One of my favorites of all time! Love how it evokes the early 1900s, and I love the strength and determination of the main characters. ( )

Ah, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A classic! I don't know why it took me sooooo long to actually read this classic, on the *80th* anniversary of its first publication. Of course I knew of this book; maybe it was the title which put me off when I was younger.

I LOVED it: historical fiction, NYC in the early 1900's, family drama/relationships, immigrant neighborhoods, spunky kids, colorful characters, food.
It reminded me of one of my most beloved children's series growing up, All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor.

Now I see that another novel I recently read, The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant gave me shades of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. ( )

A Bridge Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a 1943 publication.

This is another book that I’ve long been curious about but never got around to reading. It is a much beloved novel, but with some recent bad experiences with ‘much beloved classics’, I approached this one with some caution.

Thankfully, despite the often-bleak circumstances, I found the book to be an accurate depiction of the time, never flinching from hard themes. Our Francine is a character we root for, hoping her future is more promising.

The love of reading and books plays a big role in Francine’s life, which also gives her a yearning to write. Naturally, this appeals to this voracious reader, as did the family saga, another favorite of mine.

Many, many reviews, doing the book far more justice than I ever could, have been written, so anything I might add has all been said before- and more eloquently, as well.

I will say that I ended up truly loving this novel and can understand why it has appealed to so many people and why it has endured for all these years. For once, a classic novel lived up to its reputation- and then some!!

Overall, if you haven’t read this classic family drama, I hope you’ll squeeze it into your reading schedule someday. You’ll be glad you did!

*Fun fact: I read this book in digital format. This edition has an introduction written by Ann Patchett. Because the novel is rather lengthy, I found the audio version on Hoopla and switched back and forth between both formats. Interestingly, the audio version, recorded many years ago, also came with an introduction by Jacqueline Mitchard. I am glad I was able to enjoy hearing both authors’ comments about this book! ( )

Non essendo nata con la camicia, il mito del self-made man (quello che alla fine ce la fa, non importa quante avversità debba fronteggiare) ha sempre avuto appeal su di me.

Così è stato anche con Un albero cresce a Brooklyn, la storia di Francie e della sua famiglia, che cercano di tirare avanti e migliorarsi a dispetto della loro sfortunata partenza. Tutti i personaggi di questa famiglia sono interessanti e con le loro caratteristiche peculiari: dalla femminilità pericolosa di Sissy alla granitica forza di Katie; dal sognatore Johnny alla fedele Mary.

Tutti i membri di questa famiglia puntano con forza verso l'obiettivo: far studiare i figli. A partire dalla nonna, nelle loro menti è stata ben instillata l'importanza dell'istruzione, a cominciare dall'alfabetizzazione: così, noi lettori li vediamo avvicinarsi alla meta un passetto – e tanti sacrifici – alla volta, da una generazione all'altra.

Siamo nei primi anni del Novecento e sognare il sogno americano forse era più realistico rispetto ai primi anni Duemila. In effetti, parecchia retorica da American dream mi è sembrata un po' eccessiva – o forse è solo colpa mia e della mia disillusione. Tuttavia, rimane un buon libro. E un buon sogno (che alle volte si realizza: bisogna ricordarsi di non dimenticarlo). ( )

An incredibly poignant story of America told through the eyes of a young impoverished girl living in a Brooklyn tenement building. A piece of literature that captures the hope and desperation in the early twentieth century. ( )