Betty cover art

Betty

The International Bestseller

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Betty

By: Tiffany McDaniel
Narrated by: Dale Dickey
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $30.99

Buy Now for $30.99

About this listen

'A girl comes of age against the knife.'

So begins the story of Betty Carpenter.

Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit is one of poverty and violence - both from outside the family and also, devastatingly, from within. When her family's darkest secrets are brought to light, Betty has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio.

Despite the hardship 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 she bears witness to, 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.

©2020 Tiffany McDaniel (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Coming of Age Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Magic Magical Realism World Literature Native American

Critic Reviews

"Not a story you will soon forget." (Karen Joy Fowler, author of Man Booker Prize finalist We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves)
All stars
Most relevant  
Both tragic and beautiful, a read that will take your breath away as well as leave you sobbing out loud for Betty. Narration was brilliant too. Be ready for an emotional roller coaster.

Exceptional

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Brilliantly and purposefully written. Shocking and addictive, truly moving. It’s both a difficult read and strangely inspiring.

Utterly heartbreaking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book will definitely stay with me. Betty’s perspective throughout her life and the raw, devastating trials and tribulations that her family are faced with. Her dad is just A grade, beautiful human, true love, good man amazing father. Listen just get the book it’s stunning.

Pulls the heart strings!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narration of Betty brings the whole beautifully sad, powerful and important story to life. It's dark and utterly heartbreaking in parts, but is beautiful in ways most other books around loss don't quite seem to capture.

One of the most beautifully narrated stories!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I appreciate my life or at least I thought I did until this book ... my life is forever changed and I am grateful for having experienced this story. Every moment documented truth and experience and empathy, hatred pain and forgiveness. Thankyou Tiffany and Thankyou Dale ... my tears are a bridge to my soul and the depth of understanding I bore throughout .. please everyone take the time to read or listen to Betty !

A roller coaster life story to move the soul

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Stunning performance! I loved this story so much and will miss Betty and her view of the world.

Beautiful, brutal and heartfelt

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully written.

Fabulously narrated.

Heartbreakingly raw.

A book that will remain in my heart for some time.

Raw beauty

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Some parts of this book are heartbreakingly sad however some parts are filled with light and love. Such a beautiful book

Beautifully written story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Truly heartbreaking yet wonderfully beautiful. All of it was amazing, beautifully written and narrated. Poetic.

Beautiful and heartbreaking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
No light at the end of the tunnel on this one, it’s just one blow after another. A very interesting story but utterly tormenting and treacherous read.

A really hard read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.