Francie Nolan and her brother, Neeley, grow up in the slums of Brooklyn in the early 1900s.

A Study Guide for Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.

"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.

As teenagers Brooklyn and Nico work to help each other recover from the deaths of Brooklyn's boyfriend--Nico's brother Lucca--and their friend Gabe, the two begin to rediscover their passion for life, and a newly blossoming passion for one another.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. CliffsNotes on Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, you explore life in early 20th-century Brooklyn as you follow the maturation of Francie Nolan and her family, which includes a hard-drinking father and the economic cost associated with that. But no matter the struggles that Francie encounters on her way to becoming an independent woman, her tenacity in creating the best life for herself that she can is inescapable. Ultimately her determination to succeed is like the tree that grows in the courtyard where Francie grows up, a tree called the Tree of Heaven, which always grows, regardless of whether or not it is watered, and which symbolizes the strength to survive, just as Francie survives. This study guide carefully walks you through Francie's journey by providing summaries and critical analyses of each book of the novel. You'll also explore the life and background of the author, Betty Smith. Other features that help you study include: An overview of the novel A list of characters, including analyses of major characters A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Analyses of major themes and symbols A glossary of important terms and phrases from the novel Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" captured the imagination of readers in 1943. In the first published biography of Smith, the real-life stories behind the heroes in her novel are told.

From Betty Smith, author of the beloved American classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, comes an unsentimental yet radiant and powerfully uplifting tale of young love and marriage. In 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, Carl Brown and Annie McGairy meet and fall in love. Though only eighteen, Annie travels alone halfway across the country to the Midwestern university where Carl is studying law—and there they marry. But Carl and Annie’s first year together is much more difficult than they anticipated as they find themselves in a faraway place with little money and few friends. With hardship and poverty weighing heavily upon them, they come to realize that their greatest sources of strength, loyalty, and love, will help them make it through. A moving and unforgettable story, Joy in the Morning is “a glad affirmation that love can accomplish the impossible.” (Chicago Tribune)