First published in 1948, this timeless classic, released for a new generation of readers, follows Margy Shannon, a shy, eager, joyfully optimistic woman, as she searches for something better from life than the hard misery of poverty in which she lives. Original. 30,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

First published in 1948, this timeless classic, released for a new generation of readers, follows Margy Shannon, a shy, eager, joyfully optimistic woman, as she searches for something better from life than the hard misery of poverty in which she lives. - (Baker & Taylor)

"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. 

Booklist Reviews

Smith is best known for her 1943 classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. This 1948 novel, now back in print, follows young Margy Shannon in 1920s Brooklyn as she dreams of a brighter future than the life of poverty she has known. The product of an unhappy marriage between a bitter, harsh mother and a passive, emotionally suppressed father, Margy is eager to venture out into the world to get her first job and, hopefully, a husband and home of her own. She soon marries Frankie Malone, from a similarly poor Brooklyn family, but Margy's dream of a house of her own full of children continues to prove elusive. Smith's keen eye for character is on full display here in her psychologically astute portrayals of not just Margy and Frankie but various friends and family members in their orbit. Readers searching for an optimistic tale of the American Dream should look elsewhere, but those seeking rich characterization and vivid period detail will savor this story of a young woman's dreams, disappointments, and relentless hope for the future. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.