A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a quiet, gentle, understated and yet at the same time unexpectedly scathing at times book that offers a window (or a view from a fire escape, if you please) into a little corner of the world a century ago, and yet still has the power to resonate with readers of today. After all, the world has moved forward, yes, but the essential human soul remains the same, and the obstacles in human lives - poverty, inequality, cruelty, and blind self-righteousness - are in no danger of disappearing. "The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenements districts."It's not easy to answer what this book is about, to answer it in a way that would manage to capture the heart and soul of this story. If you ask me, I think it's a story of people simply being people, the good-bad-and-ugly of humanity. There are so many things coexisting in the pages of this not-that-long book. On one hand, it's a classic coming-of-age and loss-of-innocence tale centered around the experiences of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the first couple of decades of the 20th century. On another hand, it is a social commentary taking on the uglier parts of human lives and human nature - the parts that Francie was cautioned against writing about as they are quite 'sordid': poverty, vice, exploitation, intolerance. On yet another hand (yes, I'm running out of hands here) it's a story of American dream - hopeful and determined. “I want to live for something. I don't want to live to get charity food to give me enough strength to go back to get more charity food.”On a different hand, it is also a story of how American dream can be used exactly against the same people that it's supposed to inspire. On yet another hand (apparently my 'hands' example may as well involve an octopus) it is a chronicle of a struggling Brooklyn family with the love and resentment and strong ties that only the members of the family can try to understand. On some other hand, it's a story of what it meant to be a girl and then a woman in the world of a century ago in America. And, on yet another hand, it is an ode to Brooklyn that through the prism of this book appears to be a universe of its own.It is also a story of opportunities lost and opportunities gained despite the odds. It's a story about the will to survive no matter what, about iron-clad will and determination, about hope despite the odds, despite being, for all intents and purposes, on the bottom of the barrel. It's a story about learning to love and respect and compromise and give up - and frequently all at the same time. It's a story about being able to open your eyes to the world around you as you grow up and learning to see this world for what it is, and accept some of it, and reject some, too. It has love and loss and pain and happiness and wonder and ugliness - all candidly and unapologetically presented to the readers allowing them to arrive at their own conclusions just as Francie Nolan has arrived at hers.Apparently when this book was published in mid-1940s, it caused a wave of disappointment and disagreement with the subject matters it raised, the subject matters that some of the public, like the well-meaning but clearly clueless teacher Miss Garnder in this book, probably found too 'sordid' for their taste: the poverty, the pro-union message, the lack of condemnation of female sexuality, the alcoholism, the treatment of immigrants unfamiliar with their rights, the exploitation of the poor and weak ones by those in power - you name it. It seems there was too much of the social message presented with not enough of polishing it and coating it with the feel-good message. "In a flash, she saw which way the wind blew; she saw it blew against children like Francie."The part that probably resonated the most with me out of everything I mentioned, however, was the way Betty Smith describes the poverty of Francie's family and Francie's neighborhood ("... in the Nolan neighborhood, if you could prove you had been born in America, it was equivalent to a Mayflower standing" and where "Kids grow up quick in this neighborhood.") - the area populated mostly by immigrants not quite aware of their rights, selling their votes for the chance to survive another day, and slaving at their jobs just to survive another day in which they can go on slaving for pennies to survive. And yet the system - as well as the still-not-understood undershades of human psyche - instead of uniting these people in their hardships ends up somehow pitting them against each other. "She had been in school but half a day when she knew that she would never be a teacher’s pet. That privilege was reserved for a small group of girls... girls with freshly curled hair, crisp clean pinafores and new silk hairbows. They were the children of the prosperous storekeepers of the neighborhood. Francie noticed how Miss Briggs, the teacher, beamed on them and seated them in the choicest places in the front row. These darlings were not made to share seats. Miss Briggs’s voice was gentle when she spoke to these fortune-favored few, and snarling when she spoke to the great crowd of unwashed."You see, the poverty presented in this book, the poverty in which the Nolan family lives, is far from the innocent, idealistic, noble and 'cleansing' way it's often presented. No, this book does not fall into the pitfall of somehow glorifying poverty. The Nolans are decent people DESPITE their poverty and not in any way thanks to it - the message that is presented subtly but clearly through Francie's understanding that there's little point to it, that there's really