Reviews tagging 'Death'

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

171 reviews

mmitch10's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

I really struggled with deciding how to rate and review this book, especially after seeing so many rave reviews. There were elements that were powerful and heartbreaking  so I wanted to love it. Ultimately, I was left somewhat disappointed with the storyline and writing. How the family talked to each other, especially to Betty, felt so unrealistic and even how Betty spoke and acted was completely out of step with reality and her age. 

There was so much potential for strong character development but somehow everyone felt flat. Even the father was so promising and was a great opportunity for hope amid all the pain and trauma, but even he was one-dimensional.

Was he so lost in his own world he didn’t know what was happening in his family or did he know and instead of doing something just chose to talk to Betty? I know trauma and abuse makes people behave in ways that is hard for outsiders to understand, but this just didn’t sit right with me.

In the end it was just one trauma after another with little plot or hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Self harm, Racism, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

carolynlovesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A tough book to read but well worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Incest, Misogyny, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Racism, Rape, Blood, and Suicide attempt

lemonsreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was as horrific as it was beautiful. One of the best books I’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Grief, Blood, Animal death, Rape, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, and Cursing

ccate's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Blood, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Abortion, and Animal cruelty

erinreadsslow's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Incest, Racism, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Death of parent, and Death

plumkiv's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Sexual assault, Racism, Suicide, Rape, and Sexism

stefs1974's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Betty is one of my all time favorite books!  Beautifully written, heart wrenching, and thought provoking.  This book will always hold a special place in my heart!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, Racism, Addiction, Animal death, and Child abuse

butlerebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Just fucking masterful

This is exactly how you write stories of trauma - with reflection and compassion, and balanced with a gorgeous prose defined by its fine-tuned attention to detail

Check the trigger warnings because there’s some graphic stuff in this book but if you can stomach it it’s absolutely worth the read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Animal death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Addiction, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Pregnancy and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

lashanda's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. I picked it up because its description seemed intriguing. It was also highly rated for its writing and content. To be an outlier to these raving reviews feels a bit strange, but I hope this helps anyone looking for an honest review. 

 

McDaniel took inspiration from her mother’s family to write this work of fiction, so it straddles memoir/biography. This fact alone is why I find it hard to rate the book. Lots of things I would pick at in a “regular” fiction book, like characterization, plot, etc. I find hard to do here, knowing that this is based on true events. I think ultimately, Betty should have just been a memoir or biography. If it were, my review would not exist, and I would have likely rated the book higher. I think Betty’s overarching issue is its format. 

 

Betty lacks a real plot. I read the first half very quickly, in hopes a plotline would emerge, but by about halfway, I realized there wasn’t one, and intrigue dropped dramatically. I had no real desire to keep reading. 

 

Because of Betty’s lack of plot, the traumas in this book are undigestible and seem to have no real reason. I can’t stress enough how horribly traumatic the book is. Incest, rape, animal abuse, abortion, suicide, drug use, death—if there’s a trigger, it’s in this book. Again, this isn’t entirely a work of fiction, so it is hard to criticize. These horrors are unfortunately probable in real life. But, coupled with zero plot, this just reads as trauma after trauma with no end in sight. 

The jacket cover description also talks about how Betty copes with her family's horrors through writing. I was arguably most intrigued by this, but this plotline was almost non-existent.

Betty would write about the horrible things and then bury them. We see some of her poems. Her father also gifts her a typewriter when he dies.

I was quite disappointed with how flat this plotline was, as a writer myself. 

Landon Carpenter, Betty’s father, is a sweet, caring, if wishful, man.  He is absolutely the best character in the book. His hopeful fairy tales and metaphors give a sense of whimsy to the book, which is much needed. However, I found it grating and unrealistic after a while. He essentially has no real idea of the horrors going on in the family and coupled with his overdrawn, fantastical stories, it becomes annoying. Again, this is hard to criticize, as Landon is a real man, and his Cherokee heritage is what influences his storytelling. As a work of fiction however, this character doesn’t fully work for me. 

 

Another issue for me was how unrealistic the dialogue and writing were. Every word between the family was a drawn-out metaphor that just read as overly didactic at times. I understand this is where people find the beauty in this book i.e. the writing, and while I agree, I don’t think putting a metaphor into every sentence and chapter constitutes good writing. The writing in general reads as trite and preachy at times. I can’t deny that McDaniel is a talented writer, but to shove a lesson in the form of metaphor at every turn and bend doesn’t make for a great reading experience. 

 

I can’t say I heavily disliked or enjoyed the book. I hope McDaniel feels a sense of accomplishment for telling her family’s story—Betty does a wonderful job at that. As a work of fiction, I found it fell flat in the above-mentioned areas and made it a less than stellar reading experience for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Incest, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Sexism

vavocado's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Rape, Incest, Death, and Child abuse