A must listen or read for lovers of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Fantastic narration and Smith is a master at character and setting. Another American classic.

Tomorrow Will Be Better takes place in the same setting as Smith's beloved landmark novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods of 1920's Brooklyn. The story largely focuses on a young woman named Margy Shannon, newly eighteen years of age and seeking her first job, her first beau, and escape from the grinding life of poverty faced by many Irish American's in the 1920's. With occasional flashbacks to Margy's sterile and largely unloving childhood, we see her desperately strive for a better life as she takes a job and tries to become more independent in spite of her mother's every effort to stifle her. Part of her plan involves an early marriage to leave her parents' home. Frankie Malone, a young man who diffidently courts her, comes from his own oppressive family. Their ill-fated marital relationship provides a stark look at hopes, dashed dreams, and gender-role expectations of the era. Though the novel shows Margy's depression over a stillborn daughter, it still manages to end on a note of hope.

I read this novel many years ago and it is now being reissued (along with an audiobook edition) by Harper Collins. I'm especially struck by the novel's frank depiction of marital problems in all the families in the story, its look at the divisive role that religion and immigrant status (new immigrants, first and second generation immigrants) play in families, and most stunning, its inclusion of an asexual character and that character's frustration in their marriage. While not as endearing as a story as Francie Nolan's in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Tomorrow Will Be Better provides a sharp look at the pre-Depression era in Brooklyn and the often caustic relationships between people in those times. Though I read the book as a teen, I think I was too young to truly appreciate some aspects of Smith's insightful writing.

The newly released audiobook, narrated by Nicola Barber with accents and all, was lovely.


I receive a digital review copy and a digital audio copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've mentioned before that my all-time favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was interested in reading more from her, but her books are out of print. However, I recently found that they are getting reprinted so I requested an audio ARC of Tomorrow Will Be Better.

The book focuses on Margy Shannon, a poor Irish girl growing up in 1920s Brooklyn. This is a family saga that looks at the impact of poverty on family dynamics and the idea of the American Dream that if you work hard, you can be successful. Hope towards a brighter tomorrow is a constant theme running through the book.

Something that I thought was incredibly progressive for a book originally published in 1948 is the inclusion of a character is who not really interested in sex with his wife. It is unclear if this character is asexual or a homosexual but either way, that was likely a radical idea to include in this story.

This book is quite sad in parts, dealing with abuse, poverty, and infant loss but the book ends on a hopeful note that things can turn around. My only issue with the book was the pacing. Occasionally she skipped over significant events or rushed through them. While this did not replace A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as my favorite, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend the audiobook. I gave the book 4 stars.


Thanks to Netgalley for the audio ARC and this book will be published on November 24, 2020.

Margy and Frankie. They both grew up in Brooklyn. They both have hopes and dreams for the future. Their parents also have plans for them. Betty Smith tells their coming of age story, then their courtship, and marriage. The American Dream is out there. After watching their parents fall short of their hopes, can Margy and Frankie continue a forward trajectory? Is there hope for them in the future? This intimate portrait of life in 1920's Brooklyn will evoke memories of our own upbringings while firmly anchoring us in that time and place. Smith takes the time to invite us into the minds and hearts of multiple characters--brief interludes at times--making this a character-driven slice-of-life that is timeless.

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for providing a advance audio narration by Nicola Barber in exchange for an honest review.

Tomorrow Will Be Better tells the story of Margy Shannon, a young woman growing up in Brooklyn in the 1920s. We learn of her early years in a small cramped apartment the only child of a hard-working yet stoic father and a mother, his complete opposite. Margy has found new friendships in a recently acquired job she enjoys and yearns for a husband and children of her own. The book begins with a young woman striving for independence and ends with a woman who has found everything she was ever wanted, but realizes it is not what she anticipated.

I hate to admit it, but I have never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), but the descriptions I have read seem very similar to Margy's story. I truly enjoyed seeing the development of Margy from a young child playing with a clothespin in the corner of the cramped kitchen, to the good wife she desperately wants to be to her Franky. The setting, New York - specifically the Williamsburg and Bushwich sections of Brooklyn, in the 1920s, provides the reader historical context for which most readers will not have an understanding of the time frame or the area.

This was a great book to listen to! The author's ability to capture the tiniest parts of relationships made this so relatable. I can see why this is a classic.

This audio was well done. The atory flowed well, characters were engaged and enjoyable. Margie became a strong woman, despite her surroundings.

Nicola Barber brings Betty Smith’s New York streets to life. Margy Shannon is a young, shy Brooklyn girl looking to break away from her ever quarreling parents, and start a life of her own. Her life begins to change when she meets Frankie Malone.