A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Novel by Betty Smithpremium off white cream pages Stitched binding Matte cover local premium copy Language English Dimensions 5. 5 x 8. 26 inches Pages amount 543 summary: Mary Frances "Francie" Nolan is the protagonist. The novel begins when Francie is 11 years old. The rest of the novel tells of Francie's life until she goes to college at 17. Francie grows up in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century; her family is in constant poverty throughout most of the novel.