• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

  • By: Betty Smith
  • Narrated by: Kate Burton
  • Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (7,958 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  By  cover art

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By: Betty Smith
Narrated by: Kate Burton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $28.79

Buy for $28.79

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

Why You Should Download This Audiobook: Betty Smith's immensely moving novel is essentially a paean to the human spirit—among most uplifting works we can think of. It's one of those stories you delight in giving to a good friend or family member who might be facing difficulty, certain that it could change the way they perceive life or give them strength to overcome a problem. It's also worth mentioning that this novel is a refreshing, plainspoken American work, a welcome change of pace if you've been lately persuing dense or complex works of literature.

Publisher's summary

A moving coming-of-age story set in the 1900s, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows the lives of 11-year-old Francie Nolan, her younger brother Neely, and their parents, Irish immigrants who have settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Johnny Nolan is as loving and fanciful as they come, but he is also often drunk and out of work, unable to find his place in the land of opportunity. His wife Katie scrubs floors to put food on the table and clothes on her children's backs, instilling in them the values of being practical and planning ahead.

When Johnny dies, leaving Katie pregnant, Francie, smart, pensive and hoping for something better, cannot believe that life can carry on as before. But with her own determination, and that of her mother behind her, Francie is able to move toward the future of her dreams, completing her education and heading off to college, always carrying the beloved Brooklyn of her childhood in her heart.

©1947 Betty Smith (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"There's a reason this tale remains beloved after almost 50 years, and it stands with memoirs like Angela's Ashes for its happy-ending triumph over a bad childhood." (AudioFile)
"A profoundly moving novel, and an honest and a true one. It cuts right to the heart of life." (The New York Times)

What listeners say about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,123
  • 4 Stars
    1,314
  • 3 Stars
    390
  • 2 Stars
    74
  • 1 Stars
    57
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,339
  • 4 Stars
    998
  • 3 Stars
    225
  • 2 Stars
    48
  • 1 Stars
    30
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,232
  • 4 Stars
    1,009
  • 3 Stars
    258
  • 2 Stars
    58
  • 1 Stars
    46

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • KR
  • 01-14-21

Absolute MUST read

Everything about this book inspired me. It touched and pulled upon each of my heart strings and I simply could not stop listening. A beautiful coming of age novel from the early 1900s that could not be more relevant and relatable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I was given this book a long time ago when I was a teenage girl. But for some reason I never read it. My book club just chose it to read together, so I read some of it directly from the book and then got on here to listen to the rest on audible. I am forever grateful that I did. I love the story, the narration, the characters, and the little bits of music.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Timeless story with excellent narration

The story is beautiful and narration was excellent. This may be my favorite audio book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't believe I've never read this until now!

What an excellent story about the way daily life was in the early 1900s! I love the way Betty Smith can give us a feeling of truly being part of their lives.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great

really great hidden gem I am middle age man so probably not the demo but found this book great alittle libraryee and a little young adult but overall story character development and big themes are all some of best out there

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Francie Nolan Comes Alive in Kate Burton's Reading

I first read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn when my parents (who both grew up in New York, in the Bronx and Manhattan respectively) gave me the book as a Christmas present. I read through it eagerly, enjoying the descriptions of Williamsburg in 1912 and the histories behind the people in Francie's life. By the time I finished it, I too felt a kinship to Francie. Despite growing up desperately poor and being forced to leave school after her father's death to support the family, she survived and still kept some of the parts of her childhood that helped her thrive around her. By the time I finished the book, I knew why in the foreword to my edition, it was written that Smith received letters in the years after the book's publication written "Dear Francie."

This reading by Kate Burton brings the magic back to me. No matter who Burton is voicing (one of the boys trying to rile Bob the horse, the nurse who agrees with the doctor that children are dirty, Sissy's husband Steve when he finally demands that she marry him), each character sounds the way you think they would. And it makes you laugh, cry, and feel all the more for Francie when you listen.

If you've read the book before, get this reading. If you haven't, find the magic in this audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book, but what's with the music?

This book is a classic. I've read it multiple times, and I enjoyed the audio version just as much. Kate Burton does an excellent job narrating. I love the way she uses the Brooklyn accents when voicing the various characters. The only complaint I have is this:

Who on earth chose the music for this book?

Randomly interspersed throughout the reading are snippets of smooth 1930s-40s jazz. Why? They aren't even in between chapter breaks, just in between sentences. It's like editor's trying to promote his cousin the part-time saxophone player. Really weird, and it really jars me out of the story. If it weren't for that, this review would have five stars. It's perfect in every other respect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A classic!

I loved this coming of age story. it was a great and bittersweet story. Amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't believe I'd never read this book?

As the daughter of two parents raised in Brooklyn, I enjoyed this look back to life at a simpler time, when hot chocolate with a couple of marshmallows was all that was needed to bring a moment of joy. What a beautiful memoir of a lifetime gone by.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must Listen

What made the experience of listening to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn the most enjoyable?

Kate Burton's voice is enchanting, and matches the story beautifully.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters are amazing.

Have you listened to any of Kate Burton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you could rename A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, what would you call it?

I have no idea. It's a perfect title.

Any additional comments?

Great classic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!