EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Welcome to our spoiler filled discussion for the April 2020 Classics group read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

This is discussion will be full of SPOILERS. If you haven’t picked up the book yet, please head over here.

What did you think of Francie’s coming of age story? Was it relatable, realistic, or did it feel dated? Or perhaps it was just plainly too sad?

"A person who pulls himself up from a low environment via the boot-strap route has two choices. Having risen above his environment, he can forget it; or, he can rise above it and never forget it and keep compassion in his heart for those has left behind him in the cruel up climb. The nurse had chosen the forgetting way."

This book was impressive! I have never heard of this book until recently and I'm glad I was able to pick it up. As an adult, I feel like this book has more power due to a better understanding of the themes that are apparent in the book.

I did not find the book to be "too" sad. I think the book details the hardships that come with poverty.

Great read! 4/5 stars!

I agree I didn't find it too sad.

Not one of my favorites, but can appreciate any book that is well written enough to keep me engaged when, at least in my opinion, not much happened? It was a realistic account of the times, and I enjoyed living there for a while.

I feel the same Kasey about not that much happening but perhaps that's how I'm feeling in general at the moment. I really find that my emotional/psychological/physical environment and situation affects my understanding of a book.

Did you find the characters to be very stereotypical? Which characters are the most convincing?

I thought Neeley was the LEAST convincing, seemed underdeveloped, but then I guess it's probably because Francie's relationship with Neeley was pretty straightforward throughout the book whereas we got to know Katie and Johnny's relationship separately AND with Francie, so maybe that's why they felt more real?
Agree, reading this after sitting in my house for the past month.... maybe I was craving action and it just wasn't there.

I think it was the right amount of character development for each since the story is mainly from Francie’s perspective. She is naive and grows in wisdom throughout as we all do as we grow up. For that reason, I felt like what was left out was just a beautiful as what was included. At the end when Francie has a good head on her shoulders and is off to create a life of her own I felt hopeful about the cycles we usually say are impossible to escape. This was an easy read and a departure for me from what I normally enjoy. I think it’s a treasure.

I read this title last month because it was available from my library (audio book). I remember liking it at the time and finding it engaging (I gave it 4 stars). However, now that the group is reading the book and I’m trying to reflect back on my thoughts about it, I’m shocked to discover I have little to no memory about what happened or the characters. Now I do read a TON of books every year, so having clear memories of all the books I’ve read is a little more difficult, but I guess I’m really surprised at just how little memory I have, especially since I enjoyed it. I guess what I’m trying to say in even though A Tree Grows In Brooklyn was a solid read for me, ultimately it had no sticking power and was completely forgettable. It kind of makes me sad.

Kristin wrote: "I read this title last month because it was available from my library (audio book). I remember liking it at the time and finding it engaging (I gave it 4 stars). However, now that the group is read..."

It's not you, it's the book. LOL.
I'm currently stuck at 30% because I've just grown bored with it. For the past week I get through a few pages and ditch it for something else, then return for a few more pages...

I like the writing, I like the characters, but ultimately there's no real plot to pull me in (so far). I find myself thinking, "ooh, interesting", "wow", "hmm, I never knew", "who'd have thought"...it's like an almanac of immigrant life and times of that era and region.
I really want to finish this month, but my library turn is ending soon. I'm conflicted because I'll have to purchase it if I don't drill down and hurry up, but don't really care to buy a book I'm already bored with. Maybe it gets better deeper in :)

This book really forced me to slow down. It's not a book you can binge-read your way through. Each chapter required thought and consideration. It's beautifully written.

I read some reviews which called this book "sad". I disagree. It had the happiest ending it could have had. I wonder if Francie ended up with Ben.

I also think the story's strength does not lie in the plot so much but more the era and 'history' of the events that unfold. This is what made it challenging for me, as Kasey mentions above. I needed more to happen to get involved with.

Tatiana, I like what you said about how what was not said was equally beautiful to what was included. I never thought about it like that.

Why do you think the story ended as happy as it could Kirby?

I remember being impressed with this story and tried to imagine how my parents may have felt (children of immigrants) since I never met my immigrant grandparents. I liked the observations. I remember being sad myself from reading it, though I don't remember much about the story.
I had to laugh at KelB -"it's the book".
If my library had been open, I would have reread it. As it is, I spend to much on books, so next time.
It's nice to see this discussion. Shows how different minds respond to the material.

I have a question:
Sissy gives the kids a box called "American Dreams". The kids hang the content out the window, which causes great embarrassment and causes the family to move. What was in the box? It's never explicitly described.