nothing to be gained from it no matter how you can later justify it to yourself through the idea that 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'¹.Allow me to quote Terry Pratchett here:-"Remember - that which does not kill us can only make us stronger.""And that which *does* kill us leaves us dead!"And, of course, denigration of poor people and worship of money, as well as the stark gap between the rich and the poor in the American society did not go away a century after the events of this novel. Neither did the fact that if you live in a poor neighborhood and get an education there, you are at a disadvantage as compared to your peers (Francie tried to combat that by finding a way to attend a better school in a better area - but using the ways that would surely condemn her in the eyes of the general public had she done it now, like quite a few people try to). And the fact that as we continue to proclaim the benefits of Democracy (as Johnny Nolan did his whole short life) while poverty continues to run rampant and the rich continue to be rich is perhaps one of the saddest things that you take from reading this book. "They think this is so good," she thought. "They think it’s good— the tree they got for nothing and their father playing up to them and the singing and the way the neighbors are happy. They think they’re mighty lucky that they’re living and that it’s Christmas again. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. Johnny and the children can’t see how pitiful it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of this filth and dirt. My children must get out of this. They must come to more than Johnny or me or all these people around us."Another part is the deconstruction of American Dream - to a point. On one hand, Francie and her mother Katie and her grandmother Mary all support the idea of education eventually being able to help you get out of the cycle of poverty. On the other hand, through Francie's eyes we see the flipside of this believe in American Dream - the shrugging off the problems of the poor by those who are a bit more well-to-do under the mistaken beliefs that (a) they understand exactly what the poor are going through (like Francie's teacher Miss Garnder 'understood' poverty because - oh the horror! - at some point in her life she lived on tea and toast for three days and her family did not always have a maid) and (b) assume that the only reason the poor stay poor is because they have to be lazy (again, like Miss Garnder, the well-meaning soul who nevertheless was in position of power to pass on her flawed beliefs to the impressionable young children she educated). “But poverty, starvation and drunkenness are ugly subjects to choose. We all admit these things exist. But one doesn’t write about them.” “What does one write about?” Unconsciously, Francie picked up the teacher’s phraseology. “One delves into the imagination and finds beauty there. The writer, like the artist, must strive for beauty always.” “What is beauty?” asked the child. “I can think of no better definition than Keats’: ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty.’” Francie took her courage into her two hands and said, “Those stories are the truth.”This book is simply written and slow-moving - but in an enchanting, engrossing way that allows the characters to shine through its pages. There's really little plot in the way we, modern readers, frequently think of such. Most of the book seems to be comprised of little vignettes connected to each other, placed to shed light on different aspects of the lives of the Nolans and the Rommelys, to present different edges of their personalities and to show the wider picture of the time and the neighborhood where they live. We get to experience Katie's determined strength, Johnny's unabashed hopefulness mixed with weakness, Sissy's love and disregard for arbitrary societal limitations, and Francie's curiosity and desire for life and learning. "Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It’s growing out of sour earth. And it’s strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong. My children will be strong that way."And a word about Francie herself, of course. Yes, she is far from an ideal heroine. She is naive and impressionable, sometimes frustratingly so. She can be meek and allow others to take advantage of her and direct her life - to the point when we, readers from the time when women can vote and have achieved some resemblance of equality, start getting frustrated with her. But she has this insatiable curiosity for life and desire to rise above her low station in life, and inner backbone and character steel that she appears to have inherited from her mother Katie (Katie, who is a true cornerstone of this book, the source of its inner strength and resilience that allows the Nolans to have hope for the future) - all the traits that make the reader cheer for this quiet and yet determined young woman who will ultimately find out what's best for her in life while always remembering where she comes from. “Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.” I'm glad I read this book now and not back when I was a kid. Back then I would have judged so many characters harshly, seeing the world from a quite privileged perspective of a person who had the luxury of education and only experienced a few years of significant poverty that was followed by a reasonably comfortable life afterwards. Now, with a bit more life experience on my shoulders, I cannot help but adore the quiet heart of this story and the different shades of life and people that it portrays. 4.5 stars without a bit of hesitation.
