A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a quintessential coming of age story. Not just for Francie — the protagonist who we follow from the age of 10 through her going off to college — but also for New York itself, which we see change through industrialization along with the characters.

The first part (of five) is on the slower side, with barely-connected vignettes that paint a picture of what it was like to grow up in an immigrant community in Williamsburg around the turn of the century. These ensure that you really feel connected to Francie’s family and neighborhood by the time the proper story gets going in the second part.

I wonder why this wasn’t a part of my high school English curriculum: the book has a lot to say about everything from childhood and motherhood to the American Dream. I’m happy I picked it up, I enjoyed this more than I expected to!