Amazon.com
Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was first published over 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humor and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
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.
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E-Book Extra: Self-Reliance: A Reading Group Guide
Named by the New York Public Library as "one of the books of the century," A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan -- and her erratic, eccentric family -- in the turn-of-the-century Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn. Originally published in 1943, this true American classic has sold millions of copies worldwide, and includes a foreword by Anna Quindlen.
Customer Reviews:
Lessons in Life.......2007-09-27
This is the kind of book where there is no interwoven complex plot - just life, death, marriage, sacrifice and lessons learned. It's these simple writings that sometimes touch us the most and are the most thought-provoking. A girls life from childhood into womanhood, and all the dreams and devastations in between... Excellent.
Great book.......2007-09-24
This is one of the best books I have ever read...it has a great plot and a great setting too. Once I started reading it, i couldn't stop. The characters and problems they face seem so real! I recommend this book for people 13 and up because It does have minor "things" in it. BEST BOOK EVER!
Inspiring & Touching book.......2007-09-20
I'm so glad that I decided to read this book. I'd initially purchased it because it was on sale (and I really needed something new to read). Nonetheless, this book has become one of my, if not all time, favorite novels. The characters and situations are so real, and I'm a firm believer that ANYONE (male or female, young or old) can somehow relate to Francie Nolan. In this day and age where the youth seldomly read and are exposed to terrible mediums of entertainment (reality tv--Paris Hilton??) we need books such as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It's so genuine and full of spirit and heart, despite the characters' dismal situations. This book has the ability to inspire readers to live their lives with integrity and to persevere--especially in seemingly hopeless situations.
A Tree Grows..........2007-09-20
Like before...I am pleased to say your product was sent in a timely fashion and in very good condition. Good job...keep it up!
The Best Book Ever.......2007-08-30
This book was required reading by a Jewish teacher in my 8th grade English class, in Brooklyn. Being a know-it-all Black girl from Brooklyn, I never wanted to read it because I thought I knew it all. Fast forward 10+ years and I finally read the book as a semi-adult. Fast forward 10+ more years and I read it AT LEAST twice a year. This is, in my opinion, the best book for any young woman to read, EVER. It made me read everything else that Betty Smith wrote. It makes me check my local library's supply to make sure they have adequate copies for other young (or older, wiser) girls to read. I have searched and found a 1st printing of the book and I hold it more dearly that my most profound treasure. I would suggest this book to anyone that can read. It will surely teach you something about love, sacrifice and the complexity of the human heart. It is full of romantic love, child-parent love, hopes, dreams, fears, innocence, everything! I recently purchased the movie and I've watched it at least 15 times already. This is a really good book. Oprah thinks so too; she lists it as one of the few books that changed her life. I wholeheartedly agree.
Average customer rating:
- Improved as it went along
- Wow
- terrific tale
- Another hard-to-put-down-book by Holly Kennedy
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The Penny Tree (Nal Accent Novels)
Holly Kennedy
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
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Back on Blossom Street (The Knitting Books #3)
ASIN: 0451220552 |
Book Description
Single mom Annie Hillman has been coping with trouble for so long, she's just getting through the days, when the local newspaper carries an ad featuring a picture of a young Annie on the front page, with an earnest message of love and regret from an unknown admirer. The paper's editor refuses to name names, but the ads continue to appear. And when the story breaks, Annie finds herself in the national spotlight.
Now, for the first time in years, Annie is beginning to see that joy might be possible even in the midst of hard times-and that the life she's led, along with the people she's loved, might still show her the way.
Customer Reviews:
Improved as it went along.......2007-07-20
I picked this book up on impulse, getting ready to leave on vacation, and didn't know what to expect. The first chapter or two made me wonder if this was going to be another 'woman as victim' story.
Well, it wasn't. Annie's woes recede a bit (or at least take some interesting turns) as she gradually solves one problem after another - not always with the first try, but eventually. I loved seeing her relationship with her sons evolve. (I've owned several 13-year-olds - her characterizations were dead on.) Annie also makes some very much needed realizations about her own character and the way we all rewrite part of our history.
I was very moved by a scene between mother and daughter near the end of the book. It brought up tears (I laughed, I cried, I spilt cranberry juice on the pages....)
There are some clunkily-introduced back story episodes, but overall, the book was very enjoyable and a real pleasure after so many shallow chick-lit or weepy women's woes, we-hate-men novels. The humorous bits were laugh-aloud quality (oh! the attempts to bond with her sons!!!). I'll definitely look for her other work and I'll recommend this book to my sisters.
If you enjoy Jodi Piccault but want something just a little more upbeat, this would be a good book for you.