SpoilersI wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, despite all the darker themes it contained, it still somehow managed to be a lovely, warm and charming read. -I enjoyed how the story was less plot driven and more focused on the characters. I loved reading about Francie Nolan and her family, and all the struggles and ups and downs they faced and how it made them change and grow over the years. I didn't expect to be so engrossed by all the grim and ordinary details of their day to day to lives, but it was just so easy to immerse into.-The 1900s Brooklyn setting was written really well, at times Francie's description of her neighbourhood read as quite magical and surreal - the atmosphere and visuals were just described so vividly. -I pretty much loved every single character. Even the ones I hated I still managed to love for how well crafted and flawed and realistic they were (especially Francie's parents, Johnny and Katie). -Francie was a great narrator, all her observations and thoughts were wonderful to read. Her various routines in Brooklyn never failed to fascinate, even when she was buying bread or meat, getting books from the library, attending school or reading on the fire escape. Those simple and everyday sorts of things were somehow utterly engrossing to read. -Francie wasn't without her flaws, I had major issues with her attitude towards females, any time a woman/girl or a group of women/girls would disappoint her in some way or another, she would write off all women/girls as bad and awful. It never crossed her mind that she was wrong to condemn all women for the actions of a few, in her mind if a few were bad, they all were. And then there was Francie complaining about not having any friends, she never once thought that maybe she was the problem. She rarely made any sort of effort with anyone at school or work, she always kept to herself and acted cold. What did she think would happen? Who wants to be friends with someone like that? I swear Franice was so dense sometimes.Despite the many irritating facets of Francie's personality, I still adored her and thought she was a great protagonist.-The whole Ben/Lee drama was kind of odd. Francie had known Ben for months, they helped each other and were friends and had feelings for one another, their relationship was organic and made sense and fit Francie's personality. But then out of nowhere she fell madly in love with Lee when she'd known him for less than two days and had spent less than 12 hours with him. Where the hell did that come from?! She didn't even know him but that didn't stop her from claiming her undying love for him. I know she was only sixteen and knew nothing about romance and relationships, but I still expected more from her. I suppose she needed the whole whirlwind mini-romance with Lee so she could learn from that and be more realistic and grounded when it came to her relationship with Ben. But even with that the whole Lee arc was still kind of dumb.-I despised Francie's mum, she was such an infuriating character. Even though she had all the ingredients of being a strong and likeable woman and had a no-nonsense, hard working, dedicated attitude, I just couldn't stand her. Most of the time she came across as a holier-than-thou, poisonous, hateful cow. I think my hatred of her stemmed from how she treated her kids, she felt such love for her son (Neelie) and such indifference for Francie. She loved Neelie because he was a strong, healthy boy yet felt contempt for Francie as she was a sickly baby girl. Any loving feeling Katie had for Francie was down to pity and obligation. I didn't get it, Francie was just as much her child as Neelie, and if anything Franice needed her far more than Neelie. It wasn't even favouritism, she loved one and disliked the other. Francie may as well have been a stranger considering how little Katie felt for her. Katie's epic love for one child and coldness to another was plain fucked up. What was even worse was Katie complaining that Francie and her weren't close and didn't understand each other whereas her and Neelie had a special bond. Did it not occur to her that the only reason Francie wasn't close to her was because she'd more or less been rejected by her? Katie showered all her love and attention on Neelie and gave nothing to Francie, it was no wonder Francie was left hurt by that and turned to her dad for some basic parental affection. Then there was Katie's attitude towards other women, she was so harsh and bitchy (even worse than Franice). It was hard to like Katie even with all the burdens she had to carry and the back breaking work she had to do when her coldness and viciousness about Francie and other women would rear its ugly head every few pages. Even though Katie had suffered so much loss and heartache, I hated that she managed to get a happy ending. I didn't feel like she deserved it when she made it clear that Francie meant so little her. How horrible for a child to grow up knowing that their sibling was so loved by their mother whilst they were seen as nothing but a nuisance. Ugh, hated Katie so much for treating Francie like crap.-I found Johnny far more easier to like and sympathise with than Katie despite him being a cheating, irresponsible, weak, drunk loser. At least he didn't favour one of his children over the other and managed to show both his kids warmth and love when he never wanted to be a dad in the first place. I wasn't expecting him to even stick around in his marriage after Katie gave birth, but he did and in his own way he tried to be a good dad and husband. Sure, he failed spectacularly and kept losing his jobs and getting drunk, but it did seem like he genuinely tried his best. I felt nothing but pity for his constant failure and alcoholism, he only turned to drink when things got too much for him and when he was lost and depressed. I wasn't surprised he was the way he was when he got little emotional support and kindness from Katie. His drinking only got worse the more she nagged and ignored him, the poor guy didn't stand a chance with such a cold, stuck up cow.His death was quite depressing to read, he didn't deserve to die in such a lonely and pathetic way, especially when it felt like he was crying out for help and support. He would have been better off leaving Katie and the kids and moving back in with his mum so she could look after him and help him get back on his feet.-Sissy was the absolute best character by far, I think she's one of my all time favourite fictional characters ever. She was so compassionate, open minded, strong, and helpful, all whilst being fun and flawed and interesting. It was so easy to root for her when she was so honest and upbeat despite suffering and losing so much. In a lot of ways she was on top, but when it came down to it she was a bit of an underdog in life, nothing that she really wanted ever worked out for her (well, until the very end).Her relationship with Francie was great, she was more of a mother to her than Katie was. I was sure Sissy would have a go at for Katie for being such a rubbish mum and taking Francie for granted, but sadly that didn't happen. Ugh, I really wanted someone to put Katie in her place.I loved the parts where Sissy called all her fellas 'John', and when she pretended to have a baby and drove her husband crazy with her fake pregnancy/birth. Also, the part where Sissy put Francie's awful teacher in her place was great, they were all such hilarious and brilliant moments.-I don't know why but A Tree Grows in Brooklyn felt really homey and comforting despite so much of it being foreign and unfamiliar. I suppose a lot of the daily struggle, family life, and growing pains were familiar enough though, and those elements were at the heart of the book, and were easy to relate to. -The darker themes (alcoholism, poverty, death, perverts, misogyny) were interwoven into the story really well, none of them seemed out of place or done for shock value or drama or preachy purposes. It all felt very organic and fit in with the quieter and lighter aspects of the book.I can see why A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic, it's brilliant. Highly recommended for those who love coming-of-age stories with lots of focus on family drama and day-to-day life.
