A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith
Goodreads Rating: 4.22 of 5
The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.
Please Share your thoughts on the book by leaving a comment.
Betty Smith
Goodreads Rating: 4.22 of 5
The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.
Please Share your thoughts on the book by leaving a comment.
So it's the last day of February and I have only read up to chapter 10 I think. But so far I enjoy the little girl's personality and the way the author explains peoples' personalities and circumstances so you really get a feel for why they are the way they are and such.
ReplyDeleteA couple good morals picked out so far:
1. Learn to save. (we'd all do well to have a tin can nailed to our floor with a slit in it, for saving for a rainy day) It was also fun reading about how they'd go to the store and ask the price, then find something similar that was a little mistreated or damaged or something and offer a little less. They'd save a lot of money by bargaining that way and making do with less. And that's how they got by so well.
2. Read, read, read. Even to your kids. I liked that tey got use to their Mom reading to them each night. Her consistency was because she wanted her kids to know how to read, even though she herself had no clue what she was reading. (which leads to a third thing...)
3. Dedication to a vision. The Mom wanted to save--done. The mom wanted the best for her kids, so she read--done. I'm wondering what else I'll learn.
4. Be careful how you label people. There are people in the story that have great hearts, but are caught in vices (drinking, sexual stuff, etc.). We have to be careful how we view and label people, because everyone has struggles and everyone needs help and support in some way. We need to be more loving and friendly to any that we come in contact with....because we never know their whole story.
...That's it for now. I'm going to finish the book and I may make another comment afterwards. We'll see....