A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This book was on the classics shelf at Bismarck's used bookstore. I had heard of it, and the cover accolades confirmed that it was a classic. A hefty paperback at close to 500 pages, I let it sit around awhile before I took it on.

And the beginning was rough. While well-written, I enjoy books that take me away to a pleasant place. This book's beginning did not. Set in pre-World War I Brooklyn, Francie is a young girl making her way through poverty and deprivation with her family. The vignettes of taking scraps to the junkyard for a penny and saving it in a bank nailed down in the closet were vivid and real. I'm pretty sure the author grew up living much of these conditions. They are sobering. For a bright young girl to be hungry and cold yet be brave and forceful was inspiring.

There were many lessons here... Unconditional love for her alcoholic father who understood her in a way her mother did not... Listening to her own inner voice when her teacher told her her stories were sordid...Her growing understanding and respect for her mother...Her mother's honesty...and refusal to take charity. I wondered about this family in today's social setting. Would they be on welfare? Are there mothers like this anymore? Great that she didn't want to accept help, but would having her children be fed not be better? And maybe it was the struggle that made her children ultimately successful and resilient. I wondered about the illiteracy in the family...and how Francie overcame it. How her mother relied on her mother's wisdom to read a page of the Bible and a page of Shakespeare every day so her children would be educated. So much here that was wise and so much that was heart-breaking.

I also liked how the author didn't hit us over the head with her own answers. She just relates her story with amazing clarity and vividness and lets the reader draw my own conclusions. I like the openness of that approach. It was also a peek into a world I know little about, in a time and place in America that I know little about. I feel like there were hardships there and then that forged courageous people who had to rely on each other to survive. Not all were admirable. Some gave up, some turned to crime. But this family survived and I grew in my respect for each member of the family as the story went on in time.

A truly inspiring and wonderful book, if you like real characters (I do!) with real problems. I liked understanding Francie's thinking, too, and could relate to each stage of her life. Though our worlds are very different, the author caught authentic female angst and pluck that was true.

Another note...this was a white family. Race didn't seem to enter into this narrative at all. I wonder why... Was Brooklyn all white? Immigration from "the old country" ie, Ireland, Germany, Austria was a thread throughout, but race was never an issue. Perhaps in that time the racial world was very separate. Although it's interesting to me that this never came up on the streets or in public transportation or in school...maybe it was a white world there then...???

One final note...it's books like these that are so meaty and inspiring that make me NOT want to waste my time on more vapid reading like I've been doing lately. I need a good source of good lit! Maybe I need to browse the classics more often!

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley

Woohoo! Another delightful detective novel featuring twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce. This one is set alongside the River Thames, as the girls and Dogger are on holiday. It could be that it's been so long since I've read one of these that I've forgotten, but I think this one is funnier than any of the others. I used an orange highlighter to capture a few of my favorite lines, and I had to use it a LOT! I also liked how Flavia and her sisters seem to be getting along a little better. Daffy and Flavia actually collaborate in this story, which would have been unheard of before. Also, Dogger is becoming more central to the story. I heartily enjoyed every page of this one, and even paused to look up the art work the author referred to. It made it even more interesting. I'm amazed at the author's knowledge of poisons, chemistry, the Book of Common Prayer and all things Church of England; there are also many Catholic and biblical references that are fascinating. This book was the perfect escape on a very cold and snowy Bismarck day!

Here are some of my highlights:

"That was the great thing about Dogger: He could follow my train of thought as easily as if he owned the railway."

"The humble paper clip, in certain circumstances, can be of more practical use than a magic want."

"I'll bet there have been more truths told over an open coffin than in all the confession boxes in Christendom."

"The vicar stared at him as blankly as if he were one of Einstein's equations on a blackboard."

"She was coolly judging her effect upon our widening eyes, making us her mirror."

"I was rifling through Revelation when I had one. A revelation, I mean."

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

This intriguing title promised an interesting read. It did not deliver. There were too many characters in the book club and I never did get a handle on them. I was always confused about who was whom. And the occasional critique or discussion of Austen was pretty obscure. Still, some of the writing and characterization was enjoyable and well done. Not well done enough to read again or to especially recommend, though. These characters meet over the course of the year and a broken marriage comes back together. One part I enjoyed, though, was the way the author would describe the characters' individual pasts...they were often funny and colorful, especially the only male member of the book club, Grigg. He had a fascinating relationship with his sisters, and this was enjoyable to read.

Occasionally an interesting northern California place would be mentioned and that would enliven my interest. It was minimal, however. I almost didn't finish this, and now I'm a little sorry that I wasted my time. When I'm browsing a used bookstore, I need to get on Amazon and read some reviews before I put my money on the table! Life is too short to read a ho hum book. I've been doing that too often lately! Time to get on to something good and meaty!!!! Or light and fun????