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The first thing I want to say about this is the plot. There isn't really one. You follow a very poor family living in the slums of Brooklyn. And that's about it.

The positives are it's so well written. Betty Smith takes you from tragedy to farce; from heartbreaking to heartwarming; from despair to delight. There are sections of the book that are so moving that I read slower to take everything in. There are sections that are so funny that I belly laughed (Willie and his horse and Sissy pretending to be pregnant were particular highlights)

One other positive is that there are only a few characters in the book. All the characters are given time to breathe and they all leap off the page (Francie Nolan is one of the best characters I've read and Sissy has a heart of gold)

The only negative is that I wish the book was even longer. I felt genuine sadness when I finished the novel as I realised I had to leave the characters behind

In short; the book is a masterpiece. It moved me in a way I haven't felt from a novel in a very long time

Would definitely recommend and could be my book of the year.