Book Reco # 17: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A classic coming of age story. Plus, get ready to experience Brooklyn in the eyes of a little girl.
Hi there,
I don't remember how I came across A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but I added it to my To Read list, and I was so happy when my Blithely Book Subscription sent me this copy. It's one of those quiet books where no single climax stands out. Rather, we go through the ups and downs of a little girl called Francie.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐5/5 stars
Tree is a classic coming-of-age story, yet it is so nuanced that only a person who has lived through Francie's experience can write about it. This is what happens when an author writes what she knows. Even though the world the author creates in Tree is multilayered, the author writes about universal truths, which is why, 75 years later, this book continues to inspire.
The book is told from the perspective of Francie, a girl in Brooklyn living in poverty. The book starts with 11-year-old Francie seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. Later on, the book guides us as Francie, growing older and more experienced, accepts the harsh realities of life. Yet, despite all the adversities she has faced, she remains determined to rise above her difficult circumstances.
The book's main metaphor is a tree that grows in Francie's backyard. It's a tree that persistently grows despite getting no sun and only the occasional rain. Like the tree, Francie is determined to achieve her dreams despite living in poverty.
My favorite part of the book are the different characters in Francie's life. The neighborhood shops and the people in it serve as a backdrop in Francie's life. As the book states,
"The neighborhood stores are an important part of a city child's life. They are his contact with the supplies that keep life going; they hold the beauty that his soul longs for; they hold the unattainable that he can only dream and wish for.”
All these characters that Francie meets give life to Brooklyn - a world different from mine. Each character's personalities and problems contribute to how Francie views the world. All these things make up a child, from her mother's strong will, her father's sentimentality, her Aunt Sissy's love for life, the neighbor with the burned arm who makes wonderful dresses, the unwed lady who's so proud of her baby, and more. My most favorite character of all is Mary Rommely, Francie's grandmother. She is wise that only comes with age and experience.
I like how the book portrays Francie's relationship with her mother. You'd think they hate each other because of the constant arguing and the knowledge that Francie is a less favored child, but Francie and her mother are so much alike. I love how Betty Smith portrays this complex relationship and Francie's complicated feelings toward her mother. This complex dynamics represent relationships in real life.
Let me leave this review with one of my best quotes from this book. Thank you for the inbox space and Happy Wednesday!
"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."
What I’m Reading This Week..
This week I'm reading Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica and listening to I'm Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy while I'm crocheting. I also just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami which I didn’t like it at all so I will not be recommending it here.
