A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith

Evan’s ESS = 8 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = 8.1 out of 10

Content = PG (Adult Content, Mild Violence, Mild Language, Disorderly Conduct)

“The world was hers for the reading.”

Why: Like us, you’ll find it very difficult not to fall in love with little Francie Nolan.  Unfortunately, numerous friend requests to her Facebook account have gone unanswered… 

While you may not pull an all nighter to finish this one, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a must read.  The plot is delightfully complex, though, primarily surrounds the childhood of a lonely girl who loves books (now you know why we’re so fond of her).  Her family is stricken with many hardships including poverty and alcoholism, although her dad possesses one of the most underappreciated singing voices in all of literature.  Symbolism is prevalent throughout and even Francie herself represents the American dream.

For us it was so much fun to watch Francie bloom, ironically enough, much like a tree.  We found it very easy (almost too easy…) to get caught up in each one of her successes and failures.  There’s also a whole cast of great characters that evolve and mature throughout the story.  In the spirit of the holiday season, we double-dog dare you not to crack a smile at some of Aunt Sissy’s antics.

Since completion of the novel, we’ve been very anxious to watch the 1945 movie adaptation.  Is it worth it?  On a completely unrelated note the Bugs Bunny cartoon titled A Hare Grows in Manhattan is supposed to be hilarious…   

Editor’s Note: Like most of you, we too were skeptical of the author’s extraordinarily common name.  After a thorough investigation by the heavily funded literary investigation wing of Two Bibliomaniacs, it has come to our attention that Betty Smith’s real name was Elisabeth Lillian Wehner.

Additional Editor’s Note:  In case we’ve sparked your interest on the Bugs Bunny cartoon – the episode referenced may or may not be found on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, disc 1, track 4…