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Maggie-min
Nok en gjenoppdaget skatt fra forfatteren av Det vokser et tre i Brooklyn Maggie vokser opp i Brooklyn på begynnelsen av 1900- tallet, en tid da byen er fylt av fattige innvandrere på leting etter lykken i det løfterike Amerika. Maggies irske far er en gretten mann som ikke evner å ta ansvar, og da Maggies mor dør i barsel, blir det Maggies oppgave å ta seg av lillebroren. Så kommer den kjekke og beleste Claude Basset og sjarmerer Maggie i senk - men heller ikke han er helt til å stole på. Fattigdommen og nøden er stor, men Maggie klarer å få mye ut av det hun har til rådighet. Hun reparerer klær og setter mat på bordet til mennene i huset. Da Maggie i tillegg blir fostermor, får hun enda flere munner å mette. Det er sjelden noen takk å få, men Maggie er stolt - stolt av sin katolske bakgrunn, av familien og av at hun klarer å ta seg av dem rundt seg. Men hvem skal ta seg av Maggie? Betty Smith skildrer nok en gang en uforglemmelig kvinneskikkelse. Med sin umiskjennelige varme og menneskelige innsikt skaper hun en gripende fortelling om ikke å gi opp, om å søke lykken mot alle odds.
447 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
449 people are currently reading
4188 people want to read
About the author
Betty Smith
23 books2,086 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Betty Smith (AKA Sophina Elisabeth Wehner): Born- December 15, 1896; Died- January 17, 1972
Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).
After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university allowed her to enroll in classes. There she honed her skills in journalism, literature, writing, and drama, winning a prestigious Hopwood Award. She was a student in the classes of Professor Kenneth Thorpe Rowe.
In 1938 she divorced her husband and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There she married Joseph Jones in 1943, the same year in which A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was published. She teamed with George Abbott to write the book for the 1951 musical adaptation of the same name. Throughout her life, Smith worked as a dramatist, receiving many awards and fellowships including the Rockefeller Fellowship and the Dramatists Guild Fellowship for her work in drama. Her other novels include Tomorrow Will Be Better (1947), Maggie-Now (1958) and Joy in the Morning (1963).
Betty Smith (AKA Sophina Elisabeth Wehner): Born- December 15, 1896; Died- January 17, 1972
Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).
After marrying George H. E. Smith, a fellow Brooklynite, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the university allowed her to enroll in classes. There she honed her skills in journalism, literature, writing, and drama, winning a prestigious Hopwood Award. She was a student in the classes of Professor Kenneth Thorpe Rowe.
In 1938 she divorced her husband and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There she married Joseph Jones in 1943, the same year in which A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was published. She teamed with George Abbott to write the book for the 1951 musical adaptation of the same name. Throughout her life, Smith worked as a dramatist, receiving many awards and fellowships including the Rockefeller Fellowship and the Dramatists Guild Fellowship for her work in drama. Her other novels include Tomorrow Will Be Better (1947), Maggie-Now (1958) and Joy in the Morning (1963).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
January 15, 2019
I loved this book. It shares the life of Margaret Rose Moore, who was born in Brooklyn New York before the turn of the century. (That would be in the late 1890's. Yep, that century.)
I enjoyed the visit to an earlier time and place. Smith makes the era live and breath as much here as she did in her first novel, the classic A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
Our story is captivating, and surprisingly current when you realize there are still many women who hitch their lives to a man's star and hope for the best. Margaret Rose hoped for the best but she accepted what came and coped more or less patiently. Would a woman of today be the same once she discovered how her life was to be? Probably not, but you must admire Margaret Rose for her consistent devotion to her love, her dream and to the standards of life as she saw them. She may not have been completely happy at every moment, but she was at least true to herself and her decision.
But why do I keep saying Margaret Rose? And who is Maggie-Now?! They are one and the same person! Here is a small portrait of the child that became the center of the book:
She grew up healthy, happy and loving. She was full of mischief and cheerfully disobedient. The day long throughout that house it was:
"Maggie, now give me those scissors before you stab yourself."
"Maggie, now mind your father when he speaks to you."
"Maggie, now. . ."
And so she became known as Maggie-Now.
I'll definitely be keeping this touching book. And I hope to someday find the two other novels by Smith that i have never read. Oh, and of course I will Someday re-read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn!
I enjoyed the visit to an earlier time and place. Smith makes the era live and breath as much here as she did in her first novel, the classic A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
Our story is captivating, and surprisingly current when you realize there are still many women who hitch their lives to a man's star and hope for the best. Margaret Rose hoped for the best but she accepted what came and coped more or less patiently. Would a woman of today be the same once she discovered how her life was to be? Probably not, but you must admire Margaret Rose for her consistent devotion to her love, her dream and to the standards of life as she saw them. She may not have been completely happy at every moment, but she was at least true to herself and her decision.
