As I mentioned in my last post, Melina, Talena and I had book club on Groundhog Day. As always, we used video chat to unite us. How I love video chat. The book we read was
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. The book follows Francie Nolan and her family, who live in the slums of Brooklyn during the early 1900's. It shares the trials and triumphs they share as a family during difficult times. It is kind of hard to say what the full story is about since each chapter shares little tidbits and stories about Francie's life, some funny, some sad, some intriguing. I'd say it is a book about growing up.
Overall we all liked the book. You can't help but like Francie, as you see the world through her eyes. She's curious and smart. She loves her family and isn't afraid to work towards her dreams. However, my favorite character of the book was her mother, Katie Nolan. She's one tough woman, pulling her family through heartache, poverty and life in general. Talk about a character with perseverance. I loved Smith's style of writing. She skillfully weaves a background story for almost every character you meet, from the shopkeepers to the neighbors. You quickly have a better understanding where each person is coming from. In the foreword in the book, I learned that
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was actually a memoir of Betty Smith (real name Elizabeth Wehner), but she later changed it to read like a novel. I also was drawn in about life just a century ago and what it was like to live in those times. I didn't realize how much traditions have changed since then. I should give a warning though, there was a bit of language and innuendos through the whole book. Most of it is through a child's perspective, but it does give a feel for what it was like in the part of town she grew up in, which wasn't pleasant.
Jan's Rating:
I also read
The Old Man and the Sea recently. I figured since I've shared a name with Ernest Hemingway my entire life and I make jokes about him being "Uncle Ernie", I probably should read one of his books. Plus, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature for this book, so I thought I would give it a whirl.
The Old Man and the Sea pretty much sums up what this whole book is about. It is about an old man who goes fishing in the ocean after a big fish. Hemingway is a pretty good writer to keep me captivated for over 100 pages about an old man sitting in a boat going after his dream catch. Luckily I have been fishing in my youth with my dad to know a bit of what he was talking about, even though I've never been deep sea fishing. Now that I've finished the book I'm still trying to decide what Uncle Ernie is trying to share with me. Was it you can't beat nature? That when you go after the biggest fish in the sea, you could be missing other opportunities? To never give up? I'm still pondering. If any of you have read this book and have any thoughts, do share.
Jan's Rating:
I read both of those books in Jr. High School. I really loved A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It was definitely a coming of age story. Have you read Betty Smith's other book, Joy In the Morning? I read that one in 10th grade and really liked it too. I can't say the same for Old Man and the Sea. But you know,I might feel differently if I read it now.
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