Wow.......2007-05-06
I cried just hearing the story line of this book. You will love it. I'll bet you a box of kleenex on it!
terrific tale.......2007-04-05
Seattle couple Jack and Annie Hillman are getting divorced. Annie returns to her hometown of Eagan's Point, Washington accompanied by their sons thirteen year old Luke, who wants to remain with his dad, and eleven years old Eric, recovering from a nasty long illness. Annie worries about finances as Eric's malady has led to exorbitant medical bills. Feeling desperate she takes a temporary office job at a funeral home. Her only relief from her fears and tribulations is thinking about THE PENNY TREE where her dad once nailed a 1969 penny when she was twelve years old and the world awaited her appearance.
However, suddenly a secret admirer begins taking out ads in a local paper which include pictures of a young Annie and a vivid description of her likes and dislikes. As she struggles with Luke's anger and Eric's recovery, Annie ponders who knows her so well and why he regrets his errors.
Annie is a terrific lead character struggling with money issues and being a single mom to two boys with different needs. The secret admirer ironically is obvious to the audience long before Annie learns his identity as she wonders who in Eagen's Point is the one from her past. Though the support cast is reasonably solid, THE PENNY TREE belongs to Annie who learns lessons about the value of five cents.
Harriet Klausner
Another hard-to-put-down-book by Holly Kennedy.......2007-04-04
I have been anxiously awaiting Holly's second book. What a great read and a terrific premise!
The characterization is so well rendered (I loved the mother!) and anyone who has had teenage boys will see the authenticity in Holly's portrayal.
The ending is well worth the box of tissue used!
Highly recommended!
Book Description
Rebecca Monroe is terrified of turning into her mother.
On the day Lady Diana married Prince Charles, Rebecca's mother locked herself in the bathroom of 24 Beech Drive and never came out. Was it because the holiday dinner didn't turn out just right? Because Rebecca's grandmother married her first cousin? Or was she simply, unalterably unhappy? According to Rebecca's scientist husband, our genes control our fate, but Rebecca isn't so sure. Leaving everything to science allows little room for the events that shape our lives.
Looking for clues in a family history filled with three generations of mistaken marriages, dubiously fathered children, and hand-me-down sayings, Rebecca discovers she is just one piece of a family history that is still unraveling—and she wonders if events of the past are destined to repeat themselves in her own child's future.
The intertwining relationships of mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and husbands and wives go to the heart of The Family Tree as it transcends the story of one woman and her family to become an indelible and resonant novel in which author Carole Cadwalladr ponders what truly makes us who we are.
Customer Reviews:
wanted to like it more.......2007-05-17
I read all the reviews and I wanted it to be better, more enjoyable. I really forced myself to finish it. If I had checked it out of the library, I may have not even gotten past the first 50 pages. But I bought it since it was so critically praised and sounded like a book I would like. Sorry, I wanted to care about these people. I wanted to be shocked about what was really going on. But I just never really cared about any of the characters. I never really cared how the relationships worked out. I'd have to give it a C minus, but, hey - what do I know!
Loved it!.......2007-04-29
It's really refreshing to read a book where the story is interesting, the characters are fully developed and both the writing style is fun and quirky. The book weaves a story of a multigenerational family and the struggles they face. But it's fun and funny! The narrator and main character is a kick-in-the-pants in such an innocent yet insightful way. You'll relate to her and recall your own childhood. I loved the layout of the book too. There are funny little diagrams, footnotes and dictionary descriptions that are a breath of fresh air and made the reading really fun.
Moving, deep, encouraging and brave. Thumbs up!.......2007-02-19
A deeply moving story of love and family with real and flawed characters that made me want to cry and call my loved ones to say "I love you".
This is a fantastically written novel with powerfully crafted characters that play an extraordinary role in this coming of age family story where the power of genetics can explain many things, yet not all, for we are more than DNA, or at least the latter is what I so strongly want to believe.
A remarkable novel with real life people and tragic events that will make you want to weep.
Superb. I absolutely recommend it.
Intriguing but depressing.......2006-08-14
This book was suspenseful and kept you interesting in learning more about the family and its checkered past. I have to say I hated the main character - you wanted to give her a swift kick in the [...]! I thought the author had an interesting writing style and would look at other books by her in the future.
Enjoyed it, but just ok.......2006-05-12
I found myself staying up to read this, as I kept hoping for a big interesting plot twist. Unfortunately I found it to be very predictable. Still, it's not a bad book, but was just ok for me.
Amazon.com
Juniper Tree Burning is the name Ray and Faith Davis give their infant girl when she's already several months old. Juniper Tree Burning is also the name of Goldberry M. Long's debut, a novel full of images so luminous they have the force and presence of characters: cracked adobe walls, spiders, pianos, overripe apricots, ferns. Looking back, the eponymous narrator concludes that the fierce cry her parents took for assent to her new name was actually a scream of protest: "Out there on the mesa, dazzled by sun and bright sky, they give their daughter the name she tells them she was born for: Juniper Tree Burning. But this is not my name, and this is not my story."