But why do I keep saying Margaret Rose? And who is Maggie-Now?! They are one and the same person! Here is a small portrait of the child that became the center of the book:
She grew up healthy, happy and loving. She was full of mischief and cheerfully disobedient. The day long throughout that house it was:
"Maggie, now give me those scissors before you stab yourself."
"Maggie, now mind your father when he speaks to you."
"Maggie, now. . ."
And so she became known as Maggie-Now.
I'll definitely be keeping this touching book. And I hope to someday find the two other novels by Smith that i have never read. Oh, and of course I will Someday re-read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn!
February 20, 2008
A recent review of, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by one of my goodreads friends sent me to recalling all the Betty Smith books that I loved over the years. a tree is probably her most famous, having been made into movies and since it is so young adult friendly. But Maggie Now was my favorite because of it's moody mysterious romance between a proper Irish woman and a "man with a past". Maggie's husband leaves her every year to search for some missing key to his life and his impetus is a breeze.
A common thread that runs through Smith's stories is women and their often unreasoning loyalty to the men in their lives. Maggie accepts Claude's absences and welcomes him home again just like the tired, hard-working mother in A Tree remains loyal to her drunken husband.
A common thread that runs through Smith's stories is women and their often unreasoning loyalty to the men in their lives. Maggie accepts Claude's absences and welcomes him home again just like the tired, hard-working mother in A Tree remains loyal to her drunken husband.
June 5, 2012
This was a great vacation read. I am a HUGE Betty Smith fan; A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is probably my favorite book and this does not disappoint. That being said, this book is very similar in setting and tone...almost too similar. I enjoyed it and once I finished it, found myself feeling as I do with any book I love: a little lost and curious as to what I should do with my time. Always a sign of a good read!
September 8, 2016
It is hard to love a novel when you couldn't care less about the protagonist. And in this novel's protagonist, there just isn't a whole lot there - Maggie-Now is the proverbial doormat, and knowing she enjoys being the doormat doesn't really make her any more compelling. She puts up with a husband who won't tell her who he is, where he came from, where he works, or where he goes when he disappears for 3/4's of the year, and we're supposed to believe that the freshness of the sex when he returns is enough to make up for everything else. I'm not buying it - I don't care how giving and shallow Maggie-Now was supposed to be. Throughout her novels, Smith tells us again and again that you will never regret marrying (or even just sleeping with) the man you're passionate about, but it never seems to work out all that well for the women who take her advice, does it?
A previous reviewer mentioned that the novel lacks cohesion, and that was really just as bothersome as the vapid main character. It wanders first through Pat's life, then Mary's, then inexplicitly dwells on Maggie Now's for the rest of the novel. The fact that Pat is still there, but fades into the background, only to be used for narrative tension and commedic effect when needed, makes the wandering that much more disconcerting. I suppose parallels could be drawn between Claude, the wandering husband, and Betty Smith, the wandering writer, but I really just don't care enough about any of them to go down that road.
But here's what saves the novel from less stars in my book; the last chapter, and especially the last two pages, represent one of the best book endings I have ever read. The scene is vivid, the characters are alive, and for the first time in the book, I was wishing for more. Absolutely brilliant! If only it had followed a more compelling story...
A previous reviewer mentioned that the novel lacks cohesion, and that was really just as bothersome as the vapid main character. It wanders first through Pat's life, then Mary's, then inexplicitly dwells on Maggie Now's for the rest of the novel. The fact that Pat is still there, but fades into the background, only to be used for narrative tension and commedic effect when needed, makes the wandering that much more disconcerting. I suppose parallels could be drawn between Claude, the wandering husband, and Betty Smith, the wandering writer, but I really just don't care enough about any of them to go down that road.
But here's what saves the novel from less stars in my book; the last chapter, and especially the last two pages, represent one of the best book endings I have ever read. The scene is vivid, the characters are alive, and for the first time in the book, I was wishing for more. Absolutely brilliant! If only it had followed a more compelling story...
August 25, 2020
Wonderful book!
In Maggie-Now, Betty Smith writes what she knows and straight from her heart – simple, accessible prose that’s lovely and heartbreaking.
It was hard to read about Maggie’s life without seeing it through the lens of my own choices and experiences. By the end I almost agreed with many reviews that characterized her as a “doormat”. There's no question that I would have felt trapped in her life, but to be honest I also know that I don’t have Maggie’s generous heart or her ability to take the good and bad in life (and particularly in people) and accept it without bitterness. She may not be the ideal of today’s modern woman, but she has a purpose and strength that’s both formidable and humbling. To see her as a doormat is to seriously underestimate her spirit and resilience. I fully appreciate what I’ve learned from Maggie and I will never forget her story.
