Description

By (author) Betty Smith; By (author) Smith Betty

Short /annotation:
The sprawling tale of an immigrant family in early 20th-century Brooklyn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of the great distinctively American novels.

The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States.

:

______________________

NOW CELEBRATING ITS 75th ANNIVERSARY

Betty Smith”s debut novel is universally regarded as a modern classic. The sprawling tale of an immigrant family in early 20th-century Brooklyn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of the great distinctively American novels.

The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States. Originating in Ireland and Austria, their life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn is poor and deprived, but their sacrifices make it possible for their children to grow up in a land of boundless opportunity.

Francie Nolan is the eldest daughter of the family. Alert, imaginative and resourceful, her journey through the first years of a century of profound change is difficult – and transformative. But amid the poverty and suffering among the poor of Brooklyn, there is hope, and the prospect of a brighter future.

Review quote:
A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life . . . If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience… It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships.

Review quote:
This story radiates life.

Review quote:
One of the books of the century

Biographical note:
Betty Smith was born in 1896 and died in 1972. She wrote four novels, including A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Promotional headline:
Poignant, moving, triumphant – in the bestselling tradition of Angela”s Ashes