Everything about the name is a mistake from the start. Even the tree her parents intended to celebrate--one that reminds them of the burning bush in the Bible--turns out to be no juniper at all, but a piñon pine. Later, young Juniper rechristens herself in secret: she chooses Jennifer Davis, a normal name for a normal girl. Jennie becomes the strong, fearless woman, the one who shoots pool and manipulates men, who puts herself through school and is going to become a doctor. But always, inside, she's haunted by Juniper the hippie kid, the one who wears clothes from the free box behind the co-op and suffers under the social burden of head lice and an outdoor toilet.
When Jennie's brother Sunny Boy Blue ends his life in the waters of Puget Sound, her precarious grip on normality crumbles. She flees her saintly husband, Chris, kidnaps her best friend, Sarah, and sets out in a junker Ford truck to re-create her sibling's last days--and her own family's flight from the Northwest to New Mexico. Long intersperses this quixotic journey with long, dreamlike scenes from the protagonist's childhood, and in many ways, it's hard not to prefer the latter. The grown-up Jennie is one tough, angry cookie, and she defies our sympathy as stubbornly as Chris's love. But Juniper Tree Burning is not just a book about growing up the child of hippies; it's a book about growing up the child of anyone who meant to do well and didn't. Jennie's story will resonate with anyone who's yearned to run away from an old self and found it trailing behind them--infuriating, embarrassing, infantile, cruel. --Chloe Byrne
Book Description
Juniper Tree Burning hates her name. It represents everything she despises about her life: her "hippie" mother, Faith, who lives by healing herbs and horoscopes; her father, Ray, a cursing, abusive guitar-playing storyteller; her sick little brother, Sunny, whom she alternately mothers and resents; and the poverty of her isolated New Mexico town. Juniper flees them all, to private school in New England, to turn herself into someone new: Jennie. She raises herself to be strong and smart: a medical student who hustles a little pool on the side, an obsessive runner, and a self-proclaimed Ugly Chick With Attitude. Then, one night the Seattle Police call. Her brother, Sunny, has leaped off a ferry and killed himself. And so begins the biggest journey of her life. As Jennie retraces the steps of her brother, the same path traveled by generations of her family, she confronts the stories they have woven, the tapestry of the lives they have built on the coasts and deserts of the West and comes to terms with her past, her present, and her future.
Customer Reviews:
"A New Mexico Time Capsule Fairy Tale" .......2007-08-13
I purchased this book when it was released and toted it through many moves cross country until I finally read it and realized in it I possessed a hidden treasure.
Goldberry Long captures and distills a vivid heart rending human drama that oozes with the most impeccable sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feels of northern New Mexico. It is an odyssey for the emotions and the senses. It is a human tale of family, identity, longing, and the struggle to make peace with the past and allow it to bless one's present.
Even in the novel's prodigious length I found myself yearning for more of the rest of the story and always felt Goldberry Long was not sharing all she knew. Reading another review I was relieved to learn the published novel is but only part of Long's original manuscript.
Odd as it seems, for this lover of New Mexico, Juniper Tree Burning has become enmeshed in part of who I am. I have internalized her and she lives and breathes within my imagination, emotions and longings as does only a treasured friend.
One of my favorites.......2006-08-19
This is a great story, with a wonderful play with words. It is truely magical reading, and I highly recommend it to any one that loves a good story!
Beautiful, Profound and Heart Wrenching.......2005-10-25
As I began writing my next novel, Goldberry Long inspired me to discover a clear voice for my main character. She cleverly wrote a novel that felt like a fabulous and poignant poem. The flow was rhythmic and soothing. The pain is passionate and gut wrenching, and you want so badly to help Jennie overcome her fears. I fell in love with Sunny and had hoped against all hope that Jennie's own wish of his survival were true. I ached for the resolution of their relationship. Jennie is tough as nails and not easily likeable as a person. But you find yourself being dragged along in her pity party and self destruction. Although this book is heavy and dark, it is one of the best books I've read.
Read this book until the end, you'll be pleasantly surprised.......2004-03-24
I saw the main characters personality split in two, love the good side ("Jennie") but hate the cold hearted adult ("Juniper"); she is unlikable but its the typical "love to hate the bad guy" At the same time I could relate to the child "Juniper" feeling very sorry for her and understanding why she turned out to be a cold hearted adult. However she was not the only focus, all the other characters, small and large, were also great mix, complementing her and making her a great villain.
As time goes on you will understand that just like "Juniper" we all have our personality flaws and we must try to correct them to become a better person. "Juniper" does things with out really thinking about how/who it will hurt and not looking at the future consequences they may have, but don't we all? I highly recommend this book if you read a chapter or so a day. At times it is tedious and long. I might have refused to finish it, which would have been a shame. If you take your time with this book, you will laugh and cry. Sticking till the end (even if it is reading it an hour a day) will leave you pleasantly surprised.
