Rating: 
Summary: Certainly thought provoking
Review: Just finished Black and Blue today. I waited until finishing the book before reading some of the reviews, and see they are quite mixed. Personally, the book intrigued me and I think if anyone has even REMOTELY been in a situation similar to Fran/Beth's, then I suspect they can certainly relate to her drive to get away, and then her mixed emotions after doing so. Not a "page-turner", but well worth the read!
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't really like the book very much.
Review: I read this book because of the Oprah Book Club recommendation. After seeing the show and hearing their recommendations and comments regarding the book, I thought sure I would enjoy this book. However, after reading the book, I found this not the be the case.I thought the basic story was very good. I was horrified most of the time and I am sure this was the plan. I found the book to be repetative and slow going. I ended up skipping some parts and skimming others. The point was made and I would probably recommend this book to anyone in an abusive situation. Otherwise, I would not recommend this book to anyone I know.
Rating: 
Summary: It won't go away just because it's uncomfortable!
Review: I am a police officer myself and I know for a fact that it happens this way. This was a powerful example, and I shudder to imagine a wife of one of my fellow officers coming to me with this. If I was friends with him, I probably wouldn't believe it at first either. I was impressed by the character development in that it was accomplished through dialog and thought rather than dry adjectives. Anyone who was distracted by typos, I suppose, must not be "getting" the gist of the words. I only hope that more people in general can read and undersatnd. I am recommending this book to anyone with the slightest hint of compassion!!
Rating: 
Summary: This book broke my heart!
Review: This is the best book I have read in years. Anna Quindlen does a masterful job of telling this story. It felt too real to be made up. At the end of this story I wanted to call the nearest battered woman's shelter and volunteer my money and my time.
Rating:
Summary: Fiction?!?! People need to know this does happen!!!!
Review: Reading a fiction that is so close to your personal life it's as if someone plugged into your brain and took your secrets. I thought for sure that Quindlen must have gone through it. At times I had to just throw the book across the room because it was just too close to home. "Who you gonna call, the Cops?" That line sticks in my head. I still don't know the answer. Maybe I got too scared to keep the secret. I knew that there was no where to hide, he'd always find us, so I took a chance - I told the secret - to everyone. His Captain, the Police Psychiatrist, family. I was told that no one would believe me. They did!! (Of course, they did have to "see" the bruises first, and as strange as it may sound, I was lucky, I had some to show. But how do you show the scars from the emotional torment. That's really worse than a broken nose.) They ended up helping. The bad stuff does happen. People need to know that, but....it doesn't always end up bad. People do get help. I was able to keep my daughter & we're moving on (though very cautiously). I thank God, the Abused Persons Program, the Police (not all cops are bad) and the people who are brave enough to tell the story, whether they say it's fiction or not. After all, don't they say that the truth is stranger than fiction? It wasn't fiction to me, though I wish I could say it was. If you read this well written book (minus the typos)...remember that this could be happening to someone you know. If someone comes to you and tells you something like this....believe them!!! If it's you, please know that if you can survive staying...you can survive leaving!!!!
Rating:
Summary: typos too distracting
Review: Have to admit that I'm probably missing out on a great read, but I'm only on page 33 and have come across 3 major "typos" and/or spelling errors which are very distracting. Example : "his apple slices on a plate, his mine (??) in a glass, .." (pg 10), "Where are we going, Mom?" he wined (??) (pg. 11), "so that Robert with (??) either upstairs or down on the front steps" (pg 33). Who was Ms. Quindlen's editor?? Sorry, I'm returning this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Black and Blue missed it's mark!
Review: Having just finished reading Black and Blue, I can tell you in all honesty I will never pick up this book again. Anna Quindlen showed lack of depth in character development. I felt constandly bombarded with her desire to champion every known cause to man. Check out a book by Stephen King called Rose Madder. Rose fled from an abusive husband who just so happened to be a police officer!
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking but not a page turner.
Review: This book was interesting in the sense that you can experience the tragedy that abuse plays in the lives of families. I didn't find it a book that I was totally wrapped up in. Found it hard to get emotionally attached to the characters. It was an eye opener in the challenges that a woman faces when she is forced to leave and "escape" her own husband.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable..But so very true...
Review: I am a first time Quindlen reader. She will now be included on my all time favorite list. If her other books are as good as this one, I won't be disappointed. For a woman who has never been in this situation before, I have been as close as you can get without actually being there. Any closer and the bruises would of been mine. She really gets in there and pulls you in deeper and deeper. Before long there is no turning back. Thumbs up Anna Quindlen!!!
Rating:
Summary: Struggling through the impossible of abuse
Review: Black and Blue can often be hard to take but a healthy book for anybody to read regardless of your life experiences. Black and Blue brings to life the love of a mother and her son and what strenght she must follow for herself and the guilt she feels for saving her own life while having the strength to mother a son who is lost and confused. Read this book. It will enlighten you and bring you new found faith in life.
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