A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This is the second book gifted to be by a student this year. She enjoyed it, and hoped I would too. After reading the entire book, and, believe me, it took a while, I did enjoy parts of it.

The protagonist of this book is Francie Nolan. She is the oldest child of her parents, Katie and Johnny. She has a brother, Neeley, who is a year younger, and a sister, Laurie, who is 13 or so years younger. They are poor, and live in, you guessed it, Brooklyn. Katie is a hardworking woman and does everything she can so that her family can survive. Johnny is a singer who is also an alcoholic. He dies when Francie is 13.

The first half of the book is mostly backstory of everyone in the book. I'm not kidding-everyone. This is why I was not a fan of the book. All of the backstories put me to sleep/didn't hold my interest. The book finally picked up for me when Johnny Nolan died. After that, everything got a whole lot more interesting.

I felt sorry for Francie for most if the book. Not only were the family's economic circumstances saddening, but Francie had her dreams dashed so many times. Mostly by her mother, of all people. Even though the book seemed to drag on, I would like to have known how Francie ended up. You know, how did she do in college? Did she marry Ben? These are things I want to know, and I finished the book feeling unsatisfied.