One of the Best Books of the Year: The Guardian, Glamour, GoopAn Entertainment Weekly Must-ReadA stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians about a young girl and the family truths that will haunt her for the rest of her life.“A girl comes of age against the knife.”So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee … in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit in the rural town of Breathed, Ohio, is one of poverty and violence—both from outside the family and, devastatingly, from within. But despite the hardships she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters, and her father’s brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all to which she bears witness, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.
Inspired by generations of her family, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by delivering this heartbreaking yet magical story—a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the most important voices in American fiction.
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Sometimes books come your way in the oddest of circumstances. Be it a friend mentioning they loved a book and sending you a copy, or you see a book getting buzz and it’s randomly in a Free Little Library as you walk by.
Or, in the case of ‘Betty,’ the author has reached out to a fellow reviewer due to geographical similarities. In this instance, Tiffany had reached out to my friend and fellow Team KR member Miranda Crites, as Miranda lives in Appalachia. Unfortunately, Miranda was unable to get to it by release date, so she offered it to the KR team. I’d seen ‘Betty’ mentioned a few times, but when I read Edward Lorn’s review, and then saw Laurie’s (aka Barks) I knew I needed to review this.
Miranda emailed Tiffany, who emailed me and voila, review copy on the Kindle. But that wasn’t just it. Tiffany and I exchanged a few emails back and forth, and wouldn’t you know, we also shared a number of similarities about where we’d grown up. While my early years were in BC, Canada, geographically – with the mountains – it was all so similar.
What I liked: If a book can physically manifest dread through an electronic reading device, this is the book. ‘Betty’ reads like a non-fiction book, where details are told matter-of-factly while the story rumbles along. Autobiographical in nature, we follow along with a family often one page at a time.
McDaniel has created something special here. Characters that evoked emotions, We have it all here. Coming-of-age, grief, trauma, abuse. We get to see how the world around these characters causes such pain, but unlike novels that focus on a small chunk of time, we get to see how these small ripples from a specific day, form into waves over a lifetime.
Am I saying anything specific about this book right now? Yes and no. This is a book that is very hard to review with specifics, as it is a book told through a perspective like the game of dominoes. Once the first piece falls, everything comes tumbling after.
So, I will say this; Betty arrives to a white mother and a Cherokee father. A one night stand that ends up getting her beat by her father, who in turns gets beat by Landon, the Cherokee man. This sets the stage early for what the reader will be in for. The moments of beauty are often a cloud sitting at the edge of the storm front behind it.
What I didn’t like: This book was a masterpiece. I struggle sometimes with books this well written. That may not make sense to some of you, but I was intimidated at times with how well written this was. I’m not a smart enough reader (or reviewer!) to fully verbalize what I’m trying to say, but there are moments in this book that are so crystal clear, perfect, you’ll need to set it down, go back and reread it.
Why you should buy it: I’ve long wanted to take a crack at ‘The Summer That Melted Everything,’ as that book is always hailed as amazing. It wasn’t until I started reading this that I put two and two together and realized it was the same author. Sad, I know! So, if you read that and loved it, I can’t see how you wouldn’t love this. It does take place in the same town, but I can’t say whether any characters appear in both. McDaniel is an amazing author, that is evident from page one, but if you are looking for a captivating and emotionally devastating story, ‘Betty’ should be high on your list of books to read.
So normally when I’m done reading a book I can write my review right away. Not so with Betty. You know those books that, while they may be beautifully written, tear you up so much inside you just have to step back and pause? This is that book.
When reading this you don’t follow Betty’s life…you are immersed in it. All the pain, torment, bone-aching heartache and yes…even the few good times she and her family have. Her story is not one for breezing through. It’s one to digest and reflect on. I don’t know how many times my heart physically hurt and I could barely see through the waterfall of tears.
What Betty and her family went through would cripple most people but somehow Betty stays the course and remains true to herself. She stays strong and optimistic. What a absolutely amazing person.
I think this is one everyone should read at some point. It’s eye-opening and important. The fact that it’s based on the author’s mom and her life made this harder to get through and took me the 2nd half of March to read it. Is it sad? Yes. Will it rip your heart apart? Yes. Will it leave you with a book hangover? Yes. Is it worth it? Most definitely.
Resilience in the face of the family one is born into. Betty inspires me!
Betty was one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is based on a true story.
I’m going to make this quite short…
Initially the cover did nothing to attract me to this book, but for months I kept hearing so many good things about it I decided I had to read it. When Ladies of Horror Fiction chose it as one of their September group reads (the other being Crossroads by Laurel Hightower, which is phenomenal by the way) it sounded like the perfect opportunity to pick up a copy.
