Rating: 
Summary: Black and Blue
Review: To predictable and very anti-climatic. The charactars are not that interesting and very "fit the moldish." The stereotypical wife-beater mold was nothing new.
Rating: 
Summary: Riveting.
Review: Once again Quindlen succeeds in keeping her readers affixed. This is a compelling account of the ravages of spousal abuse--the fear, self-doubt, hopelessness and despair victims are subjected to. The characters are intricate, often sympathetic and purposeful, carefully chosen to advance the story . A fast, interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: With regard to domestic violence, there are essentially two kinds of women: those who have experienced beating, and those who haven't. Among those who haven't, there is the eternal question we ask the others: Why did you stay? I began this book mainly because I thought it would help me understand those women. However, the book gripped me in an entirely unexpected way. It was very suspenseful. Being told in the first person, it put me right in the action, listening for the possible intruder, the sudden appearance of the husband she's finally run away from. It all seemed very real. And yes, the book did attempt to deal with the question of why women stay with their tormentors for years. Did it succeed? In this regard, what this book did was, it stimulated me to arrive at a conclusion regarding getting into other people's heads -- a conclusion I had been in the process of forming after reading another very engrossing book "Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf" by Asher Brauner. In that book also, you are inside the head of the protagonist, and you become very involved. Both books are so well-written, you just feel you're right there. And I'd been mulling over how far you can go in understanding the other person through their first-person revelations. What I learned from both these reading experiences is that when you get inside the other person's head like this, you can only go so far. You can follow along with their thinking, and then, when the protagonist makes a decision, you still cannot really understand why. The tormented heroine of Black and Blue goes into long explanations and flashbacks of why she stayed with her husband, and I'm trying mightily to identify. But then, when she reveals the decision she's made, I suddenly realize I did not see it coming because I'm still a different person, and I know that I, me, I would never have made the decision she did. It's stimulating reading.
Rating:
Summary: Raw & Riveting
Review: What a fantastic book! From the moment I started to the very ending I did not put it down. Anna Quindlen weaves a complex tale of an abused woman on the run with child from her abusive husband. The plot starts with her escape and proceeds to show us the beginning of a new life for her provided by an agency that helps out women such as herself. The main character Fran/Beth is sympathetic mainly because she seems to be a real human being with flaws just like the rest of us. Her frustration in building the new life and worrying about her son really hits home. I admire the fact that Ms. Quindlen did not sugar coat any aspect of the book and gave us a realistic view as to what it would be in a relationship so horrific as well as the impact it could have for all involved. Definitely recommended if you have a few hours to spare - this book cannot be read in stages for it is impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: From One Double Life to Another
Review: What makes a woman take abuse from a man? I have always wondered about this. According to this novel, there is no simple answer. At one point, toward the end of this wrenching journey of a book, Robert, the son of Fran, the abused narrator, has to draw a family tree for a school project, using his new name and his new lineage way back to his great grandparents. It made me wonder if abuse also stretches back in the same entwined way, complicated, not easy to explain. Fran was willing to lead a double life for years as the husband of an abusive cop, but what finally makes her leave is her son. She can see that he is beginning to accept and also live the lie that she is so used to. Although his father does not abuse him, she senses that Robert will die inside if she doesn't spirit him away and begin an anonymous new life in a new state with support from a battered women's agency. Her new life begins a new set of lies. She can no longer be herself, or her husband will find her and kill her and take back their boy. It is an incredibly arduous task for her to work her way toward a small bit of peace for herself and her son in her new life. This is an important aspect of this novel: what she has had to give up and what she gains from it. It is not simple, and it does not have a simple, "happy" ending, but it is honest and real and worth reading. Anna Quindlen writes like an angel by the way. Try her if you like good writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I read this book in two days, it was so good! I wish the ending had been different but it made it more true-to-life. You won't regret reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: The book was OK - Good until the end.
Review: I choose the book because I have worked with abuse victims and the thought of a "fresh" start for one of these victims intrigued me. The characters are developed and the story seemed to be moving. And then the end...pathetic. I don't mean disappointing. I mean, "gosh how am I going to end the book", bad idea pathetic. Very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Couldn't put it down!
Review: It's been a long time since I have been able to start a book and not put it down until I finished it. I felt like I was a part of their lives. I wanted to help Fran get away from that monster. As a mother myself, I could not imagine being in that situation with my daughter. Children love their parents so much no matter what they do. To make the decision to run away with your child would be bad enough. Then on top of that, the fear of him finding you. I can't wait to read all the books that Anna Quindlen has written. I hope they're all this good!
Rating:
Summary: This book answers a very difficult question...
Review: Finally, an easy to understand answer to that arrogant question many of us are guilty of asking: why didn't she just leave? Anna Quindlen weaves a horrifying yet gratifying story of a vicim of domestic abuse who is not claiming to be a victim. I felt immediately drawn into the character of Frances/Beth and raced though her story, not wanting it to end. The writing is enjoyable, nothing overly intelletual, but still full of insight and well written lines. I came to the end of this book feeling better about some hard choices in my own life, with a clearer than ever understanding of the dilemna so many courageous women face every day.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Inner Thoughts
Review: Like "One True Thing", Anna Quindlen takes you inside her main character (Fran), revealing in such a real and down-to-earth way her thoughts and reflections on the events that shape her life. This is very engaging and rewarding.
| 