In Maggie-Now, Betty Smith writes what she knows and straight from her heart – simple, accessible prose that’s lovely and heartbreaking.
It was hard to read about Maggie’s life without seeing it through the lens of my own choices and experiences. By the end I almost agreed with many reviews that characterized her as a “doormat”. There's no question that I would have felt trapped in her life, but to be honest I also know that I don’t have Maggie’s generous heart or her ability to take the good and bad in life (and particularly in people) and accept it without bitterness. She may not be the ideal of today’s modern woman, but she has a purpose and strength that’s both formidable and humbling. To see her as a doormat is to seriously underestimate her spirit and resilience. I fully appreciate what I’ve learned from Maggie and I will never forget her story.
May 3, 2011
This was a lovely book. It centered, as usual, around a strong, intelligent female protagonist, but it was definitely a little different from the other Betty Smith books (of which, by the way, I can't help wishing there were many more!). Maggie-Now reminds me of how Katie Nolan might have been if she had had more money and if she hadn't gotten married. She takes care of everyone--her father, Patsy (who is just an appalling creature, really), her brother, Denny (who becomes a butcher because he thinks it's cool!), all of her foster children (interesting and refreshing, a heroine who can't have children), and her husband, Claude. Claude is just bizarre--not from Brooklyn, clearly, highly educated, no family, no idea, really, where he comes from, and he does like Vianne in Chocolat and Mary Poppins and leaves when he feels the pull of the wind. I thought that was just a hair farfetched, actually, but I still liked him as a character. I hope Maggie-Now gets to be happy in the future--Betty Smith always does end her books with lots of loose ends. I'm always thinking and hoping about the fate of the main characters when I close the book.
January 14, 2022
This novel by the iconic author of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' takes the reader on an emotional ride covering family, intimate, and other relationships.
Maggie-Now is a spirited and loving girl who grows up taking responsibility for a cold and distant father. When she finds love, it is with a man who, in some sense, replicates her father's traits. He travels a lot, is home rarely, and keeps secrets from Maggie. Maggie desperately wants a child but is unable to conceive and not permitted to adopt. She finds sustenance in foster care and waiting for her husband to return home while taking care of the foster children in her keep.
Because this novel takes place in the 1920's in Brooklyn, NY, it brought back memories of my growing up in NYC. I remember the horse drawn food carriers, the cobbled streets, the 'old' days without technology when kids were content to play marbles or ball in the streets.
As Maggie tries to learn how to put herself first and not in the shadow of the men in her life, we take this journey with her through all her ups and downs. Maggie, in a sense, foreshadows what the woman's movement will become in time.
Maggie-Now is a spirited and loving girl who grows up taking responsibility for a cold and distant father. When she finds love, it is with a man who, in some sense, replicates her father's traits. He travels a lot, is home rarely, and keeps secrets from Maggie. Maggie desperately wants a child but is unable to conceive and not permitted to adopt. She finds sustenance in foster care and waiting for her husband to return home while taking care of the foster children in her keep.
Because this novel takes place in the 1920's in Brooklyn, NY, it brought back memories of my growing up in NYC. I remember the horse drawn food carriers, the cobbled streets, the 'old' days without technology when kids were content to play marbles or ball in the streets.
As Maggie tries to learn how to put herself first and not in the shadow of the men in her life, we take this journey with her through all her ups and downs. Maggie, in a sense, foreshadows what the woman's movement will become in time.
April 15, 2014
I wouldn't recommend this as anyone's gateway Betty Smith (start with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn!), but Maggie-Now has got the heart, the humor, and the more-than-competent and never-maudlin depiction of sacrifice and struggle of her other novels. Her characters are like your most wickedly funny and flawed best friends, who you maybe want to shake and scream at sometimes but who you also want to invite over for tea/hard liquor and just listen to them talk. A warning: your Depress-O-Meter will go off the charts at some point. Probably near the end. You'll forgive Smith for putting you through the emotional meat-grinder, because she keeps her humor to the last. Overall, I wouldn't say this is the best Betty Smith--it drags sometimes, and the characters WILL be stubborn and jealous and mean to an almost laughable point over and over and over again, and they will make bad decisions over and over and over again and make little to no sense of their mistakes, and things will keep getting worse before they get better (and, trust me, things do get at least a little better). However, it's great for a rainy day inside, a train journey, or also any time that you need a good old-fashioned cure for your first-world problems, because this'll cure them right quick.
November 23, 2021
This is the third of four novels written by Betty Smith. Her first was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which I have read several times and which inspired me to try to read the entire fiction section of my local library---not that I have yet accomplished it. I have now read all four novels.
