Most Popular Books by Betty Smith

The beloved perennial classic—named as one of the books of the twentieth century by the New York Public Library. Orville Prescott has called this American classic “one of the most dearly beloved and one of the finest books of our day.” Indeed, when A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was first published in 1943, four printing plants were required to keep up with the demand. Seventy years later, readers are still fascinated by Betty Smith’s moving portrayal of the Nolans, a poor family living in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn. A poignant tale of childhood and the ties of family, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn will transport the reader to the early 1900s where a little girl named Francie dreamily looks out her window at a tree struggling to reach the sky.

"The Complete Novels of Betty Smith: Illustrated" is a comprehensive anthology showcasing the literary brilliance of Betty Smith, featuring her most celebrated works. This collection includes "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," "Tomorrow Will Be Better," "Maggie-Now," and "Joy in the Morning," each accompanied by illustrations that enrich the reader''s experience. In "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," Smith eloquently captures the struggles and aspirations of a young girl coming of age in early 20th-century Brooklyn. The novel explores themes of resilience, family, and the pursuit of dreams against the backdrop of challenging urban life. "Tomorrow Will Be Better" delves into the complexities of marriage and societal expectations as it follows the lives of two young lovers, providing a poignant exploration of hope and renewal. "Maggie-Now" takes readers on a journey through the decades, following the life of Maggie-Now as she navigates love, work, and the changing landscape of the 20th century. "Joy in the Morning" offers a portrayal of a young couple facing the challenges of marriage, parenthood, and forging a future together against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The addition of illustrations enhances the visual aspect of these timeless tales, bringing to life the characters and settings that have made Betty Smith''s novels enduring classics. This collection provides readers with a comprehensive and visually enriched exploration of Smith''s literary legacy, offering a captivating journey through the joys and struggles of the human experience. Contents: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Tomorrow Will Be Better Maggie-Now Joy in the Morning

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick "One of the most cherished of American novels. . . . It is the Dickensian novel of New York that we didn''t think we had." -- New York Times In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, HarperCollins is proud to present this library of American classics drawn from our storied catalog. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is Betty''s Smith''s beloved novel about a young girl''s coming-of-age at the turn of the twentieth century, growing up in the slums of immigrant New York, fortified by the love of her family and her own hunger to learn. From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for growing up in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit. Often scorned by neighbors for her Irish Catholic''s family''s erratic and eccentric behavior--such as her father Johnny''s taste for alcohol and her Aunt Sissy''s habit of marrying serially without the formality of divorce--no one, least of all Francie, could say that the Nolan''s life lacked drama. By turns heartbreaking and uplifting, the Nolan''s daily experiences are raw with honestly and tenderly threaded with family connectedness. Betty Smith details the joys and sorrows of a humble immigrant American life, creating a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as deeply resonant moments of universal experience. Here is an American classic that "cuts right to the heart of life," hails the New York Times. "If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, you will deny yourself a rich experience."

A timeless classic is reborn! 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.

Betty T. Smith thought that she had received her "Happy Ending" when her marriage was miraculously restored -- but God had much more in store for her life!

Austin Colony Pioneers is a collection of many families that came to Texas in its earliest days and the German settlers and their influences upon the growth of Texas. The book is filled with many anecdotes, short stories, obituaries and articles gleaned from area newspapers. These early families intermarried and not only filled Austin’s original colony but their descendants went to every corner of America. The book traces many of these early pioneers into the present day and also gives their roots before they came to Texas. Colonel William Barret Travis of the Alamo has been a constant element of Betty’s historical research because her family was connected to him in many ways. There are descriptions of persons of historical note such as that of General George Custer and his command of Hempstead, Waller County, after the Civil War. There are stories of towns that once flourished and today are no more. The pages are packed with accounts such as the Bell-Schaffner feud and Shootout in Sealy, Texas and tales of infamous Six Shooter Junction, of Elizabeth Ney, the famous sculptress, and many other historical places and persons of interest.

Nursing assistant Kathy Keyes has finally reunited with her sisters family in the small town of Bayview on the shore of Lake Michigan. But the normally quiet, little town has had an alarming increase in crime. Who is Charlie, the top secret patient whom Kathy has been chosen to care for in the hospital? And why has Jack Nichols followed her here from North Carolina? Kathy learns to trust God for peace and protection as she finds her own life in danger.

Ce roman publié en 1943, relayé par le cinéma deux ans plus tard, est devenu, depuis lors, un best-seller de qualité. Tant par le ton autobiographique qui s''y révèle, avec la narration d''une enfance, d''une adolescence que situe et qualifie le titre, que par l''excellente reconstitution d''une certaine Amérique avant la Première guerre mondiale, ce récit est exemplaire de la formule mélodramatique au meilleur sens de ce terme.

The story of the Nolan family, including daughter Francie, and life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn during the early part of the 20th century.