I am so glad that we have such a wonderful group of friends who meet together each month to discuss such a variety of books. We had a wonderful discussion at Jane’s house this past week. Even though we all knew of Nelson Mandela, we walked away with a respect for his vision and his strength to see it through to it’s conclusion. Thank you for a great evening.
On May4th at 7pm, Sue Mitchell will be hosting. Her book pick is:
The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.
A goodreads review says: The title of this novel refers to a tree that grows persistently up through the concrete and harsh conditions of a poor tenement neighborhood in early 1900s Brooklyn. But it is also a metaphor for the novel's protagonist, Francie Nolan. She is a sweet, innocent girl who grows and flourishes despite a harsh environment of neglect and poverty.
I fell in love with Francie. I loved her childlike innocence and the way she could be so delighted with things we take for granted: things like a flower in a brown bowl, freshly sharpened pencils, dancing shadows on her pillow, shiny stars. I love her pluckiness; I loved the way she refused to conform to the mold her teacher tried to force on her, the way she pulls herself out of poverty by working hard, even though it means giving up on some dreams.
But the novel is about so much more than just Francie. This is a beautifully moving portrayal of the human condition and the plight of the downtrodden, similar to the work of Steinbeck, though more hopeful. There is so much American pride coming from the point of view of poor immigrants and their children. The heroes of this book are not great men. They are ordinary people. They are flawed. And they are beautiful.
Some book recommendations:
A Candle in the darkness by Lynn Austin
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
Escape by Carolyn Jessup
Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton (We read this at the very beginning of this book club. It was our 2nd book.)
Happy Reading!
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