Have I read this before: NO! I found a copy at Goodwill for like 99 cents, so I bought it.

Review: I’m usually not a huge fan of coming-of-age stories, but this one was actually quite enjoyable. The book follows Francie Nolan’s growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s, but gives a very comprehensive non-chronological-order history of her family as well. I think one of the reasons I’m not a coming-of-age fan is because in most of those types of stories I’ve read, it’s really quite difficult to see the change in the main character (assuming they’re the one that’s coming of age). In this book, however, it’s very clear when Francie starts seeing a change in the way she views the world and when she becomes mature enough to acknowledge that she’s viewing the world differently than she had. And this is all told in a very engaging tone, too, so it was fun to read.

Favorite part: I like this recurring idea of loving/being loved/being needed that Francie keeps coming back to over and over as she grows up. Like at the end of chapter 39:
“Maybe,” thought Francie, “she doesn’t love me as much as she loves Neeley. But she needs me more than she needs him and I guess being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better.”

Or at the end of chapter 53:
“No! I don’t want to need anybody. I want someone to need me…I want someone to need me.”

A very relatable feeling.

Rating: 6/10