Renata wrote: "I have a question:
Sissy gives the kids a box called "American Dreams". The kids hang the content out the window, which causes great embarrassment and causes the family to move. What was in the box..."
I returned my ebook, so I can't cite what makes me think so, but I think it was condoms.

This was a re-read for me. I'm actually quite surprised by how much of the story I remembered, considering I first read this 18 years ago back in high school.

I loved this book then and I love it now. I love how simply phrased everything is, yet the writing is so beautiful. It's a great coming-of-age story. I think the big selling point of this book is the characters. I've found that I like books when I can relate to at least one of the characters. When I was a kid, Francie resonated with me. Now as an adult and a mom, I found myself relating to Katie Nolan quite a bit.

My favorite scene is the part where Johnny takes the kids out on a rowboat, thinking they should experience the ocean, and everything that could go wrong does go wrong. (In case you're trying to remember which part of the book that was in, I just looked it up and it's chapter 29)

The scene that hit me the hardest was Chapter 30 with Joanna and her illegitimate baby and the cruelty of those women. I have a little boy myself and to read about the baby getting hurt by one of the stones the women threw just about broke my heart. It goes to show how good a writer Betty Smith was that I wanted to enter the pages myself and hug poor Joanna and her child.

Did anybody else have a favorite part?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn really hit home for me. It often brought me back to my own childhood and how I would revel in such simple things. I remember when I was around eight years old, I'd sweep up the parking lot of a 7-11, pick up litter, and take the trash out to the dumpster. In return, my best friend and I would get free Slurpees or we’d get a dollar and go over to the thrift store and buy some knick-knack. We loved it like it was a treasure. My family never starved and I always felt like we had enough, but my parents were on welfare, my dad worked the night shift in a canning factory while my mom worked during the day and studied at night to become a nurse. I knew it in my core that we were different from other people.

I related to Francie a lot in how she struggled between the economic classes as she rose out of poverty. After my family moved out of the old neighborhood, my parents never let me go back, not even to see my friends. I think if you over-analyze this book too much you’ll forget that this is autobiographical, it’s based on truth. Some people say they feel like nothing happened in this story, but I want to counter that and say a lot of things happened… they were just real life things and not the flowery or romantic language the English teacher at Francie’s school liked, but rather they were Francies four stories of “filth” that Francie decided not to burn because they were her truths.

The story was very descriptive and at times I even wondered why it had to be so, but then at the end I understood why. Betty Smith did an amazing thing, Francie’s memories suddenly became your memories as the characters reminisced about the “olden days” you could recall those things also in vivid detail. I think this book is a classic because it’s not about one person’s childhood, it’s about all of our childhoods and the growing pains, the loves, and losses that we all face as we become adults.

I want to ask the group, what's something you learned from this book?

Lisa wrote: "This was a re-read for me. I'm actually quite surprised by how much of the story I remembered, considering I first read this 18 years ago back in high school.

I loved this book then and I love it ..."

I loved this book too Lisa! My favorite part was at Christmas when they stood in front of the Christmas tree and the man pushed the tree so hard because he thought the children needed to learn of the harshness of the world, but at the same time was rooting for them to catch it. And even though the children were scratched and bloody they were so happy to have caught the tallest Christmas Tree and nothing else in the world mattered. Them carrying it up the stairs while papa sang. It was the best.

Jordyn, I had forgotten that this was autobiographical. Thank you for the reminder.

I think what resonated for me was the emotions. I know I felt a lot of the same things that Francie felt. I loved my father. He was perfect in my mind. Now that I am grown I see he had flaws. But at that time he could do no wrong.

It is a classic for the reason you said. It reminds me of the feelings I once had. It helps me revisit a time in my life.

Renata wrote: "I have a question:
Sissy gives the kids a box called "American Dreams". The kids hang the content out the window, which causes great embarrassment and causes the family to move. What was in the box..."

The author hinted that Sissy worked at a rubber factory where they made a few toys to hide what they truly made profits in, which I think were implied to be condoms.

Renee wrote: "Jordyn, I had forgotten that this was autobiographical. Thank you for the reminder.

I think what resonated for me was the emotions. I know I felt a lot of the same things that Francie felt. I lov..."

Same! I felt that too. I actually teared up when I finished the book because I felt like my childhood flooded back to me with all the happy and sad memories!

Jordyn wrote: " I actually teared up when I finished the book because I felt like my childhood flooded back to me with all the happy and sad memories!"

I got a little teary too when I reached the last sentence. Such a beautiful way to end the book and say goodbye!