JJoyce Yu’s Reviews > A Tree Grows in Brooklyn > Status Update
JJoyce Yu
is 35% done
I know it’s a different kind of book but the Betty smith diary(?) is so flat and colorless and one dimensional compared to the Ann Frank diary, which was vivid and poignant and deep. Still not over the end of the Ann Frank book.. I must be the only person on earth that did not have the ending spoiled for her. Just the abject silence after the last entry, after they were taken.. and the pointless deaths… :(((((((
— Jul 20, 2026 10:56PM
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JJoyce’s Previous Updates
JJoyce Yu
is 95% done
The Nolan family finally caught a break! Listening to the end on the drive up to Yosemite and during parts of the hike and had a smile on my face the whole time (despite the suffering: carpool’s AC broke and all the never ending ups and tree falls). This book is like a meandering river, life through thick and thin, tough but also tender… I think in the end I grew to love it, sad to see it end.
— Jul 27, 2026 09:15PM
JJoyce Yu
is 19% done
Not a great hiking listen. The audiobook narrator is kinda monotonous and the lack of a plot, the droning on, the heatwave… kinda put me to sleep coming down cucamonga peak 😅 great character study and maybe I’m just uncultured but where’s the plot 😭
— Jul 18, 2026 11:15AM