Maggie-Now was named because of her mother's exasperated way of calling Maggie to stop being so energetic and start doing what she was supposed to. "Maggie, now stop that. Maggie, now do this." Plus many nationalities hang nicknames on their children.
When Maggie-Now's mother died in childbirth, Maggie at 13 years old became the one to raise her brother. The father, a disgruntled Irish immigrant, needed caring for as well.
Reading it in the 21st century, a good 100 years later, it worked as historical fiction. Life in a Brooklyn neighborhood filled with immigrants from many countries runs through WWI, the depression and the beginning gentrification of the area as it was subsumed into New York City.
Some might find the strong Irish Catholic influence a bit much but that was the bedrock of Maggie-Now's life. Her eventual marriage to a man who could not stay home but left every Spring to roam the country brought both joy and heartache to Maggie. I loved reading about how she dealt with all her woes. After all, women still have plenty of woes.
Betty Smith was also a playwright and her characters, dialogue, scene setting are all just great.
Maggie-Now was named because of her mother's exasperated way of calling Maggie to stop being so energetic and start doing what she was supposed to. "Maggie, now stop that. Maggie, now do this." Plus many nationalities hang nicknames on their children.
When Maggie-Now's mother died in childbirth, Maggie at 13 years old became the one to raise her brother. The father, a disgruntled Irish immigrant, needed caring for as well.
Reading it in the 21st century, a good 100 years later, it worked as historical fiction. Life in a Brooklyn neighborhood filled with immigrants from many countries runs through WWI, the depression and the beginning gentrification of the area as it was subsumed into New York City.
Some might find the strong Irish Catholic influence a bit much but that was the bedrock of Maggie-Now's life. Her eventual marriage to a man who could not stay home but left every Spring to roam the country brought both joy and heartache to Maggie. I loved reading about how she dealt with all her woes. After all, women still have plenty of woes.
Betty Smith was also a playwright and her characters, dialogue, scene setting are all just great.
May 3, 2024
I'm on a kick now to re-read Betty Smith. Her books are always about Brooklyn girls in the early twentieth century. Usually, feckless men are involved, as well as parents who are unreasonable, old-fashioned, alcoholic, insufficient, embittered or any combination of the above. The books were wonderful social commentary for their time - so much so, that they now read as a little cliche. Still, for me, they are great comfort reads and I'm glad to be revisiting them.
We meet Maggie Moore's father before she is even born. Patsy is an Irish mama's boy who wants to court the beautiful Margaret Rose Shawn without ever settling down with her. When her brother Timothy comes all the way from Brooklyn to Ireland to take exception to that, proud, impulsive Patsy sees no alternative but to escape to America himself. He lands in the same Brooklyn neighborhood as Patsy (who beats him up AGAIN), but lucks out by marrying his boss's daughter. The fruit of this mismatch is Maggie-Now.
When Maggie's mother dies giving birth to her second child, sixteen-year-old Maggie must leave school to take care of her baby brother Denny. But Maggie is a sweet, dutiful young woman who loves children and she takes to the job well. In the years that follow, Maggie will marry a man who only lives with her for three months out of the year, and spends the rest of his time wandering the country. Her cranky father will be a thorn in her side, and Denny will get into his share of trouble. Through all her troubles, Maggie relies on her faith and her stoic, cheerful disposition, with a little help from her parish priest and neighbors who admire her sweetness and courage.
I like how Smith tells us a chronological story of her main character over a long period of time. That's no longer a fashionable way of writing a novel, but I love it, because I love watching character develop over time. The ending of this book disappointed me, though. I wanted Maggie to find the contentment that she deserved in the end.
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Author of The Saint's Mistress
We meet Maggie Moore's father before she is even born. Patsy is an Irish mama's boy who wants to court the beautiful Margaret Rose Shawn without ever settling down with her. When her brother Timothy comes all the way from Brooklyn to Ireland to take exception to that, proud, impulsive Patsy sees no alternative but to escape to America himself. He lands in the same Brooklyn neighborhood as Patsy (who beats him up AGAIN), but lucks out by marrying his boss's daughter. The fruit of this mismatch is Maggie-Now.
When Maggie's mother dies giving birth to her second child, sixteen-year-old Maggie must leave school to take care of her baby brother Denny. But Maggie is a sweet, dutiful young woman who loves children and she takes to the job well. In the years that follow, Maggie will marry a man who only lives with her for three months out of the year, and spends the rest of his time wandering the country. Her cranky father will be a thorn in her side, and Denny will get into his share of trouble. Through all her troubles, Maggie relies on her faith and her stoic, cheerful disposition, with a little help from her parish priest and neighbors who admire her sweetness and courage.
