she entered the world, Francie needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her family's erratic and eccentric behavior-such as her father Johnny's taste for alcohol and Aunt Sissy's habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce-no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolans' life lacked drama. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the Nolans' daily experiences are tenderly threaded with family connectedness and raw with honesty. Betty Smith has, in the pages of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, captured the joys of humble Williamsburg life-from "junk day" on Saturdays, when the children of Francie's neighborhood traded their weekly take for pennies, to the special excitement of holidays, bringing cause for celebration and revelry. Betty Smith has artfully caught this sense of exciting life in a novel of childhood, replete with incredibly rich moments of universal experiences--a truly remarkable achievement for any writer.

About this title

Review

Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny candy connoisseur and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colourful, 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 a brother who will always be the favoured 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 more than 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humour and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old. (Ages 10 and up) --Emilie Coulter, Amazon.com

Review

"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

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"

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. --New York Times"

"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."--New York Times

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061652768
• ISBN 13: 9780061652769
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 493