Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Book Review - A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

I love, Love, LOVED IT! Touching, funny, realistic, characters that I could get attached to. I laughed until I cried when I read the chapter about "Giving the baby the Gussie", and then I made Matt read it while I read it again over his shoulder. Too funny. I cried when Francie and Neeley caught the Christmas tree.
Something I found interesting and coincidental is Katie's parenting tactics. We have been reading Love and Logic because our child whines too much. Katie is a full on Love and Logic parent. It cracked me up.
This is such a good book. Read it!

5 comments:

Jeanna said...

I have read this twice and loved it both times, with the same response. I laughed and cried. Touching, honest...real.

Glad you liked it, too.

Holley said...

I’m so glad that you read this book. It has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. This one is on my list of books that I could and should read every year. I first read about the Nolans when I was in the 7th grade for a class assignment and I have read it countless times since. The Nolans almost feel like family to me. Although I am an avid reader of the classics- I always stray back to my ratty old copy of "A Tree Grows..." - the same copy that I have now had in my possesion for the past 28 years, I’ve even had to duck tape the cover because it has gotten so worn. It is one of the only things I have left from my “childhood.” I still get a tear in my eye when I think about Francie and all she endured and her tenacity to get an education. I also have tried to be like Mary Nolan. She was such a wide-eyed optimist, but always had her feet firmly planted in reality. I love how every night she read a page from The Bible, and a page from Shakespeare before going to bed- I have tried to do the same sort of thing with nightly scriptures and family reading time. I even read my boys this book when they were younger and they loved it. Have you ever seen the movie with Dorothy Maquire… that is a must see too.

Becky said...

Sounds really good! I can't wait to read it! Sounds like one I will want to have so I better order it from Amazon.

Thanks for making me join your book club, it really has helped me get into reading and love it.

Meesa said...

I loved it too. Although I have only read it once. Maybe I need to go back and read it again.

Becky said...

Ooo! I like your background and it looks like it already matched everything! Lucky!