I like how Smith tells us a chronological story of her main character over a long period of time. That's no longer a fashionable way of writing a novel, but I love it, because I love watching character develop over time. The ending of this book disappointed me, though. I wanted Maggie to find the contentment that she deserved in the end.
Like my reviews? Check out my blog
Author of The Saint's Mistress
March 20, 2022
Betty Smith tarafından kaleme alınan Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) romanını okumayan yoktur sanırım; özellikle 90’lar çocuğuysanız. Hayatın zorluklarından kaçmak için hayal gücüne ve kitaplara sığınan Francie’yi neden sevdiğimi uzun uzun açıklamama gerek yoktur diye düşünüyorum. Sonrasında başka kitaba denk gelmedim Betty Smith tarafından yazılan; geldiysem de fark etmedim açıkçası. Ta ki Bir Hiç İçin kitabını görene kadar…
Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor, Brooklyn’de geçiyor. Betty Smith Bir Hiç İçin romanıyla yine Brooklyn’e götürüyor bizi; bu sefer de Maggie’nin çocukluktan kadınlığa geçişini, onunla birlikte ailesinin de yıllarını nasıl geçirdiğini izliyoruz. İç kapakta New York Times’ın kitapla ilgili yazısından bir alıntı var mesela ve “Kitap öyle göze batmayan bir beceriyle yazılmış ki, neredeyse hayatın kendisi kadar doğal bir şekilde akıyor…” diyor. Gerçekten de öyle! Sizi bilmem ama benim kalbimi ilk başta zaten bu becerisiyle kazanmış Betty Smith, onu fark ettim. Karakterleri seversiniz, sevmezsiniz, o ayrı ama 492’nci sayfaya nasıl geldiğinizi bile anlamıyorsunuz, öyle güzel akıyor kitap.
Devamı: https://zimlicious.com/betty-smith-bi...
Bir Genç Kız Yetişiyor, Brooklyn’de geçiyor. Betty Smith Bir Hiç İçin romanıyla yine Brooklyn’e götürüyor bizi; bu sefer de Maggie’nin çocukluktan kadınlığa geçişini, onunla birlikte ailesinin de yıllarını nasıl geçirdiğini izliyoruz. İç kapakta New York Times’ın kitapla ilgili yazısından bir alıntı var mesela ve “Kitap öyle göze batmayan bir beceriyle yazılmış ki, neredeyse hayatın kendisi kadar doğal bir şekilde akıyor…” diyor. Gerçekten de öyle! Sizi bilmem ama benim kalbimi ilk başta zaten bu becerisiyle kazanmış Betty Smith, onu fark ettim. Karakterleri seversiniz, sevmezsiniz, o ayrı ama 492’nci sayfaya nasıl geldiğinizi bile anlamıyorsunuz, öyle güzel akıyor kitap.
Devamı: https://zimlicious.com/betty-smith-bi...
October 10, 2008
This book was so....strange. Let me first say that I love Betty Smith. Her books tug at my heart without making me cry, they are brutal and honest yet beautiful and true.
I don't think Betty Smith quite knew what this book was about, and as a result it lacks cohesion. Maybe it is because Maggie herself is, well, not boring exactly, it's just that you realize that there is not a lot of depth to her. She admits this about herself, and that's great, self-knowledge is a good thing, but it doesn't make for a very interesting protagonist. And did anyone else want to beat her senseless for the whole Claude thing? Her father Pat was one of the best characters in the book; that one was seriously PO'd at the world.
The ending left me hanging without making me care about what happened next. As Betty Smith novels go, I would read this if you are a huge fan of her writing, but don't go out of your way to find a copy.
I don't think Betty Smith quite knew what this book was about, and as a result it lacks cohesion. Maybe it is because Maggie herself is, well, not boring exactly, it's just that you realize that there is not a lot of depth to her. She admits this about herself, and that's great, self-knowledge is a good thing, but it doesn't make for a very interesting protagonist. And did anyone else want to beat her senseless for the whole Claude thing? Her father Pat was one of the best characters in the book; that one was seriously PO'd at the world.
The ending left me hanging without making me care about what happened next. As Betty Smith novels go, I would read this if you are a huge fan of her writing, but don't go out of your way to find a copy.
November 22, 2021
Misgivings aside about Irish stereotypes (struggling, and unfortunate characters who are all bottom-rank, penny pinching Catholics), I will say this is the best book I've read all year, even better than the author's mainstream novel, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Because despite it all, the beauty and wonder of life is abundant in its pages. I absolutely loved the father's character and had many laughs. I'm sorry it's finished. Six wonderful stars.
