Betty: A novel

One of the best contemporary novels on a family saga I’ve ever had the chance to be entertained by. Tiffany McDaniels writes like gold! This book will make you shed countless tears through warm smiles.

one of the best books i’ve read this year so well written really heartbreaking but gripping to the last page i could not put it round so recommend this to anyone who loves good storytelling and emotional reads

The anticipation I had going into this one was unparalleled. Most everyone that I know loved it. Some of my more “seasoned” friends even claimed it “broke” them. So when I get reviews like this with almost universal admiration, what do I do? Sure, I pick it up. But with all this advance mass adoration you better believe I go into it looking for warts and embracing a mild touch of cynicism. “Betty” by Tiffany McDaniel tells the story of...well...Betty...who is the daughter of Landon and Alka Carpenter. Landon is Cherokee; Alka is not. The family lives in Breathed, Ohio, a small backwoods Appalachian town. as McDaniel says, “Ohio Appalachia is a place where families are raised and individuals step into their own light.” And that is exactly what this book is about. With seemingly no apparent plot, McDaniel chronicles the early life of her mother, Betty, along with her parents and siblings, each with dark secrets and inner demons. My reading habits on this book started by taking notes after each chapter, posing theories and questioning motives. Where was it going? Who were the heroes and who were the villains? Where were their story arcs going? The first couple hundred pages built their world and laid the seeds for what was to come. But, to be honest, I was not feeling all the love early on readers were heaping on this book. But that’s McDaniel’s skill. Because it changes quickly. We meet some beautiful people and some horrible people. I wondered if the beautiful would turn horrible later on—was that the twist here? Was I listening to an unreliable narrator? Landon Carpenter seems too good to be true. Perfect father totally engaged with Betty and her siblings. But Alka’s family are monsters. Betty and her siblings seemed wise beyond their years in how they spoke. I started to feel as if McDaniel was the one speaking, not them. And Landon always had a story for every action and occurrence relating to a Cherokee legend. McDaniel says it best a little more than halfway through when Landon and another friend with a vivid imagination recount a dream—“while other men spoke of reality, Landon and Cinderblock John spoke of things they believed.” And this is exactly true. Landon Carpenter teaches his children to dream and notice the hidden world around them. He is an even tempered father the kids all love. He stokes their imaginations and keeps the wonder alive. Given the world they find themselves in, these Cherokee myths are far better to believe in than their reality which is full of racism, violence, bullying, and despair. This belief in these stories comes to play a pivotal role many times throughout the novel. But my favorite scene was, after Betty has grown into a young woman, Landon recounts how he got the gnarled scar tissue on his burned hand after she asks him about it. At first he tells a fictionalized account of how he got the scar, a story about a burning book and a hummingbird. Upon finishing the story, he says to Betty “what I’ve just told you is the beautiful lie. Would you like to hear the ugly truth?” This is the first time he ever admits his stories are lies to hide ugly truths. And the book is loaded with ugly truths. But Betty is no longer a little girl and doesn’t need the lie—she’s seen plenty already. Once we get about three quarters through the book, everything comes into focus. Characters motives are revealed; those ugly truths come fast and furious, some of them explaining earlier events and actions which I didn’t take much notice of at the time. Clearly McDaniel DID plot this story out and it all coalesces seamlessly over the last 100 pages. At this point I couldn’t put the book down. There were some all out intense scenes with heartbreaking results. Words I can use to describe this story? Heartbreaking. Stark. Sonorous. Deep. Bleak. Hopeless. Depressing. Loving. Pure. It’s Cormac McCarthy-esque impact with Ray Bradbury-esque delivery. Beautiful, metaphorical, deep words. All the emotions running rampant through a backdrop of rural poverty and struggle. Even though I came into the book a little skeptical, I left it as broken as others. Landon Carpenter’s relationship with his children is something every father should aspire to. It will stay with me for a long time. 5 out of 5 fractured stars

Very poor quality book. Cover marked, pages all different lengths and uneven, like it hadn’t been finished and cut to size. I’ve never seen a book so cheaply made and of such poor quality. Such a shame as it’s a great book, but just don’t buy it from this company.

enjoyed the book - very different to my usual read very thought provoking