Review - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I talked the ladies in my book club into reading this classic.  To my surprise, none of them had read it, or for that matter, had even heard of it.  It was one of a number of classics my mom put in my hands as a young teen, and told me to read.  It been years since I read it, and I think I enjoyed it as an adult even more than I did on the first go round.  The story is about Francie, a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900's.  It's a story full of struggle, poverty, alcoholism but also the yearnings and emotions of a young girl.  Francie sits on the fire escape reading books from the library.  She looks through the leaves of a tree at the world around her.  She loves her father, in spite of his obvious flaws and weaknesses.  She longs for the affection of her mother, who dotes instead on her younger brother.

The women are the strong characters in this book. It seems all the men around them are flawed.  I think the intent of the author may have been to look at the way mothers and daughters relate, and the way women bond together in their struggles.  If you're reading this and looking for something different for your book club, be forewarned...............its a long book.  But I think everyone liked, or even loved it in our group.

Read, people.  Read the classics.  You will be all the better for it.