Oh boy, am I glad I did. It turned out to be one of those rare books that you want everybody to read. Even though it was quite a long book at around 480 pages, I loved every single sentence. The plot, the references to Native American culture, characterization, you name it. All superb.
Personally, I didn’t find it as traumatic an experience as many reviewers have, but that’s just me. There are elements that will likely trigger some readers, so be warned.
I’m not going to argue about which genre it belongs to, because I care more about story experience and less about fitting fiction into boxes.
This one goes straight to my Top Reads of 2021 shelf.
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I was somewhat interested in this book until there was a description of a horrific act of violence. I stopped reading. This is not what I turn to reading for.
Betty was definitely not a happy book, but it was well worth reading for the story of a girl determined to educate herself out of the conditions into which she was born. It wasn’t an easy read, but it was a deeply satisfying one.
This is the best book I read in a long time. I wanted to give her a big hug, it makes you question your beliefs and kept me up at night thinking about it.
Beautifully written. There is a lot of tragedy in this book but the part that came most alive for me was the love of a father for his family.
A book I will never forget.
I found this book very disturbing. It went on to long and was really a downer. I did enjoy all of the mystical and dream like things from the Indian background. That’s why I bought it in the first place. I thought the cruelty was overdone. I’m sorry I read it.
How often and how hard do you like your emotions yanked around? Betty’s going to do that to you in just about every chapter. It’s a gorgeously written book, at times hilarious and others deeply contemplative and tragic. It is obvious McDaniel poured her heart and soul into this, and combined with her tremendous talent, it makes for one hell of a great novel.
If you want a book that will completely wreck you in every way imaginable, then that is going to be Betty by Tiffany McDaniel. I am honestly amazed I didn’t cry while listening to it, and it’s not the kind of book that is going to give you warm and fuzzy feelings. There is so much pain, hurt, and grief in this book, and it was such a hard and heavy read. I usually forget books not too long after I read them, but that is definitely not the case with Betty. I finished it 6 days ago, but a lot of what happened is still very fresh in my mind, and this isn’t a book I am going to forget any time soon. McDaniel’s writing is incredible and beautiful, and it really blows my mind that she started writing this at only age 17, never mind that it is also a true story disguised as fiction.
Since this is a very large book at over 700 pages, I decided to do the audio and I’m glad I did. Dale Dickey is the narrator and she truly did such an amazing job narrating this beast of a novel. Every word was perfectly spoken, and I could feel emotion in her voice which is the sign of a great narrator in my mind. Seeing everything through Betty’s eyes was emotional and powerful, and she was such a strong person. There is light in this book as well as darkness, and I am so glad that McDaniel got to tell her mother’s story through this novel. Betty’s dad was a large bright spot in the book, and I loved the moments with him, as well as Betty’s brother Lint.
I was unsure about reading McDaniel’s previous novel, The Summer that Melted Everything, but I can tell you with certainty that is no longer the case. I will be reading that and anything else she writes from now on!
How do I describe this book? It’s so unlike anything I’ve read before. I read a sample first, and fell in love with the writing style, so I got the whole thing and plowed through in just a few days. Most books that move through life stories bore me, because they don’t have a good enough common thread, goal, or mystery to string me along. This one had me grinning, then crying within minutes, and waiting to find out what happens. Each terrible thing that happened to this family, was a blow to the gutt, but there were fond moments too. Moments that come alive on the page and just about dance right in front of me.
Watching Betty grow in her understanding of the world, herself, and her family never felt contrived. The twist at the end was particularly satisfying. Even if I was rooting for a solution more violent, the point was well taken. There are some valuable life lessons in this book.
This is the story of Betty Carpenter and her family. The 6th of 8 children born to a mother who was white and a father who was Cherokee, her story unfolds in the 1950s-1970s in this book. Early in her life, she and her family settle in the town of Breathed, Ohio. Their family is poor and isolated due to their Cherokee background, but despite that, Betty grows up feeling the love from mostly her father. A man full of stories and love for his children, Betty learns from him to become resilient. As one tragedy after another strikes her family Betty is left with her stories and her love of writing to help her escape.
I have mixed feelings about this book. First – you need to know that this book has a lot of very hard subjects to read about. There is rape and abuse, and death among the love and stories of Betty’s upbringing. I THINK I understand that this is based on the true story of a real person. And if that is the case, I really have a hard time with it. I am sure families like this exist and they are horrible to their core on many levels with deep secrets that no one would ever guess. I am sure of it. But it bordered on the unbelievable. NOW – if it is purely fiction based on the backgrounds of Cherokee families or hardships of poor families at this point in history – then it becomes a little different for me. Don’t ask me why – I cannot put my finger on it. Beautifully written on many levels? YES. Cringe worthy parts? YES. Worth a read…..MAYBE? Close to a yes.
