A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A very good portrait of a time and place 8/10

I enjoy books like this, the ones that take you to a different time & place and make you feel a part of it. I loved that the tone seemed to stay light even though the subject was dark and heavy. It was very well balanced it was serious and upbeat at the same time, it could have so easily began to drag but it never did.

I saw a lot of my own attitude in Francie and even her family seemed much like mine, the strong characters and links of her female relatives. The way it was the women that pulled together and got through, so very like my own family.