A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

By: Betty Smith

Narrated by: Kate Burton

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

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)

Loved it

Beautiful book, great narration. I savored every moment. Francie is my most favorite fictional character. I also love her mother, Katie.

Honest and True

I’ve wanted to read this book since I was a teenager, but for some reason I never did. Finally, at age sixty-seven I immersed myself in this wonderful book.
Kate Burton’s reading was absolutely perfect. I loved her accents and dialects as well as the way she was able to convey the emotions and voice of Francie as a child and as a young woman.
The only negative was the jazz music—it didn’t fit the story and was almost disruptive. That’s why I shorted the Overall rating one star.

My favorite book

I love everything about this book, from beginning to end. Everyone should read this and have their teens read it too.

My Grandmother’s favorite book!

A young girl coming of age in NY. The struggles that shape and mold us through tragedy and triumph. Highly recommend.

The world was hers for the reading . . .

I was 11 the first time I read Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1943), the same age as main character Francie Nolan was when I first met her as she sat on her fire escape, eating carefully chosen mint wafers and reading a book on a Saturday afternoon that was all hers. My mother bought the book for 5 cents at a Methodist Church Rummage Sale, and the original price on the paperback was just 25 cents.

Francie Nolan's 1912 Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was a wonder of intriguing and sometimes scary neighbors; pickup ball games; bullies and mean girls; small stores and itinerant salesmen; saloons, green grocers and bakers; and schools, Catholic Churches and libraries, and even the Democratic Party political machine that was Tammany Hall. A century ago, there wasn't the safety net of social security or unemployment insurance, much less universal healthcare. People scrabbled to get enough for them and their families to eat and to live, and sometimes it didn't work. Well loved fathers died brutal deaths in the gutter.

Smith evokes the time and place so vibrantly I could see her father Johnny Nolan's stiff paper collar and dickey, and brother Neeley Nolan's spats. Francie's Aunt Sissy was something special - I could imagine her corsets and petticoats and high heeled shoes. I'd always imagined her played by Mae West (1893-1980), but it turned out that in the 1945 Elia Kazan movie, Joan Blondell (1906-1973) was the beloved aunt with the heart of gold who loved too many men with abandon.

Listening to it now, I realize it had a profound effect on my life and my children's lives. Francie Nolan's grandmother, Mary Rommely, an illiterate Irish immigrant, believed in education. She convinced her daughter, Katie, that she needed to read to her children every night - real books, not children's books, and even after they could read for themselves. I remember promising myself that if I ever had children, I would do the same. I did. We read J.R.R. Tollkein's "The Hobbit" (1937) and the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (1954-1955). All of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books (1997-2007). John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" (1980), although slightly edited, since there are some things in that book a mom isn't going to read out loud to her grade school aged kids. And there were so many more . . .

As wonderful as the book is, a small part of it doesn't travel well in the 21st century. There are some casual racial slurs and stereotypes that modern writers wouldn't use, and those might be jarring. It isa book of its time, I suppose, just as Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" (1885) is.

The performance is by Kate Burton, a prolific and talented actress. I found myself actually liking Burton's slight Brooklyn accent - it was enough to let you know you were in New York, but not so much it was a parody.

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A classic, plain and simple

I don't have words enough to praise this gem of a novel by Betty Smith. The coming-of-age story of the protagonist, Francie Nolan, has been beloved for decades and deservedly so. The author paints a wonderfully vivid picture of the colorful Nolan family and their story of struggles and simple joys.
I felt sad when this book ended!
This audiobook is expertly read by the actress Kate Burton (her accent is perfect, and I say that as a Brooklynite)!
Download this one - you won't be disappointed!

Great narrator

Even after listening to over a thousand audiobooks, a mediocre narrator can still wreck my day. But I was delighted with Kate Burton's interpretation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which delivered on all counts: excellent pronunciation, believable accents, and sensitive characterization. I must warn you, however, that her style is nuanced and understated rather than theatrical and in-your-face, so if you are a big fan of Scott Brick, you may be disappointed.

Timeless !

Although this book was written and published in the late 1940's, it's story of life in Brooklyn, circa 1912 - 1918, is timeless and very moving. Wonderful narration makes the characters come alive. So glad I read this classic !

A Perfect Story and Excellent Narration

I can't believe I had never read this before. It's a wonderful story and the narration is perfect. Everyone should read this book. One of the best I've ever listened to and I'm sure I'll listen to this again and again. Francie feels like a friend you've known forever. I wish the author had written more about her. I'd like to know what happened next, but it's part of the beauty of the novel that you can only imagine.

Poverty is no match for love and family.

Would you consider the audio edition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to be better than the print version?

I had not read the print version but it had been on my "list" for years. The audio version did not disappoint so I'll assume it was at least as good as the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?

There is a scene where Katie rescues her daughter Francie from an attacker by running for a pistol hidden in their home. That was quite a memorable scene.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where the young children "catch" a large tree thrown at them to bring home as their Christmas tree was definitely one of my favorites.

Who was the most memorable character of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and why?

Katie is the most memorable character for me because she is such a strong woman who manages to bring up her children in such extreme poverty with such love and happiness despite their unfortunate lot in life.

Any additional comments?

The narrator of this audiobook did a great job with all the characters. I also like how the book shows that money does not buy happiness and that the love of family can sustain you through the worst of circumstances. I also like how Francie, despite the less than fortunate upbringing, just loves Brooklyn, her childhood home.