Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Il caos da cui veniamo by Tiffany McDaniel

140 reviews

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, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Incest, Physical abuse, Blood, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

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

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

lgiery's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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

2.5

"Betty" draws from the author's mother's childhood, blurring the lines between biography and fiction. Despite this, I found many scenes unbelievable. The characters were flat and lacked depth, and I missed their complexity. 

Additionally, some scenes of abuse, violence, racism, and sexism seemed unnecessary and insensitively executed. There is also so much cruelty packed into this book with very little human complexity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia

stellahadz's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I can't start this review without saying that Tiffany McDaniel is an immensely talented writer. You can tell that she really put her heart into writing this book, which is based on her own mother's early life. The prose is beautiful and lyrical, contrasting deeply with the heartbreaking story. This is an unforgettable book. Every character feels so real, and every event in the story of their lives makes the reader feel real anger, sadness, and joy right along with them. 

This is easily one of the best books I've read this year, and I can see it becoming an American classic. I highly recommend it, but I also suggest reading the trigger warnings beforehand, since it contains *many* emotionally heavy topics. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

amreynrt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I thought about what rating I wanted to give Betty. It is an incredible story written in a way that makes you forget everything around you, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. Betty is a story of racism, abuse, love and magic. It is about very flawed people being a family. It is about a very flawed society through the 1960s. It is about a man loving his children and giving life the most he could. It is about traditions and relationships all seen from a growing kid's eyes.

The set up is great, and the author mentions she tried to do justice to Ohio. You can feel the nature and the Lanes (not streets) of Breathed. You can feel the river and the winter and the hills. Tiffany McDaniel did an incredible job of writing a book from a child's perspective. In this book, everything feels terribly real. 

Never have I ever loved reading such a tough story. Many have said it this way, and I wholeheartedly agree - it is a book I would love to reread, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to put myself through this again. A heartbreaking story put together through incredible writing. I had never felt so uncomfortable reading a book I would give 5 stars to. 

I loved when Betty confronted Leland at the end.  All this time she kept quiet for the sake of Fraya and because she did not understand how and whom to tell this story. I wanted Betty to confront or tell on Leland throughout the whole book, and it felt so real that she would do so only at the very end. Not all stories are fair, not all secrets are told in real life. She did it not when it mattered the most, but she did it nonetheless.

So, so many traumatising scenes. Nova on the train tracks. Trustin. Fraya. Alka when she was a little girl. The kittens. The racism. Sometimes, it was a little hard to take it all in. Yet you just keep going, because it is written beautifully and because you want to understand those characters that feel maybe a little too real.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Vomit

libbyyjo's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

b00ksb4ppl's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

laurengeorgia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

cozyfantasyfaetay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, and Rape

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

strawberry_seagull's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is written beautifully. It is a fairly simple read, yet it is still chock-full of story and metaphors. My only hesitation with recommending this book to others is the amount of content warnings (which I will list). There are a LOT of different triggering scenes that are extremely graphic. However, despite the high intensity of the novel, I did thoroughly enjoy it. The characters are lovable and the stories they tell can resonate with anyone, even if someone hasn’t experienced the same issues the Carpenters have. My personal favorite dynamic was between Landon and Betty because I was able to see my dad and I in their father-daughter relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Violence, and Pregnancy