What do You think about A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (2006)?
She did, in a way. Her next novel, "Joy In The Morning" was another semi-autobiographical piece about a poor girl from Brooklyn who marries a promising law student and their struggle to make it while he is putting himself through school and she tries to better her education and dreams of being a writer. Different characters though.
—Aoibhínn
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is the story of Francie (Frances) Nolan growing up in the slums of Brooklyn in 1912. Over the years, it has been called a timeless classic, a description which will undoubtedly remain steadfast. “Francie’s mother is small and pretty but steely and tough but her father is warm and charming and, above all, a prisoner of his need for drink.”* Kate, the mother, is the breadwinner of the family, clean houses for the money, which feeds, clothes and keep the family warm (when the money stretches that far). Kate favours Neeley, the son, while Johnny, the father, provides the love and understanding Francie needs. Francie is a lonely child who collects junk for pennies to help supplement the family’s income. She has no friends, her companion is Neeley (when he's around) and a beloved aunt. She longs for school but school, when she gets there, is not the place she has imagined. It’s tough and cruel, the teachers are harsh, and Francie suffers many indignities. But it provides the outlet she requires, she learns to read and her love of reading and writing is born. It is here that she decides she will become first, a writer, then a playwright. It is at school she also learns the spitefulness of girls, and vows “I will never have a woman friend”. At the end of grade school, her beloved father’s death means that Francie must finish school and go to work; her first two jobs are factory work, followed by office work in New York; across the Brooklyn Bridge and a place Francie has always longed for. Francie’s story and that of her family’s continues well into her late teens. Perhaps the impact of this story is that the reader, as well as Francie, says goodbye to her young self at the novel’s close. Personally, I was deflated to learn there was no sequel; I loved Francie and felt I had grown up in Brooklyn with her. I wanted more; what happened to Francie, where did she go, who did she love (if she loved), did she become a playwright. Quindlen says there is no doubt that this is a memoir, rewritten at the behest of editors, as a fictional story. So probably I do know what happened in Francie’s later life although I still wanted to read it, wanted to hear it in Francie’s words.Anna Quindlen, in her wonderful introduction says: “It is not a showy book from a literary point of view. It’s pages are not larded with metaphor or simile or the sound of the writer’s voice in love with it’s own music. Its glory is in the clear-eyed descriptions of its scenes and people.” [ ]“This is that rare and enduring thing, a book in which, no matter what our backgrounds, we recognise ourselves.”Quindlen's last sentence is so true: I found Francie’s story waking some forgotten memory in me – until that is, I reminded myself that I grew up in a upper middle-class family in Melbourne in the middle 1960s. I am pleased to find that people of all ages are still reading Smith’s wonderful novel. I think it is a story that remains relevant no matter the year or your age. It will always remain one of my most treasured reads. Thanks to Anastasia for recommending the book to me. Most Highly Recommended. 4.5★ *Quoted from Quindlen’s Introduction.
—B the BookAddict
"Dear God, let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well-dressed. Let me be sincere- be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.""Don't say that. It's not better to die. Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there from the grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth. And it's strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong.""Oh, I wish I was young again when everything seemed so wonderful!""Well, a person can cry for only so long. Then she has to find something else to do with her time.""I know that's what people say- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, you'll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget."
—Maggie Campbell