February 9, 2015
This is one of my two favorite books of all time. And Patrick Dennis Moore is one of my favorite characters ever! I can't even explain why I love this book so much, but I have read it so many times, and I get something different out of it in each phase of my life. Betty Smith is such a great writer. I am so grateful for this and her other novels.
June 2, 2016
I really tried to like this book.
August 30, 2022
Betty Smith is such a good writer. This story is easy to read and engaging and the characters come to life so quickly. It took me a little while to figure out who the Maggie of the title was because we first get the story of her father and then of her mother and father. Her father, Patrick, comes to New York from Ireland in the late 19th century. (This was fun to read after enjoying the first few Molly Murphy mysteries by Rhys Bowen.) Even though he has a bit of a rough start, Patrick lands on his feet and manages to find a place for himself, including a wife, Mary, who is far too good for him.
Pat and Mary have a daughter named Margaret Rose, our heroine. We zip quickly through Maggie's childhood. She is quite a delightful, engaging child, and she has a happy childhood due mostly to her mother's good sense, household management, and quiet morality.
Pat and Mary have a daughter named Margaret Rose, our heroine. We zip quickly through Maggie's childhood. She is quite a delightful, engaging child, and she has a happy childhood due mostly to her mother's good sense, household management, and quiet morality.
January 17, 2022
It has been a while since I’ve been so absorbed in fiction. I’ve had this book on my shelf since 2018, and tried to read it at least three times. The story starts off slow, and we aren’t introduced to Maggie-Now until page 82.
I feel like this is a story that doesn’t really have much of a direction. It’s not so much about “what happens next,” but who the characters become. This is exactly how I felt about “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” and “Anne of Green Gables,” my favourite novels.
The characters are not very realistic. Maggie-Now is too saintly, and her father’s curmudgeonly ways are never truly explained. What made him so miserable? It’s also interesting how the story begins and ends with Patrick, as if he was the main character all along. Is this intentional, or just bad planning? I’m not sure.
I really enjoy Smith’s prose and writing style, but unlike “Brooklyn,” I don’t see myself re-reading Maggie-Now. It’s a story I’m contented with only visiting once… for now.
I definitely would recommend this to fans of “Brooklyn.”
I feel like this is a story that doesn’t really have much of a direction. It’s not so much about “what happens next,” but who the characters become. This is exactly how I felt about “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” and “Anne of Green Gables,” my favourite novels.
The characters are not very realistic. Maggie-Now is too saintly, and her father’s curmudgeonly ways are never truly explained. What made him so miserable? It’s also interesting how the story begins and ends with Patrick, as if he was the main character all along. Is this intentional, or just bad planning? I’m not sure.
I really enjoy Smith’s prose and writing style, but unlike “Brooklyn,” I don’t see myself re-reading Maggie-Now. It’s a story I’m contented with only visiting once… for now.
I definitely would recommend this to fans of “Brooklyn.”
July 2, 2016
Sometimes people will ask 'What books influenced you the most growing up?' I wouldn't recall this book as an answer but as I reread it; I could see many, many influences. As a young adult I thought it was mostly a romance. But this time around, I recognized the seeds of many of my own values from its emphasis and importance of a house that is clean, scrubbed and polished. Also the many skills and responsibilities of women who kept house. Sewing, remaking clothes as well as household items, shopping on meager budgets and cooking with ease from scratch are just a few. I still strive to keep my house clean. The other skills are more manifest in the desire to be competent, industrious and tough.
There are gems of discussion and insight i.e. religious belief, honoring and respecting people despite their wealth or poverty as well as what is love really? I also loved the telling of what it was like to be an immigrant in this period of history, the early 20th century in this setting, Brooklyn, NY.
Within it all is the story of Maggie Now, her family, friends and community from before her birth to her late 30's. And within that story is her development as a generous giving soul trying to find a balance with her own needs, her vocation and her responsibilities.
There are gems of discussion and insight i.e. religious belief, honoring and respecting people despite their wealth or poverty as well as what is love really? I also loved the telling of what it was like to be an immigrant in this period of history, the early 20th century in this setting, Brooklyn, NY.
Within it all is the story of Maggie Now, her family, friends and community from before her birth to her late 30's. And within that story is her development as a generous giving soul trying to find a balance with her own needs, her vocation and her responsibilities.
September 17, 2012
This was a typical Betty Smith novel in that the characters are of Irish heritage, live in Brooklyn and are the working poor, but are filled with pride for their religion, their heritage and their families are closely tied together.
This one did not totally engage me in the beginning but as it turned out that part of the book was merely a precursor for the title character. Once she emerged well into the book it changed for me and while at times I wanted to give her a strong wake up call and scream for her to not be a doormat, she was true to herself and what she needed and wanted is not necessarily viewed by others as a strong and steady relationship with one's father, brother and husband. In the end, however, I was wiping tears as I mourned with her for years of what could have been, but at the same time I was thrilled with the hint of who and want she would become.
