______________________ NOW CELEBRATING ITS 75th ANNIVERSARY Betty Smith's debut novel is universally regarded as a modern classic. The sprawling tale of an immigrant family in early 20th-century Brooklyn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of the great distinctively American novels. The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States. Originating in Ireland and Austria, their life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn is poor and deprived, but their sacrifices make it possible for their children to grow up in ...
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______________________ NOW CELEBRATING ITS 75th ANNIVERSARY Betty Smith's debut novel is universally regarded as a modern classic. The sprawling tale of an immigrant family in early 20th-century Brooklyn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of the great distinctively American novels. The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States. Originating in Ireland and Austria, their life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn is poor and deprived, but their sacrifices make it possible for their children to grow up in a land of boundless opportunity. Francie Nolan is the eldest daughter of the family. Alert, imaginative and resourceful, her journey through the first years of a century of profound change is difficult - and transformative. But amid the poverty and suffering among the poor of Brooklyn, there is hope, and the prospect of a brighter future.
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My mom gave me this book as she read it as a child, and while it's not my usual genre, I absolutely loved it. It was engaging, moving, and addictive. I felt so engrossed in the characters, and if I ever have kids I'll pass it onto them! It's a great window into life in the past!
Elizabeth F
May 2, 2013
Beloved classic
Good condition, great seller, very nostalgic to revisit a beloved book of my childhood.
TommyBoy
Jun 28, 2012
Excellent story.
A very nice story. I found myself wondering what Francie was going to experience next. I also loved the nastolgia and experience of living life through the eyes of someone growing up in the early 1900s. I think you'll love the story.
BSFiend13
Sep 27, 2009
All-Time Favorite
I had to read this novel for a high school english class, and I am so happy for it. It is the ultimate story of empowerment, told by a young girl no less! Thinking about Francie's strength through troubled times has helped me find my own strength, and I highly recommend this work to anyone whom tough times have ever befallen.
LizaL33
May 8, 2008
This is it, the pinnacle, my absolute FAVORITE book in the whole wide world. I first read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was in junior high, and was inspired to do so because some actor I had a crush on did an interview in, if you can believe it, Tiger Beat magazine where he said this was his favorite book. So some part of me thought, "hey, if I read the book, and then later I meet him, we'll have something to talk about!"
I couldn't even begin to tell you that actor's name today, but I remain so moved by this novel that I have read it at least once every year for the past 20 years. There's just nothing I don't love about it. I'm not ashamed to say that it is the standard by which I judge all other books in terms of personal enjoyment.