Tough Going.......2003-03-16
I'm currently reading this novel and finding it very loooong. This is possibly because the main character is so angry and so obnoxious that it's very hard to sympathize or even care what happens to her. In fact, I don't really like any of the characters at this point. I understand what the author is trying to do, and I think she writes really well, but I have read other novels that do this a lot better and more lovingly or at least objectively. I'm considering whether or not to finish the novel.
Average customer rating:
- The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez
- The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez
- The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez
- Totally Awesome by Heather
- Muy Bien!!A Must-Read for all young people!!
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The Jumping Tree: A Novel
Rene Jr Saldana
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0385327250
Release Date: 2001-05-08 |
Book Description
These lively stories follow Rey Castaneda from sixth through eighth grade in Nuevo Penitas, Texas. One side of Rey's family lives nearby in Mexico, the other half in Texas, and Rey fits in on both sides of the border. In Nuevo Penitas, he enjoys fooling around with his pals in the barrio; at school, he's one of the "A list" kids.
As Rey begins to cross the border from childhood into manhood, he turns from jokes and games to sense the meaning of work, love, poverty, and grief, and what it means to be a proud Chicano-moments that sometimes propel him to show feelings un hombre should never express. It's a new territory where Rey longs to follow the example his hardworking, loving father has set for him.
Customer Reviews:
The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez.......2006-03-08
This book was extremly goopd for me because it gives a message about how we should look on the things you have and not be
The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez.......2006-03-08
This book was extremly goopd for me because it gives a message about how we should look on the things you have and not be
The Book for You by Fabian Nevarez.......2006-03-08
This book was extremly goopd for me because it gives a message about how we should look on the things you have and not be trying to show off to other people that you can drink. Also, that you should not be fightin in front of the children, you should only back away from the problem. For example when your brother offerse you to drink, if you don't dring anymore (which is good) you should just say no and walk away with your family back home even if it was yoor brother. Another thing that ilearned from this book is that
Totally Awesome by Heather.......2003-02-04
I absolutely loved the book! I felt, even though Rey and I are really different, the author shapes the character so that anybody can relate to him. I enjoyed reading as he struggled to field right and wrong, which everyone does from time to time. And especially the personal things, like his Tio Angel dying, I can totally relate what Rey went through. His defined writing makes Rey almost real. I have had to set the book down and remember that Rey is a character in a story. It is that good.
Muy Bien!!A Must-Read for all young people!!.......2002-05-03
Rene Saldana's young adult novel, The Jumping Tree, is perfectly crafted to broaden your view of the youth of today. I have read it twice now and am still inspired by his stories of Chicano youth and the common (and often hilarious) misadventures that we all experience as we grow into young men & women. I especially love the frequent use (almost every page)of the spanish language in dialogue and descriptions...it's a bonus pleasure to learn another language while reading of Rey's growing pains! In short, it's like Harry Potter...but in Texas..and the magic is the only real kind: Human love!
Book Description
ll is not well in Denise and Edward Morrison's marriage. For years Denise has wanted to open her own design business, but her dreams have always taken a back seat to her family and her husband. And Edward-wonderful man that he is-has always believed that it was a man's total responsibility to take care of his family. A man who loves his wife as much as he does, makes sure that she wants for nothing outside of their home. So Denise informs Edward that she's leaving him in order to pursue her dream, and she's dropping the bomb when the children come home for the holidays. But when their children arrive, chaos ensues. Apparently, their well-adjusted children's lives are falling apart, and now the Morrisons must band together as a family. And as Denise and Edward stand together, Edward realizes the importance of his wife's dreams and Denise rediscovers all the things that were oh-so-right between them. In the end, the Morrison family will be rockin' around that Christmas tree.
Customer Reviews:
"A Great Read".......2006-10-08
I read this novel in 2 days because I couldn't put it down. I liked the storyline and the characters were exceptional especially, you guessed it, Uncle Eddie and Aunt Etta (LOL).
Don't wait for Christmas to read.......2005-07-10
I was bored with television and wanted something to read so I went to the library and they were having a sell on paperback books. I guess I was in the mood to read something cheery. I'm glad I read this. It was entertaining and I can't see how anyone would not like this book. I loved the hard working husband especially. His wife was foolish and blessed that he didn't leave her after her childish games.
A woman has to make decisions too:.......2004-07-16
Denise stayed in her place for a long time. Edward was a good husband, but was in too much control. Denise new it was time to start living for herself. So even though it was hard to lock Edward out of the bedroom, she knew she had to get her point across. She was good at sewing and she enjoyed it, so she should be able to do something she liked, especially since the kids were grown up. It took Edward awhile to realize what he had been doing and it was time for a change.
This was an excellent novel for anyone who likes a litte romance mixed with some high spirited minds.
A woman should have outside interests and not be limited to just the everyday chores of the home and the kids.
It was a short novel but still kept me interested.
Nice going on this one Francis Ray.