This one did not totally engage me in the beginning but as it turned out that part of the book was merely a precursor for the title character. Once she emerged well into the book it changed for me and while at times I wanted to give her a strong wake up call and scream for her to not be a doormat, she was true to herself and what she needed and wanted is not necessarily viewed by others as a strong and steady relationship with one's father, brother and husband. In the end, however, I was wiping tears as I mourned with her for years of what could have been, but at the same time I was thrilled with the hint of who and want she would become.
December 10, 2020
From notes I’ve left over the years in the 1958 first edition passed down to me by my mother, I have read “Maggie Now” 6 times, starting with when I was a teen in 1972. It’s my favorite of Betty Smith’s four novels, all of which I do adore.
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is Smith’s most famous novel, and “Maggie Now” is similarly the story of Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn. It’s funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and chock full of characters you will never forget. I ALWAYS cry (and I don’t cry easily at books).
If you’ve never read this wonderful novel – treat yourself! And if it’s been a while since you read it – this is the perfect time to re-introduce yourself to this time, place, and these characters.
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is Smith’s most famous novel, and “Maggie Now” is similarly the story of Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn. It’s funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and chock full of characters you will never forget. I ALWAYS cry (and I don’t cry easily at books).
If you’ve never read this wonderful novel – treat yourself! And if it’s been a while since you read it – this is the perfect time to re-introduce yourself to this time, place, and these characters.
May 25, 2010
LOVED this book. Betty Smith is now one of my favorite authors. As I've said before, I only wish that she would have written more books. I have one more to read, Tomorrow Will Be Better. Maggie-Now follows Patrick Denny and then his daughter, Maggie and son, Denny. It is such a lovely, touching, and endearing story about family and love and loss. I enjoyed it SO much.
January 29, 2011
I liked this book almost as much as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I first read this as a pre-teen, then later re-read it a few years ago. I then dove into whatever information I could find on Betty Smith. Sure enough, her own life and romances were similar to those of Maggie Now. Betty Smith had a tendency to have romances with men that had either had drinking problems and/or were unreliable.
August 28, 2025
I devoured and adored A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. The charm of it still hovers around the copy that sits on my shelf. This, however, surprised me. What I thought would be another sweet and uplifting coming-of-age tale turned into a disappointing chronicle of gender stereotypes. I’m going to say what I thought for the duration of this novel: Maggie-Now was a doormat. She started out with such promise, with her curiosity and sass. Then her mother passed away and everything went sideways (her mother also, infuriatingly, did little to stand up for herself). I understand this story in part reflected the time in which it was written. But seriously. If Maggie-Now wasn’t being controlled by her father, she was being subservient to her husband. This isn’t to say that the book didn’t have some charm. But this tale had me trying to crawl into the story just so I could help Maggie-Now find a louder voice. I didn’t hate this, but it did little to inspire.
May 30, 2023
I chose this book because Maggie is the most beautiful name in all of history. I didn't realize the character would actually be called Maggie-now. That's just a waste of a good name.
The book was ok--kind of slow, definitely outdated, cute sometimes and quaint sometimes.
The book was ok--kind of slow, definitely outdated, cute sometimes and quaint sometimes.
May 1, 2020
I really wanted to love this character as much I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was close, but not quite. The author took a strange direction at the end that I didn't care for. But Maggie-Now is a fantastic character and I did enjoy the time I spent reading this book.
June 6, 2021
I REALLY hate to give such a bad rating to this book. I absolutely adore A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. One of my all time favorite books. I read her book Joy in the Morning several years ago and...while it wasn't my FAVORITE book...I remember liking it. This book was awful. I kept waiting for SOMETHING to happen. I don't need a plot filled book. I love quiet character sketches. But this was just dribble. The main character spent the entire book letting herself by emotionally abused by her miserable father...and then her completely selfish husband. She's supposed to be this paragon of good...but all she ended up being was everyone's "whipping boy". I kept thinking there was going to be some redemption....SOME glimmer of better things to come or some spark that something was learned or taught or SOMETHING. But - nope. And let me say that I'm OK with sad endings too. Some of my favorite books have sad endings. But there is a point to them. THIS HAD NO POINT! It was about a girl and her life the fact that she sacrificed everything in her life for the people around her that didn't really care about her. And - it really irritated me that she keeps talking about how much she loved her husband, when he demanded so much from her and took so much without giving. He treated her horrible...but yet it was 'love'. Stupid book! Run far away.