The dad in the story is amazing. He weaves stories and tales from his Cherokee anestry that were the best parts of the book. But many of the characters – the mom, the eldest brother, two of the sisters……cringe.
Ugh. This one was harder than I thought. I got those book through my Book of the Month and I am glad that I chose it. However – as I read the very very few reviews it has on facebook, I see I might be the only one that is having trouble putting into words exactly how to review this one.
This book is unforgettable. The characters will stay with me for a long, long time.
Another winner from Tiffany McDaniel! I read her first book The Summer That Melted Everything when it was released four years ago and was blown away so I was pretty eager to get my hands on her newest novel. Both books are set in the same town of Breathed, Ohio and there were a few quick glimpses of some familiar characters but otherwise, these were two very different stories. I ended up loving this book just as much as I loved her previous novel.
It did take me a long time to read this book. One reason is that my life has been absolutely crazy for the past few months and time to read has been hard to come by. Another reason, and probably a bigger one, was the fact that I really needed to process some of the scenes in this book. This book is based on the life of the author’s mother which made it even more heart-wrenching. This was a book that I wanted to savor every moment of and I am glad that I took my time and really gave Betty the time that she deserved.
This book tells the story of Betty and the rest of the Carpenter family. We see Betty’s mother and father meet, marry, and bring their children into the world. Betty’s father is Cherokee and she is darker like him which makes life difficult for her in 1960’s Ohio. Her family was poor but they made things work. Her father had a garden that helped to feed the family and used his knowledge of plants and herbs to make medicines for the local community. We see the challenges that all of her family members face through Betty’s eyes and hear their stories through Betty’s ears. I was often just as horrified as Betty was.
The writing was just as fantastic as the story. I love the way that the author was able to share an event in such brilliant detail that I felt like I could actually see what was happening. Betty’s family was quite large but I felt like I knew her brothers and sisters almost as well as Betty. The story had a wonderful and I found myself wanting to go over certain passages more than once just because I felt the power and beauty of the words.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a wonderful story of resilience and strength even when things were at the lowest point. Tiffany McDaniel has cemented her position as an author I plan to follow.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Best book of the year so far for me. I wrote a review in the NY Journal of Books. You can read it here:
https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/betty-novel
Betty Carpenter was born to a white mother and a Cherokee father. Soon enough she learned the hard way what it’s like to be different in a society that didn’t appreciate such a thing. And while her family home was a sanctuary, their dark secret could obliterate her childhood before she was ready to face the world.
This book brought out some intense anger in me with how the characters were treated because of their ethnicity or gender. Some scenes were hard to read and unfortunately, these are things that are still happening in the current world.
The lizard would eventually regrow a tail as if losing part of oneself is no great burden after all. If only we could be like the lizards.
There were a lot of the life lesson stories imparted and sometimes it just went over my head with the frequency and length. I did love the family bond they had especially between Betty and her dad. And the bond also became the source of heartaches throughout the book.
Betty is a tale of self-identity. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a coming of age family saga.
4.5 Stars
Born in 1956 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty Carpenter was raised to respect nature and was given the gift of storytelling. Among her siblings, Betty is the only one to resemble her father and is closest to him, but the connection to her roots doesn’t make the prejudices she must face any easier. Poor and deemed to be different in a small town with ignorant beliefs is a constant struggle, as Betty must find a way to overcome such adversity.
“Boys are like that. Always tryin’ to pretend they’re savin’ girls from somethin’. They never seem to realize, we can save ourselves.”
Narrated primarily through Betty’s eyes, this book begins with Betty as a young girl and catalogues her experiences until she reaches adulthood. With shared wisdoms from her father, she learns how to adapt and also tell her stories. Proving to be a vital component of her family, Betty becomes a strong symbol as a Carpenter and a woman.
“But I had learned that just because time has moved forward, it does not mean something so terrible ever gets easier to bear.”
What I truly admired about this story is the resilience evident in Betty. In no way was her life easy, but she endured and remained true. I also liked Landon, Betty’s father. Though he had to quit school in third grade, he focused on his blessings rather than the struggles. With themes of racism, sexism, abuse and loss, there were many times when I wanted to strangle some characters, especially certain family members. But those scenes also made me really think about deeper systemic issues.
Betty is a poignant narrative showing how life isn’t perfect but there can be moments of light and strength.