Maggie-Now

This books is very good. SO detailed and i was surprised constantly. I had so many emotions reading it too 😭😭😭 this did not disappoint.

I love all of Betty Smith's books (and wish she had written more) but Maggie Now is my all time favorite book. I read it as a teenager (30 years ago) and still pick it up and read it every few years. I still cry every time I read it and feel as though I'm connecting with old friends. It's a classic that is timeless. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," you should love "Maggie Now." It's definitely my favorite among Smith's books. It is very poignant most of the time, but extremely humorous in spots. Imagine throwing your late husband's ashes from a high place in NYC and not knowing what to say, except: "Goodbye! Goodbye!" This book with stick with your memory forever and ever!

Maggie-Now is a wonderfully detailed book. Betty Smith's writing only got even better with this one! She draws these characters showing not only their charms but their faults, too. I didn't think any book could compare with Tree, but Maggie-Now didn't let me down. I only wish Betty Smith had written many,many more books.

"Maggie-Now" is one of my favorite books. Most people at school think I read it because my own name is Maggie, but that isn't so. I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" a year ago, and it had a deep affect on me. I bought "Joy in the Morning" soon after, and enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as "A Tree". "Tomorrow Will Be Better" isn't at my local library district, but I expect to read it soon.I was totally blown away by "Maggie-Now". It's a love story, but not really about the couples in it--about the family. It makes me cry. I check it out a few times a year and read it over again. Let me explain what I can of the story:Patsy Moore is an immagrant from Ireland around the turn of the century. He meets and weds Mary, a nice American girl. Their daughter, Maggie-Now (that's her nickname, which is explained in the book)is one of those characters that you will never forget. She's not overly-intelligent like Francie in "A Tree", but there's something about her caring spirit that will remind you of Francie.Maggie-Now marries Claude Basset, a man who loves her so much that he wants to protect her from the things that he does that hurt her. Maggie-Now has an amazing life, as you will read in the book. Patsy's character, and Claude's, make the book a lot more interesting. It will make you cry, gasp, laugh, and think about it for a long, long time.

This book begins its story before Maggie Now's birth. It introduces her contrary father, Patrick, as a young man in Ireland and her gentle mother, Mary, as a school teacher in New York at the turn of the century. They meet in New York after Patrick flees Ireland and comes to America to work for Mary's father. Maggie Now grows up attending Catholic school, rearing her younger brother and yearning for love and a family of her own. I found many of the passages in the book touching, particularly the description of the Easter dinner which she cooks for Claude, whom she falls in love with. I revisit this book every year and will continue to do so for a long time. I actually prefer this book to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is not as detailed but is a much warmer, simpler story without the terrible poverty which overwhelms A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.