Betty

A Novel

De: Tiffany McDaniel

Narrado por: Dale Dickey

Duración: 17 h y 36 m

Resumen del Editor

A 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 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.

©2020 Tiffany McDaniel (P)2020 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

One of the Best Books of the Year: The Guardian, Glamour, Goop
An Entertainment Weekly Must-Read

An Indie Next "Great Read for September"

O Magazine's "Best Books to Pick Up Before Summer Ends"

Entertainment Weekly's "20 Late-Summer Must-Reads for August"

E! Online's "17 Books to Check Out Before the End of Summer"

Sheerluxe's "Six New Books to Read This August"

Salon's "Provocative Must-Reads for August"

NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER

THE SOCIETY OF MIDLAND AUTHORS AWARD WINNER

OHIOANA LIBRARY READERS CHOICE AWARDS WINNER

FRIENDS OF AMERICAN WRITERS CHICAGO WINNER

LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

“The book is rich with the texture of everyday living. It’s these details that sing Betty to life and bring readers fully into the Appalachian landscape and the social milieu of Breathed.” —The Los Angeles Times

“Breathtaking.” —Vogue

“Fierce, vividly realized . . . McDaniel doesn’t shy away from depicting horrors, especially those that breed within a family . . . Betty’s story is searingly hard to bear, but the rewards of getting to know her make up for her pain.” —The Columbus Dispatch

Gorgeous

What a beautiful story. The imagery in this story was breathtaking. I couldn’t stop thinking about this family even when I wasn’t listening.

Wow! Did not expect to love this book as much as I did!

Best book I’ve read this year! Loved every second of it-beautifully written and I was blown away to find out such a young author wrote this! She is so talented:) I highly recommend this book to others!

Great Story

Loved this book. The story was great and the narration was superb.
So sad, but entertaining and humorous too.

Strength

This book is devastatingly beautiful. Or perhaps what I mean to say is beautiful, while being devastating. As coming of age tales tend to do, you see yourself in the narrator. You learn about the condition of being human, even and maybe especially when the narrator’s story is far different from your own. The story of Betty and the Carpenter family takes you on a journey, filling you up with warmth and then suddenly turning course and breaking your heart. Over and over. It’s an arduous journey, but one well worth the destination. One thing remains - Betty’s strength through the literal blood, sweat and tears. I stand by what I said in my review of her debut novel - Tiffany McDaniel is a WORD MAGICIAN - each sentence intricately laced. I loved this novel. Keeping in mind it’s inspired by the real life experience of the author’s mother, it pierced my heart. And will pierce yours too.

Coming of age

A good book that just went on too long. A compelling coming of age with so much sadness and dysfunction. The Indian lore was meaningful. The stories her father told were woven of creativity and meaning. The mother meant well but suffered from mental and alcohol issues.

The art of resilience on display

Tiffany’s ode to her mother Betty is a true depiction of what it means to be resilient, an art in its own right not practiced by many of today’s “delicate” youth. If you find this story to be sad and “triggering” it’s is because you have never had to be resilient in the face of true trauma, tragedy and heartbreak. This story was real and raw, as many of our lives are, it is how resilient you choose to be that either makes you or breaks you. Choose to be resilient, reject being a victim, our only choice in life is that to choose how we react to the situations put before us. Thank you Tiffany for writing something real.

Fantastic storytelling

Betty is a story ultimately about resilience in the face of violence. It’s about family and the flawed people within and their secrets. At times I found that a lot of the characters were hard to like but not hard to love and have some compassion for and some hatred for. At times I found myself having to fast forward, some scenes were too hard to hear and to violent to handle for me. Some left me feeling raw. I always had to prepare myself for the next chapter whether it would be kindness I’d hear or cruelty. Guess that’s how life works sometimes!
Ultimately, I loved this book and I want to get the hard copy!
Dale Dickey did a great job narrating and had a range with the characters. What an amazing voice!!!

Sad but not oppressive

It took me a couple of months to get through this book because there is so much sadness and trauma. But I cared very much for (most of) the characters, so I continued to return. It only gets sadder and sadder with more and more frequency as you get towards the end. It’s not a light read. There is a lot of rhythm to the prose, though delivered by an unconvincing performance. The accent sounds like Appalachia to me? Definitely southern which was a little distracting. But not appallingly so. I recommend.

Beautiful Story

For me this was simply a beautiful story that takes its time to unfold. It has characters that are deep that you grow to love and hate. If you’re looking to take your time and just listen to a well crafted story then definitely listen to “Betty”.

Betty's story

This book was full of devastating truths and darkness. Nothing I love more than a story that doesn't have the typical happy ending. This is based on a true story about a girl growing up with a poor and dysfunctional family that fights every day to survive and they are always fighting their own demons. Betty is the focus of the story and we follow her childhood journey on a bumpy ride. I rooted for Betty, I cried for Betty, I wished a different life for Betty. I felt like I knew her and wanted so badly to protect her. The author is Betty's daughter so this book felt so alive and real.

This book is not for the faint of heart or someone who wants to see a happy family united. It has some events that are hard to read. I would highly suggest reading this book however. It is one that you can't ignore. It makes you feel so many emotions.