December 31, 2012
Smith's book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is basically flawless, but this one didn't do it for me at all. It's completely different, to be sure: I think that Smith deliberately makes all the characters in MAGGIE-NOW unsympathetic, which is more like reality than we'd like to admit. However, it's literature, dudes, and self-involved human reader that I am, I'm not going to spend several hours of my life on people who are never happy, won't ever be happy, and don't deserve to be happy, not on account of unfortunate external circumstances but because of their own mindsets.
There are plenty of books with unsympathetic characters that I appreciate (the book, and their depiction of those characters, not the characters themselves), and it's not like Smith does this badly. But MAGGIE-NOW is unrelentingly unsympathetic, and a little less than halfway through, I was forced to close the covers to this book forever, to spare myself the agony of watching these characters cause their own train wrecks.
There are plenty of books with unsympathetic characters that I appreciate (the book, and their depiction of those characters, not the characters themselves), and it's not like Smith does this badly. But MAGGIE-NOW is unrelentingly unsympathetic, and a little less than halfway through, I was forced to close the covers to this book forever, to spare myself the agony of watching these characters cause their own train wrecks.
September 8, 2014
I have read many mixed reviews on this book. Let me begin by saying that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of if not my favorite book. While Maggie Now is still a coming of age novel about a girl in Brooklyn I believe most modern women don't relate with Maggie's character. However, I do believe this is still an important book. I love that Betty Smith is able to write such different and complex characters in her books, and I believe Maggie possessed a different kind of strength when taking into account her strong Catholic faith. All types of women are important and we should celebrate all kinds of strong beautiful women not just ones that fit into our ideals for society. I also love the way the chapters differed from ATGB which seemed to unfold slowly in progression with Francie's life. Maggie- Now is written with swift and rapidly fading chapters especially the parts directly relating to Claude. My main criticism for the novel is that Maggie's character as a young girl compared to her as an older woman don't really add up. They seem like two completely different people, and perhaps that has to do with her life-changing event. Read this book... and keep an open heart and mind.
January 8, 2019
I really wanted to love this book and unfortunately, I just couldn't. I loved the social history references - life in Ireland pre-immigration. Life in Brooklyn for a greenback. The way young ladies lived in early 20th century. That part was terrific, but the story? Not so much.
Pat is a disgruntled young man who has lived with him mother for far too long. He gets himself in a bit of a pickle and instead of confronting his problem, leaves Ireland for the milk and honey promise of New York. It's not until he arrives that reality sets in and real menial work is part of that reality. Pat has a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan which never goes away. He marries up in life, and fruit of that marriage is Maggie-Now, who we only meet after 100 pages or so.
Maggie grows up subservient to her father and an absolute doormat to the person she marries. I didn't particularly like Pat's character, Maggie's character, her little brother's character or her husband's character -- so in the end, there was little to like as far as plot or character development.
This was my first book of 2019. I certainly hope my other choices are better!
Pat is a disgruntled young man who has lived with him mother for far too long. He gets himself in a bit of a pickle and instead of confronting his problem, leaves Ireland for the milk and honey promise of New York. It's not until he arrives that reality sets in and real menial work is part of that reality. Pat has a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan which never goes away. He marries up in life, and fruit of that marriage is Maggie-Now, who we only meet after 100 pages or so.
Maggie grows up subservient to her father and an absolute doormat to the person she marries. I didn't particularly like Pat's character, Maggie's character, her little brother's character or her husband's character -- so in the end, there was little to like as far as plot or character development.
This was my first book of 2019. I certainly hope my other choices are better!
October 17, 2020
I loved this book. I enjoyed "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", so I picked up another one by the same author. The book follows Maggie-Now, the daughter of Pat, an Irish immigrant and Mary the daughter of a middle class New York businessman. Maggie-Now is practical and yet has a dreamy streak in her.
She meets Claude and falls instantly in love. However, it becomes apparent that Claude is a wanderer. He loves Maggie-Now, but can't seem to stay in one place for long. Will Maggie-Now stay true to the man she loves or find a man who can offer her stability and children?
I thought this was a little better then "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". It was just a little darker, and a little more realistic. Maggie-Now is a character who really suffers and also feels joy. She is not in love with learning and is happy to be a domestic housewife.
Her relationship is Claude is both romantic and tinged with sadness.
I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to everyone.
She meets Claude and falls instantly in love. However, it becomes apparent that Claude is a wanderer. He loves Maggie-Now, but can't seem to stay in one place for long. Will Maggie-Now stay true to the man she loves or find a man who can offer her stability and children?
I thought this was a little better then "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". It was just a little darker, and a little more realistic. Maggie-Now is a character who really suffers and also feels joy. She is not in love with learning and is happy to be a domestic housewife.
Her relationship is Claude is both romantic and tinged with sadness.
I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to everyone.
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