PERFECT HOLIDAY READ!!.......2003-12-31
If you're looking for a quick, fun, light-hearted holiday tale look no further. Meet the "perfect" Morrison family--wonderful marriage of more than 20 years, two wonderful children who are embarking on successful lives of their own, and Denise and Ed. Ed is a successful entrepeneur, who has provided his family with the house of their dreams and everything they could ever want. Denise is the lady of the house, the happy homemaker--or is she? Suddenly Denise has found herself feeling unhappy and unfulfilled. The very qualities that Denise once found so endearing in her husband suddenly seem stifling and controlling. And to think, he has forbidden her to begin sewing for others for money--HIS wife will not "take in" sewing from strangers. Infuriated, Denise is determined to make her family, especially her husband, see her as something other than a cook and a maid. She puts a plan together to make her husband appreciate her, and stop taking her for granted--and the fun begins! Add confused children, befuddled husband, and a nutty aunt and uncle who insist on giving the beleagured couple marriage advice, and you have a fun holiday tale full of love, a smattering of drama, good sound relationship advice, and of course happy endings. What a gift from two literary divas!!
DYB
Glad It was only 152 pages!.......2003-12-20
Rockin' Around That Christmas Tree, a joint effort by Donna Hill and Francis Ray, started off very promising. Denise, a lady who's been married for 27 years, has decided that her husband will no longer walk all over her and run everything while she sits back and lets him. This premise was setup very well by page 50. The problem is, the remaining 100+ pages did NOTHING to advance the story. This 152 page book felt like 352 pages because it repeated itself over and over again. Also, why is it that every husband in this story "needed to be taught a lesson" with the exception of Edward's uncle? Why couldn't there be one husband who didn't feel appreciated by his wife? I'm sorry, but this "Waiting To Exhale Lite" just didn't do it for me.
Average customer rating:
- Superb Work of Literature
- A rare collection of abuse and strength
- A superb collection of women's experiences of battering!
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WOMEN IN THE TREES PA
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
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Between Mothers and Daughters : Stories Across a Generation (The Women's Stories Project) (The Women's Stories Project)
ASIN: 0807067776 |
Customer Reviews:
Superb Work of Literature.......2000-12-04
I found this book some years back while I was wandering through a bookstore and I was immediately drawn to it. As a Women's Studies major, I have always been interested in fictional representations of domestic violence and this book was just what I had always been looking for. It is actually one of the resources I have drawn on for my senior thesis and I cannot recommend it enough. My copy is a little worse for wear because I enjoy sharing it with every woman and man I know. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how the representations of violence against women have and have not changed in our mother's and grandmother's lifetimes.
A rare collection of abuse and strength.......1999-10-14
Susan Koppelman has created a marvelous and inspiring collection of women's stories about abuse and resistance.
Before each story. she includes a quote to elucidate the following piece. My favorite: "Some abusive people are adept at picking out a trait that a woman is most pleased about and using it against her...When an abused woman begins to doubt that she has that one special trait she has always felt secure about, the rest of her self-concept is quickly called into question." This quote, as well as many others, provide answers to the smug and uneducated who question how this could happen, and who might be the victims of cruelty and violence, both physical and emotional.
Koppelman has, through this varied collection, clearly shown us that there's no common profile of an abused woman. We could all be.
This book is a must read for everyone!
A superb collection of women's experiences of battering!.......1999-08-07
This extraordinary collection of fine women's stories collected and introduced by Susan Koppelman informs and reminds us of the widespread battering of women for over a century. And in the introductory notes prior to each story, Dr. Koppelman gives the reader extra information about the author and often about the times and conditions surrounding the depiction of abuse the woman, or women, suffer in each story. Still, every story left me feeling uplifted and proud to be a woman. What I found in these stories, over and over, is how little present day assumptions of entitlement held by abusive and battering men has changed! Batterers, then and now, assume they have the right to mistreat a woman or women as they do because they assume they are inherently superior and that they are preordained to do whatever they deem necessary to control and dominate women. These stories, however, tell us far more then the usual clinical 'case histories' of women victimized by men. These stories tell of courage, ingenuity and an almost super-human strength of spirit although some stories do tell of the eventual death of the battered women. As a woman, myself, who has found her own freedom from overbearing, abusive and cruel men...I am grateful to Dr. Koppelman for giving me and other women the collection of gems she has brought together in "Women in the Trees"! Other collections gathered together in other books edited by Susan Koppelman and introduced by her are equally remarkable and nurture the feminine spirit! I highly recommend "Women in the Trees" as well as her other books.
Average customer rating:
- An Interesting but Forced Voice
- sensitive and symbolic "Our Father" explores father's death
- this book art boring
- An unusual look at grief
- A FAMILY DEALS WITH GRIEF
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Our Father Who Art in a Tree: A Novel
Judy Pascoe
Manufacturer: Random House
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 037550799X
Release Date: 2003-02-04 |
Book Description
“It was simple for me, the saints were in heaven and guardian angels had extendable wings like Batman and my dad had died and gone to live in the tree in the backyard.” So begins this richly metaphorical, deeply affecting novel about a family, and how loss and grief can be moved through and overcome.
