Oh, Francie Nolan ... I had no idea I'd love you so. What can I say about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn that hasn't already been said? It's as beautiful, as classic, as moving, as affecting, as stark, and as honest as all the accolades claim it to be. Tenderly told with a mastery of both the setting of Brooklyn, the years it spans, and characterization, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is so simple and yet so brilliant. It's no wonder its light has shone for so many years as a must-read.

"Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory."

This is one of those books I wish I had read when I was younger. A slow, simmer of a coming-of-age story, Betty Smith clearly wrote with her heart holding the pen.

Audiobook, Kate Burton version, [b:A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|13619314|A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|Betty Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418769201s/13619314.jpg|833257]: Kate Burton does a fantastic job here of lending her rich, but quiet voice to such a wonderful story. Burton's voice is strong and clear but with the solemnity called for by the novel's tone. I loved the change in her voice for each character, and her turn-of-the-century Brooklyn accent had my own voice affecting the same.