Betty Smith

A timeless classic! From Betty Smith - author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, one of the most beloved novels of the past century - comes an unsentimental yet radiant and powerfully uplifting tale of young hearts and marriage. In 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, Carl Brown and Annie McGairy meet and fall in love. Though only eighteen, Annie travels alone halfway across the country to the Midwestern university where Carl is studying law - and there they marry. But their first year together is much more difficult than they anticipated, in a faraway place with little money and few friends. With hardship and poverty weighing heavily upon them, Annie and Carl come to realize that their greatest sources of strength, loyalty and love, will help them make it through. "A more dauntless heroine or a more appealing one has not turned up in a current novel in years" - New York Times

(1971) ''Corn For the Hens, The Amateur Concert Party'' by Betty Smith, c Writer on Amateur Theatricals, with illustrations by Jean Conacher

UNA DE LAS MEJORES NOVELAS NORTEAMERICANAS DEL SIGLO XX. «Un libro bellísimo de una novelista maravillosa y olvidada.» Paul Auster «Un libro conmovedor y honesto, que llega al corazón de la vida [...]. Un árbol crece en Brooklyn es una lectura que nadie debería perderse.» The New York Times Corren los años veinte del siglo pasado y descubrimos a la pequeña Francie Nolan leyendo sentada en la escalera antiincendios de su casa, a la sombra de un árbol que solo crece en los barrios más pobres de las grandes ciudades. Poco a poco, la mirada se aleja de la chiquilla para abarcar a la estrafalaria familia Nolan, que malvive en un barrio de Brooklyn. Conoceremos así a sus padres, a su hermano y a la entrañable tía Sissy, que usa a los hombres para aplacar sus instintos maternales. Francie crece rodeada de los libros que tanto le gustan y pronto empieza a preguntar y a pedirle a la vida algo más que un triste acomodo en la mediocridad. De esas hermosas y tercas ganas de saber nace Un árbol crece en Brooklyn, una novela donde cualquier detalle de la vida doméstica revela un mundo hecho de apuestas y deseos, donde los personajes son tan próximos que nos duelen sus dolores y donde el sueño americano cobra por fin peso y color. Críticas: «Uno de los libros del siglo.» Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York «Una de las novelas norteamericanas más queridas [...]. Es la novela dickensiana de Nueva York que no sabíamos que teníamos.» The New York Times «Un árbol crece en Brooklyn merece ser considerada como una de las mejores novelas norteamericanas.» The New Yorker «Betty Smith es una narradora nata.» USA Today «Una historia que irradia vida.» Daily Telegraph

1938 Comedy play written by playwright Robert Finch (1909-1959) and author Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Joy in the Morning, etc). The 2 co-authors eventually wed in 1957 and were together until Smith passed away in 1972.

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.

Christmas Plays written by Betty Smith and 9 other popular authors. Connections: Good King Wenceslas (carol) / traditional -- Christmas bells (poem) / by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -- The scrooge test (humor) from You know you're a scrooge when ... / by Scott Matthews and Barbara Alpert -- A Christmas wish (novel extract) from A tree grows in Brooklyn / by Betty Smith -- The cobbler and the banker (fable) / by Jean de la Fontaine -- The unrepentant rich man (reader's theater) Luke 16:19-31 / adapted by Diane B. Engel -- Scrooge, ghosts, Tiny Tim and Patrick Stewart (theater review) / by Mel Gussow -- A one-man version of A Christmas carol (interview extract) / with Patrick Stewart -- Christmas was a time of plenty (personal memoir) / by Nicholasa Mohr -- Christmas Eve (poem) / by Cathy Song -- Charles Dickens (biographical sketch).

A play in 3 parts written by Betty Smith and final husband, Robert Finch, prior to their marriage.

Norwegian edition of ''A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.'' At age 13, I borrowed ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,'' from my Jr. High School Library, and that weekend, cried, smiled, LAUGHED, ...did I mention CRIED? ... my way through the entire book. In my personal opinion, ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' has no set reader level. Now in my late 60s, I adore this story as much as (or more than) I did at age 13.---book editor review 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. trekbody (Nov 16, 2005) A very enjoyable novel of early 20th century life in New York. (4 of 5 Stars) lesezeichen (Jan 7, 2006 - 4.5 of 5 Stars) "The American classic about a young girl's coming of age at the turn of the century" A wonderful book, one of my favourite BC discoveries and one of my favourite literary characters. Francie is really amazing in the way she makes her way in life in spite of the unfavourable circumstances. The setting - Brooklyn at the beginning of the last century - is wonderfully brought to life. The book is beautifully written and touching. jedisluzer [Flagged as not a review] (Mar 19, 2006 - 4 of 5 Stars) Read it when I was nine. Kept reading it through my teens. shebytches (Apr 19, 2006) My all time favourite book. I have read it so many times the pages are falling out! kellibee (May 21, 2006 - 5 of 5 Stars) I love the character or Francie. It shows the relationship between her and her family growing up. My sister said I'd have to read it, and I think every American girl should, too. tuff517 (Jun 1, 2006 - 5 of 5 Stars) This is a great book. Francie is definitely a character I can identify with, outcast from other children and accepting of her place in the family. I always enjoy books that focus on the family relationship, the perceptions of each member of their place in it, and interactions between members. ca.bookwyrm (May 18, 2020 - 1 of 5 Stars) Some well-meaning adult in my life gifted me this when I was a young teen, thinking it was a book I would enjoy. So I read it. And I hated it. I think this is one of those books that adults think children will get inspiration from because that's what the adults get from it. NOPE. I came out of this one (as a young teen) thinking it was in turns boring and gross and wondering why I wasted my time on it. One of the biggest results is that I refuse to re-read it now, when (as an adult) I might actually get something out of it. BookAddict (Apr 13, 2006) I started reading this book because people were raving about it but I was disappointed. I read to page 65 and couldn't read anymore. I briefly skimmed the rest. It's sexist and racist and I wasn't enjoying it. I also didn't find the writing very good. It probably documents a period of American history well from one point of view but it's not Thoreau.

2 complete Betty Smith novels in one book: ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' and ''Maggie Now.''