In a voice reminiscent of Scout Finch, the narrator of
To Kill a Mockingbird, Simone observes with candor and fresh insight the ways in which her mother, brothers, neighbors, and community deal with the death of her father. While her mother stares blankly into space, functioning only on the most basic level, and her older brother buries himself in schoolwork, Simone conceives the idea that her father’s spirit lives in the tree in the backyard. She can go out there, climb up and sit in the tree’s branches, and listen as her father talks to her. It is only when Simone’s mother takes on a suitor that a confrontation is forced between the power of the past and the hope of new life in the future.
Rich in understanding about the power of love, the spirit, and belief, imbued with unexpected truths about people’s deep levels of connection and feeling, and written in prose that combines lyricism with rare humor and insight,
Our Father Who Art in a Tree is a wonderful debut novel that deals in a profound and unusual way with some of the eternal themes in fiction, and in life.
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting but Forced Voice.......2005-01-10
I was intrigued by the description on the back cover of "Our Father Who Art in a Tree", as well as by the title. Judy Pascoe's debut novel is a southern tale of loss and love - the main characters learn how to cope wth their grief in different ways and learn how to move on after the tragedy that afflicts their life. Pascoe uses the ten-year-old Simone as her narrator - who can only speak for her actions through a child's perspective.
After her father's death, ten-year-old Simone is convinced that her father's spirit resides in the tree in the backyard. By climbing the tree, she can converse with her father. She is delighted with her find, and tells her mother as their own little secret. Her mother takes to talking to her deceased husband, but his presence is keeping her from moving on. Simone relates the events - some down-to-earth, some fantastically unbelievable - that occur throughout the year after her father's death.
Pascoe has infused Simone with a powerful voice. While only ten, she bears witness to much and at times comes across as an adult. However, it is this very distinction that causes Pascoe's voice to seem forced - at times she tries too hard to capture the innocence and burgeoning experiences of a ten-year-old. The reader must also suspend disbelief at the story's end, when a catastrophe of biblical proportions wreaks havoc on the family's life. However, the novel ends with the growing perspective of Simone as she ages and looks back on the events that unfolded when she was ten-years-old. "Our Father Who Art in a Tree" is an overall interesting and enjoyable read.
sensitive and symbolic "Our Father" explores father's death .......2004-09-30
In ways wise, sensitive and true, Australian author Judy Pascoe explores the impact of a father's premature death on a family in her elegant debut novel, "Our Father Who Art in a Tree." Perceived through the eyes of ten-year-old Simone O'Neill, the process of mourning and rededication to life is invested with imagination, determination and hope. Pascoe's characters not only wrestle with loss; they struggle with legacy, despair and abandonment. It is Simone's vision and voice that elevate the themes and energize the narrative.
Simone's discovery of her deceased father's presence in a huge, untamed tree adjacent to her house both astonishes and empowers her. Against her instincts, she shares this startling discovery with her mother, who instead of mocking her child's epiphany investigates it. As Simone's mother communes with her departed spouse, the child battles against feelings of betrayal, jealousy and anger. Simone describes her mother's grief as "a monologue she could unload onto anyone" while the children paradoxically suffer from the mother's "broken dam of grief," preferring to express itself in "explosive arguments."
It is the tree that gains symbolic presence, serving not only as the spiritual home of her father but as an ever-present reminder that death is not final, that Simone's father can refract and distort events. Soon after Simone's mother decides to reacquaint herself romantically with another man, a large branch of the tree crashes through the bedroom window. The appearance of a tree branch in her mother's bed elicits Simone's initial awareness that sex and loss embrace her mother. This abrupt, shocking realization angers Simone, and "this thing called sex...that had to do with beds and men and women..." empowers her father "to assert his claim over my mother" in a "touching" fashion.
The triumph of "Our Father" is the author's belief in the capacity of the heart to heal itself. Rarely does a child protagonist possess such reflective abilities, and Simone's ability to discern differing means of mourning (her older brother's self-induced exile behind books, her mother's willingness to allow the house to decline, her own need for imagination) permits her to not only respect distinct patterns of sadness but to learn from them. As the novel builds in tension and the family faces a physical crisis laden with psychological consequences, Simone grows in self-awareness, tolerance and hope.
Not only does "Our Father Who Art in a Tree" feature a powerful narrative, a stunning climax and a convincing denouement, it does so through an unpretentious voice, one that is at once authentic and compassionate. Judy Pascoe's investigation of the legacy of loss, its enduring scars and its resultant healing, provides hope...for those who have not only suffered the ravages of death but for those who may have abandoned hope in life.
this book art boring.......2004-04-16
What a great concept! What a lame book!
I thought this was going to be a fun read. It starts off great, with the spirit of the deceased father hanging out in a tree- communicating to the family, but it just doesn't really go anywhere from there.
