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  • This is a lovely, poignant Depression-era coming-of-age story of Francie Nolan. Smith's writing is elegant and evocative. It does not the innocence of an L.M. Montgomery novel, however, the story is told tenderly and truthfully. Life, warts and all.

    A fine, simple story, well-deserving of its ... Continue

    This is a lovely, poignant Depression-era coming-of-age story of Francie Nolan. Smith's writing is elegant and evocative. It does not the innocence of an L.M. Montgomery novel, however, the story is told tenderly and truthfully. Life, warts and all.

    A fine, simple story, well-deserving of its categorization as a classic.

    

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• ― guaddess said on Oct 20, 2007 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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

"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...It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919...Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city's poor. Primarily this is Francie's book. She is a superb feat of characterization, an imaginative, alert, resourceful child. And Francie's growing up and beginnings of wisdom are the substance of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."
--New York Times

"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

• 1943new yorkalcoholismmade into moviemarriagepovertyclassicscoming of agedomestic fictioneducation
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