The Olive Reader

I read this when I was young and remember liking it a lot but had no memory of the story and the details so it was like reading a completely new book.  I think there is something to be said for reading something when you are too young.

I too was struck y the poverty and the constant struggle for everything.  My heart broke when Johnny lost the job at the school and Katie realized that she was going to be on her own and have to support him for the rest of her life.  Also, when Francie and Neeley are going to the rag man and the kids are teasing them and they know they will tease the kids going as they leave- so goes to the heart of things.  Imagine being excited about a sweet bun or a donut.  I am always excited about food but not like that.

Nothing happened but everything happens in this book.  Sorry I can’t be your dissenting opinion.  Loved it!

I’m so glad I discovered your page just in time to get in on reading this classic.  What struck me most was the way that some things never change.  I felt as though I could relate to the way that Francie felt about things, despite it being 100 years after the setting of the book.  I guess that’s what makes it a classic, the universal truths throughout the book.

I made it out of HS without reading ATGIB - but that will be remedied soon because the Literature by Women bookclub at BN BookClubs (of which I am moderator) will be reading ATGIB in February

  I too have avoided reading this book for some ridiculous reason.  I’ve begun reading great classics like this only a few months ago.  Why wouldn’t I want to read it though?  I LOVE books and so does she.  They are my escape, as they are hers.  Looking forward to it.

Oh I’m loving A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. January has been crazy so I’m not reading as fast as I normally do, but I am loving it.

It reminds me of my family’s history of immigration.  Just the image of her sitting in her tree enshrouded fire escape, eating peppermint candies, and reading a library book is so lovely, this is going to be an all-time favorite book. I wish I had read it when I was 12.

Thanks!

**Please don’t enter me into the Brave New World contest as I already own it.

I read this book a couple of years ago and loved it.  I keep thinking of recommending it to my bookclub, but they tend to balk over longer titles, and I seem to recall it being a little long.  What do you think?  Is it a quick read?

This was my first time reading the novel and I loved it!  It makes me a little sad I never read it in high school or college.  My grandmother grew up in a similar situation in Chicago so the first thing I did after reading this novel was go and talk to her about her life and the comparisons I noticed.  It really helped to open up conversation for us.  I have never really understood the hardships she endured growing up until I read this novel.  Now, she (a non reader) wants to read this novel too!

I tweeted about this here, spreading the word: http://twitter.com/sashasilverfysh/status/8502570883

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” captures the time and place like few other books do. As a historical record, it’s certainly intriguing. I’ve heard it described as “heartwarming,” but I found it more depressing than uplifting. At times, the lengthy descriptions of food and its scarcity were just plain difficult to read.

I had just finished reading Julie Powell’s “Julie and Julia” prior to reading “A Tree...” Talk about two different Brooklyns! In one book, there’s barely enough food to scrape together a full meal more than once a week. In the other book, there’s almost more food than the author has time to eat.

Reading both books back-to-back was a surreal reading experience, but definitely a reminder that although times may be tough, there’s little comparison to the world our grandparents were born into. I could relate to one ("Julie...") and not so much to the other ("A Tree...")--and for that, I’m thankful.

@Nicole-I feel the same way about To Kill a Mockingbird, which is coming up this summer. I definitely read it too young.

@MelissaW - feel free to come back and chime in once you’ve read.

@Jen - it is 500 pages, so yes, a little long, but it does go relatively quickly.

@Annie - i LOVE that this brought you closer to your grandmother. that makes me day.

I have never read this book, so now, I have a new book on my to be read list.  It will likely wait for the summer and weekends at the trailer.  Thanks for the review and the comments!

I remember one scene where the kids were in to see the doctor and they hear the medical staff speaking about them in a disparaging manner while they were still in the room.  I loved how Francie handled it with such dignity and class.  Not many adults would have handled it as well as she did as a child.

Don’t marry a drunk, indeed.  Betty Smith had a long history of alcoholism, both in her family and her relationship with Bob Finch.  Guess it was the perfect source material for ATGIB.

Here’s my book club post on the book!  A life-changer, for sure.  http://theheroinesbookshelf.com/2010/02/03/lets-talk-about-a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn/

my short review is here: http://thelittlereader.net/2009/06/20/a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn/

i’m coming into this challenge a bit late, but i’m excited to partipate for the rest of the year!

i just read ATGIB last year, so i didn’t re-read for the challenge, but its still fresh enough that i’d like to comment:

i loved this meandering book and the effort that Smith takes to reflect on so many important topics.  and, indeed, do not marry a drunk - even though he is such a lovable drunk, as drunks go.

the only thing that i can say as a potential negative for this book is that it is a slow read.  it does not have the gripping page-turner style that many people need to keep engaged in a story.  but, to make up for it, the language and the intentions are monumental.

I was one of the lucky winners, and I just finished it.  I’m sorry I didn’t read it when I was younger.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will pass it on to my 16 year old niece, another avid reader. It is amazing how much things have changed in 100 years, and yet they are still the same. Education is so much more available, but the best thing is still to read.  That is how we learn.

If only I’d found out about this bookgroup before you were done with TGIB.  It’s one I’ve always meant to pick up but never have but after reading all the comments it has moved way up on the tbr list. I look forward to reading Brave New World and seeing all the comments.

Francie Nolan is a character who will long be remembered by anyone who reads “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” Bright but lonely, poor but resourceful, Francie Nolan is captured from ages 11 to 16 with poignancy and love. Francie is her daddy’s “prima donna” and she treasures his love while fighting to win her mother’s. Although she never achieves the place in her mother’s heart that her brother holds, her strength and sheer perserverance guide her through difficult times. Like the sturdy tree that grows outside her window and survives all catastrophes, Francie Nolan survives poverty, lack of formal education, sexual assault, extreme loneliness, and lost love.

the book a tree grows in brooklyn why doesn’t katie allow Francie to go bk to school

I think the tree is a parable to the heroine - what’s her name again? - and the book talks about her groing up. Realize also the beginning and ending of the book. They’re linked, and I think that in both of them the girl is looking out of her window at a tree.

Only two books have made me cry. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the first. The second is The Grapes of Wrath - which actually made me feel guilty that I was eating an apple while reading it. I put the apple down, not the book.

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I have read this book several times and each time I find something I missed - it`s a great insight into the human condition and reminder for us to be greatful for what we have

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