It's all about the tree & what could be a fruitful (pun intended) plot point just falls dull.
Coming of age? barely. Dealing with death? not in the interesting way it could have been. Lots of books out there to read? yes. Should this be one of them? Not unless you've never read a book about a child whose parent dies, and you can't find anything better.
Skip it.
An unusual look at grief.......2004-01-16
I picked up "Our Father Who Art in a Tree" for its clever and catchy title, but read it for its interesting themes about love, loss, and hope. Narrated by Simone, who was ten when her father died, this short debut novel concerns her family's efforts to accept and cope with her father's death. When Simone hears her dead father's voice calling from the backyard poinciana tree, she climbs the tree to talk with him. When her mother finds out, she also climbs the tree to converse with her late husband. But soon the tree, and with it Simone's father's memory, turn into an obsession that threatens to destroy the emotionally fragile family and their home.
Author Judy Pascoe provides an interesting look at the effect of a parent's death on the family, but at times she exaggerates those effects to make a point. The tree assumes metaphorical proportions as it tries to prevent Simone's mother from having a relationship with another man and threatens the house they live in with its encroaching branches and roots. The story does hit home with its analysis of the complications of the death of a loved one, including anger at the father's abandonment and the children's fear that a suitor will replace the father and usurp the mother's affection.
Written in simple yet lyrical prose, the story has humor interspersed at odd moments to offset the emotional peaks. It infuses the action with a bit of magic while portraying the various ways people handle and overcome grief. I recommend it for its novel approach to a melancholy topic.
A FAMILY DEALS WITH GRIEF.......2003-06-23
This story of a family attempting to deal with the natural grief they feel at the death of the husband/father is a touching one, and poignantly told by Pascoe's ten year-old narrator Simone. The author manages to capture the voice of the girl very well - an all-important factor when utilizing such a young narrator - and the ways in which the various surviving family members deal with their loss ring very true. Naturally, they run the gamut from shock to bottomless sadness to anger - and everything in between.
Simone has the emotions of three brothers - one younger, two older - as well as her mother's on her hands, not to mention her own. Neighbors and extended family members all have their two cents' worth to contribute to the situation as well. When Simone climbs the huge tree in the family's yard and hears the voice of her recently departed dad speaking to her - and answering her - things begin to get a little out of hand. Her mom soon discovers Simone's secret, and channels her grief into the tree as well - her brothers are a bit more skeptical about the whole business. It's when the neighbors find out what's going on that the family's difficulties begin to be the center of attention for outsiders - deep grief is hard enough to deal with within a family, and when a whole gaggle of neighborhood busybodies decide that Simone's mum has gone off her nut, they set out to intervene. Add to all of this the fact that the roots of the tree are beginning to do serious damage to the house itself, and the mixture becomes even more volatile. Pressures mount on Simone's mom to have the tree cut down before the house is destroyed - but she clings to it as much as Simone, for some of the same reasons as well as some of her own.
This is Pascoe's first novel - she also works as a stand-up comedienne (and, I believe, in theatre) - and it's a fine effort. There are passages full of great sensitivity and insight, and there's a liberal sprinkling of humor as well - which never, thankfully, becomes the dominant mood of the book. As humorous as several of the scenes might be, the author never strays far from the heart of the matter - that grief is a natural reaction to a loss such as this family has experienced, and that it is a universal trial. Each of us must find our own best way of dealing with it. This book is a very entertaining and insightful read for readers of any age - and I can imagine that it might be extremely helpful for a young person (say between 10-17) who is struggling to deal with the trauma of grief for the first time.
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating glimpse into Mexican Jewish life.......2001-04-12
"The Family Tree," by Margo Glantz, is a wonderful book by a Jewish writer of Mexico. Although the jacket of the book describes "Family Tree" as a "novel," the book in fact seems to incorporate elements of family history, ethnic history, and autobiography. It is primarily written in the form of a conversation between the author/narrator and her parents, a Jewish couple who emigrated from the Ukraine to Mexico. The book has been translated into a very readable English by Susan Bassnett, and contains many delightful family photographs.
"The Family Tree" offers the reader a fascinating window into the lives of the Jewish immigrant community in Mexico. Glantz includes many fascinating anecdotes, such as being treated for head lice as a child, or being temporarily "converted" to Christianity by her neighbors. Her parents also recall the threat of anti-Semitic violence in both Europe and Mexico. Also, the book is peppered with interesting pop culture references: Flash Gordon, Greta Garbo, King Kong, Don Ameche, etc.
I was most fascinated, however, by the parents' recollections of the Yiddish literary and theater scene in Mexico. These portions of the book underscore the importance of Yiddish as a Jewish cultural language. Overall, "The Family Tree" is a wonderful book, rich in tragedy, humor, and history.
