Tomorrow Will Be Better

By: Betty Smith

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

""A rediscovered treasure."" — Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

From Betty Smith, author of the beloved classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, comes a poignant story of love, marriage, poverty, and hope set in 1920s Brooklyn.

Tomorrow Will Be Better tells the story of Margy Shannon, a shy but joyfully optimistic young woman just out of school who lives with her parents and witnesses how a lifetime of hard work, poverty, and pain has worn them down. Her mother's resentment toward being a housewife and her father's inability to express his emotions result in a tense home life where Margy has no voice. Unable to speak up against her overbearing mother, Margy takes refuge in her dreams of a better life.

Her goals are simple—to find a husband, have children, and live in a nice home—one where her children will never know the terror of want or the need to hide from quarreling parents. When she meets Frankie Malone, she thinks her dreams might be fulfilled, but a devastating loss rattles her to her core and challenges her life-long optimism. As she struggles to come to terms with the unexpected path her life has taken, Margy must decide whether to accept things as they are or move firmly in the direction of what she truly wants.

Rich with the flavor of its Brooklyn background, and filled with the joys and heartbreak of family life, Tomorrow Will Be Better is told with a simplicity, tenderness, and warmhearted humor that only Betty Smith could write.

Heartfelt story

I loved this book. Betty Smith does an extraordinary job of conveying why two people who have little in common marry and eventually drift apart. That this novel was written and published in the 1940’s speaks volumes about the author and her publisher in terms of tackling a sensitive subject for that time.

Sweet Story

This is a deceptively simple story of life and love in an Irish/Brooklyn home. Ever the wise observer of human nature, author Betty Smith peels back the tough outer layers of ordinary people to reveal the trauma, the turmoil, and the events that have shaped them.

Narrator Nicola Barber does Brooklynese brilliantly.

Gentle and heartfelt

A lovely, heartfelt character study of a sweet young woman finally becoming an adult through some hardships and emotional disappointment. Nicola Barber is one of my favorite narrators, and she enhanced this gentle story.

The whole story line and the period in history it took place.

I love Betty Smith books and this one is no exception. It was as good as a tree grows in Brooklyn. Very good narration too.

Beautifully crafter characters

My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Smith does not disappoint with her development of the characters as she reveals the complex interpersonal struggles and relationships. A peek into history is also revealed in her detailed description of daily life long gone by. Really engaging read and as always with Smith, her characters’ humanity and will to persevere and find meaning in their lives shines through.