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Betty

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Betty

By: Tiffany McDaniel
Narrated by: Dale Dickey
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'So engrossing! Betty is a page-turning Appalachian coming-of-age story steeped in Cherokee history, told in undulating prose that settles right into you' Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times
'Beautiful and devastating' Observer, Books of the Year
'Breathtaking' Vogue

'A girl comes of age against the knife.'
Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father, Betty Carpenter is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit in the rural town of Breathed, Ohio, is one of poverty and loss, of lush landscapes and blazing stars. Despite the hardships she encounters, 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 - the horrors of her family's past and present - Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.
A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel - full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words.

'I felt consumed by this book. I loved it, you will love it' Daisy Johnson, author of Sisters

'Vivid and lucid, Betty has stayed with me' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

'I loved Betty' Fiona Mozley, author of Hot Stew

'Tiffany McDaniel follows in the tradition of The Color Purple with her unflinching portrayal of the generational ripples of racism, poverty, and abuse' Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child

See what readers are saying:
'I was fully immersed in this from start to finish' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Utterly beautiful and completely devastating' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book is a beautiful, beautiful thing. It finds hope in such painful places' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I adored this book. I found it really moving ... It's a tear-jerker' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This story will stay with me for a long time' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'An all-time favourite ... Certain to become a classic' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Americas Coming of Age Environment Fantasy Fatherhood Fiction Genre Fiction Indigenous Peoples Magic Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Parenting & Families Relationships Science Social Sciences United States World Literature Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Native American
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Critic reviews

Breathtaking.
Despite the beauty of the landscape and the poetry of the language, this is not an easy read. Yes, it flows beautifully, but there are depths to explore and layer upon layer of meaning. It is worth the journey... At one stage, I put the novel aside but Betty kept calling me back. I wanted to know what happened. I'm glad I did. Once I had finished the book, I wanted to start again simply so that I could savour some of the language and the Cherokee wisdom. (I also wanted to give Betty a hug and tell her it would be OK.) This is a book that will stay with you.
There's a good chance you haven't read a family saga like Betty... Their story is simultaneously extraordinary (they are subjected to unthinkable racism, financial hardships, and untimely deaths) and run-of-the-mill (at the heart, they are a family like any other). Each day in their life is supplanted with the mysticism and interconnectedness of their father's traditions, offering a light at the end of a very dark plot tunnel.
Vivid.
So engrossing! Tiffany McDaniel's Betty is a page-turning Appalachian coming-of-age story steeped in Cherokee history, told in undulating prose that settles right into you.
I felt consumed by the ambitious enormity and sadness of this book. Betty is about the power of words and the language it is written in rings with this. I loved it, you will love it.
I loved Betty: I fell for its strong characters and was moved by the story it portrayed. McDaniel deals with the passage of time with subtlety and skill and the descriptions of the rolling hills of Ohio were really beautiful.
Betty is woven of many things, light and dark, and most of all it is life in all its shades: all its brilliances and disappointments, sadnesses and hopes. Vivid and lucid, Betty has stayed with me.
Tiffany McDaniel has given us a vivid and haunting portrait of the writer as a young girl. Betty Carpenter survives the brutality of her childhood through her father's stories and his steadfast belief in her own. A novel of tragedy and trouble, poetry and power, not a story you will soon forget.
Magical, densely lyrical and often disturbing. Tiffany McDaniel follows in the tradition of The Color Purple with her unflinching portrayal of the generational ripples of racism, poverty, and abuse. Shot through with moonshine, Bible verses, and folklore, Betty is about the cruelty we inflict on one another, the beauty we still manage to find, and the stories we tell in order to survive.
This novel broke my brain. The lush, hypnotic prose, the voice, so authentic and compelling, as Betty Carpenter holds your hand and leads you through a world filled with familial tragedy. Each more haunting than the last, until you're left holding your breath, with a tourniquet on your heart. This is powerful, relentless storytelling at its best.
All stars
Most relevant
there are no words for the brilliance of this book. genuinely, no words. please listen to this if you can. the narrator is absolutely phenomenal.

wow

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I honestly didn’t want it to end, I want to know what happened next for Betty.

Dale Dickey brings this story alive with her top class performance.

Powerful

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A deeply moving story told from the perspective of child who overcomes adversity and experiences a number of traumas. As she grows and evolves so does her relationship with her siblings and the world around her. The relationship that she enjoyed with her father moved me to tears, it was really precious and reminded me if the short time I had on earth with my grand father. The characters are all complex and beautifully flawed but others have no redeemable features whatsoever. Dale Dicky was wonderful throughout and was the perfect person to narrate this story. Hands down the best audiobook I’ve listened to this year.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

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Wonderfully narrated. Betty is an epic story of female power persevering through poverty, oppression and prejudice. Betty is a brilliant character who experiences terrible things in her young life, but who always has the strength of her Cherokee father and his tales of nature and the cosmos to sustain her. I adored this book, with it poetic depictions and engrossing plot. Betty's family come alive with the skillful narration in soft Southern tones. One of the best audiobooks I have listened to, where the narration adds a whole other magical dimension to this stunning book.

sublime

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Found the story fascinating and compelling but also incredibly harrowing and upsetting at times. The narrator is absolutely brilliant and made a great story sublime!

Fantastic narration, harrowing story at times

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