Book Description
Olive Ann Burns’s enormously popular bestseller has warmed the hearts of readers since its original publication by Houghton Mifflin in 1984. Now Houghton celebrates its return to our house with a gorgeous new paperback edition. Set in the fictional town of Cold Sassy, Georgia, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Burns’s novel centers on the charming fourteen-year-old Will Tweedy. When Grandpa E. Rucker Blakeslee decides to marry the young Miss Love Simpson a mere three weeks after his wife—Will’s grandmother—has died, he inspires a whirlwind of local gossip. Young Will suddenly finds himself eyewitness to a family scandal, which he gracefully humors and endures; meanwhile, he has his own growing to do and mischief to find. Brimming with hilarious episodes, delightful observations, and colorful characters who are both unimpeachably pious and deliciously irreverent, Cold Sassy Tree is a book to be reread and treasured.
Customer Reviews:
In a Town This Size.......2007-10-06
This book was on my daughter's summer reading list for ninth grade. It's the story of life in small Cold Sassy, Georgia in the early 20th century, told through the eyes of a young boy whose grandfather marries the milliner from his general store just days after his wife of many years dies. Burns wrote this book, based on the memories of her grandfather, when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease in middle age. She finished it and part of the followup Leaving Cold Sassy before she died.
Looking back, the story had a lot in common with one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof (Special Edition), except that it's the older generation that tries to break with tradition. Grandson Will Tweedy, whose grandfather always addresses by both names, represents the future of Cold Sassy and other small towns--torn between the comfort and support of tradition and the promises of happiness and progress based on new ways of thought. Personally, I'm happy to live in a world where everyone's just a little more detached from their neighbor's business than were the people of Cold Sassy. On his duets album In Spite Of Ourselves, John Prine and Dolores Kane sang a duet about the situation, "In a Town This Size"--"In a town this size/There is no place to hide. . ." Ironically, the Internet is taking us back in time, but on a larger scale, where everyone can know everything about everyone, at least to the extent that someone is willing to share it on line.
But that's getting away from Ms. Burns' book, which shimmers with authenticity of time, place and language. You'll almost choke in the dust roiled up by grandpa's first trips in his new Buick. And, boy howdy, you'll try out some of the Southernisms out loud just to test whether people could really talk that way. (My daughter and I got a big kick out of this.)
With "Cold Sassy Tree", Ms. Burns accomplishes everything she set out to do--preserve the memory of a place and time in her past; honor the life of her grandfather; and entertain generations of readers. Five enthusiastic stars for all readers from 12 to 112.
Tells all about a Georgia family in 1906.......2007-09-18
Olive Ann Burns was 59 when she published her first and only book, Cold Sassy Tree, which became an instant classic in 1986. People across the country loved the book, and though Burns tried to write its sequel, she died six years later with only the first 14 chapters written. A real perfectionist, she wrote and rewrote and re-wrote, looking for the perfect words with an obsession for detail.
Cold Sassy Tree is the story of a family living in a small Georgia town at the turn of the century-1906. It's told from the viewpoint of 14-year-old Will Tweedy in the colorful Southern dialect which took Burns years to get just right. She based the story on her own parents and grandparents' stories.
Interesting as Will is, the real main character here is his Grandpa Blakeslee. Three week after his wife of 36 years dies, Grandpa announces to his family that he's going to marry the (much) younger Miss Love Simpson, who works in his shop.
When his horrified daughters protest, Grandpa remarks that while he loved Grandma for many, many years, he sees no reason to wait a year to remarry, because "she's as dead as she's ever gonna be, ain't she?" and stomps off.
Thus begins a years of an emotional rollercoaster ride for Will and his family, with all of Cold Sassy looking on in fascination and horror. The story is lively and funny and poignant by turns and has been called the most realistic portrait of a small town in the early 1900s ever written.
Mariner Books is re-issuing Cold Sassy Tree along with its unfinished sequel, Leaving Cold Sassy. I recommend that a whole new generation visit the South which Olive Ann Baker loved and wrote about so well.
Armchair Interview agrees.
Hilarious.......2007-09-16
I cracked up reading this one
Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence
Excellant story and expertly read........2007-09-05
This is an exceptionally well done audio CD. The story is great and the speaker does a really great job. Wonderful choice for anyone confined to bed. Really helps the time go by.
Cold Sassy Hot'n'Sassy.......2007-08-30
I first read Cold Sassy Tree as a book reviewer, and I was impressed by the attention to detail and the depth of the characters it holds. Will Tweedy tells the story, but his Grandpa Blakeslee is the real main mover here. The plot covers a year in a small Southern town at the turn of the century (the 1900's) when society was proscribed and its rules set in granite. You did not do certain things--like marry a women young enough to be your granddaughter, elope with her, and worse yet, have a child by her. There is a lot of realism to these characters--they're easily human, with all the flaws and strong points that entails. The author spent years writing and re-writing her novel, even while she was ill with cancer and heart failure, and in the end produced something that was an instant bestseller. This is the only complete novel she wrote; and I think she did an outstanding job.--C. L. Rossman
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