Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Tomorrow Will Be Better

Tomorrow Will Be Better was originally published in 1948 by Betty Smith, best known for her novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Recently republished as "A Rediscovered Classic," Tomorrow Will Be Better returns to Brooklyn with another look at the poverty in the 1920s. Readers meet Margy Shannon as she leaves high school and embarks on her journey into the workplace and adulthood. However, in order to understand the Shannon family dynamics, Smith uses flashbacks to share a time when Margy was lost as a child and how her mother reacted. This specific episode is referenced throughout the book. While Margy Shannon is the main character throughout the book, several other prominent characters and their stories are also told as the individuals interact with Margy.

In Tomorrow Will Be Better, Smith uses rich, descriptive writing to tell the story of the hard-scrabble life endured by the families portrayed and their efforts to improve their lives. As the title indicates, the main theme in the book is a hope for the future in the midst of being held back by family and community expectations. This book is highly recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction and coming of age stories.

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