Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where you can share the first paragraph, or a few, of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon.
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.
Opening
Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York. Especially in the summer of 1912. Somber, as a word, was better. But it did not apply to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Prairie was lovely and Shenandoah had a beautiful sound, but you couldn’t fit those words into Brooklyn. Serene was the only word for it; especially on a Saturday afternoon in summer.
My Teaser
A person who pulls himself up from a low environment via the bootstrap route has two choices. Having risen above his environment, he can forget it; or, he can rise above it and never forget it and keep compassion and understanding in his heart for those he has left behind him in the cruel upclimb.
page 147
So...what do you think? Is this one you would pick up? Leave a comment below!
I have seen the book before, but have not read it. Hope you are enjoying it. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental My TT
I read this one years ago and bits and pieces of it are still stuck in my memory. My teaser this week comes from Wolf Trouble by Paige Tyler. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThis is a book I've never read although I have seen the film. I like the opening, so I'd keep reading!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite books. I read it a few years ago, again, with a book group and it was a great favorite. I was surprised at how many of the members had not read it in the past, but I think that happens to all of us. Love the teaser. I may need to reread this, again. :-)
ReplyDeleteI loved this one! Thanks for sharing...and here's mine: “DUNE ROAD”
ReplyDeleteThis is embarrassing, but I don't think I've ever read this one! I like the intro, though, and would keep reading!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine why I haven't read this book! I'm downloading it to my Kindle right now.
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post features a classic, too: OF HUMAN BONDAGE.
This is one of the books on my must read someday list. I have heard such great things about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is on my classic club list to read so I'd definitely keep going!
ReplyDeleteI read this book awhile ago and enjoyed it very much.
ReplyDeleteIt is one my to read one day list. Girl Who Reads
ReplyDeleteI've read this one 2 times and almost never reread anything, so I'm hoping you enjoy it just as much.
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