Rating: 
Summary: well written and engrossing
Review: I recommend this novel very highly for anyone who has a female friend or relative who is in an abusive relationship with her husband or boyfriend. It can be hard for people to understand why women stay in abusive relationships; this novel is emotionally true to life in that it reveals that it is often very complex and dangerous to leave abusive relationships. However, although this novel was well written and engrossing, to me it remains a novel about abuse and its aftermath rather than being a novel about unforgettable characters. Some of the central characters are memorable and complex, but the minor characters are less well developed and less interesting. As such, although it is a thought provoking and worthwhile read, it is not a book that I would be likely to read again.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Character Study For Abused Woman
Review: I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I kept wondering what was keeping my attention when in actuality nothing was really happening throughout most of the book. The truth is the happening part was great writing by Ms. Quindlen. She really portrayed Beth Crenshaw (who by the way is the one I wish to relate to) in such a way that you couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what would happened next. She kept you wondering just when Bobby would appear and we all knew he would come for Robert at some point. I did agree with another reviewer in that I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. Also, I thought she could have done more to find her son (like going to the press and becoming more public with her issues). I think she could have developed that part of the story more for those women who might be contemplating a move such as Beth's, it wasn't particularly reassuring. However, the writing was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I hated leaving Beth and Mike at the end. Thanks for a engrossing read.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Story
Review: This story was so true to life for me that it was scary! Anna Quindlen really had a grasp as to what happens in abusive relationships. It also helps people understand why these women just don't get out. Anna Quindlen grabs the audience from the first sentence! You won't want to put down this book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Black and Blue-a review!
Review: In the book Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlen, abuse is an issue that is not taken lightly. Through all the hardships, Frances Benedito and her son Robert manage to escape from a long, worn out, abusive marriage. Since she was nineteen, Frances Benedito had been hit by her husband Bobby, not only was she abused physically, but sexually and mentally as well. One day she decided that it was enough, she packed up Robert and moved out. Frances joined a program in where ladies from all around the world work in this secret organization and help wives get out of abusive relationships. They changed her name, she soon became Beth Crenshaw, her son, Robert Crenshaw. They moved down to Florida, in a small town, where "Beth" took on the job of a at home nurse, where she traveled by foot everyday to take care of her patients. It was a hard time, her son did not quite understand what was going on, she had never told him before that his own father hit his mother, she would make up excuses so the family would seem perfect, like the dreamt about American family. Time goes on, and they become more used to their new home. They make friends, but lie everyday to keep themselves safe, after all, if Bobby ever found out where they were, he would come down and make sure of it they come home. Through all the hardships, learning how to love, dealing with pain, and moving on and surviving, Black and Blue, is an overall good book. It keeps your interested, makes you want to read more and more. I recommend this book. It also sends out a good message to people to help yourselves, to get out of an abusive relationship before it is to late.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: "Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlen is quite simply put, an amazing book. You're wondering why, and that's what I'm here to tell you. The book deals with Fran Bendetto and her husband Bobby, and their son Robert. After being abused all these years, Fran finally gets fed up and takes Robert with her to another town to start a new life. The end of the book is suprising, because something happens that you'd least expect. I highly reccomend this book to anybody, especially people that have been victims of abuse, because this book has is full of great moral points, and it is very well written to boot. I read this book in one sitting, it was just that good.
Rating:
Summary: Anna Quindlen's Best!
Review: Anna Quindlen is one of my Favorite Authors and I have to say that Black and Blue has to be her at her finest. This was a book I was not able to put down at all. The characters are very realistic and you get a true understanding of all the emotions that they are feeling. Fran Benedetto, a nurse who lives in NYC and seems to be happily married to her husband Bobby but she is a victim of Domestic Violence. The book deals more with Fran trying to escape her situation by going underground and assuming a new identity with her son Robert but its extremely hard to run away from a police officer. I was able to feel the suspense on every page wondering if or when her husband would catch up to her. Anna Quindlen does an excellent job describing each and every emotion that Fran must have been feeling and this book gave me a new understanding of Spousal Abuse. This book is a real pageturner and it is one I would highly recommend and I would also highly recommend One True Thing also written by Ms. Quindlen.
Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opening and Heart Tugging Book
Review: I loved the book and could relate to the characters, and their relationships. It is an wonderful book. I gave it 5 stars because it was a very quick read. I read it in only 3 days and that was with 2 kids and a full time job. She makes the characters come to life with their own struggles, conflicts and personalities.
Rating:
Summary: Running away from spousal abuse
Review: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen A novel about an abused woman's path to freedom, BLACK AND BLUE introduces us to the world of Fran Benedetto, a woman who is beaten and emotionally abused every day by the only man she's ever loved, her husband Bobby. Fran lives day by day in a type of fear that can't even be described. A wrong word or a wrong look - anything could set off Bobby's anger. A broken nose or a black eye -- Bobby lashes out at Fran in any way he can. It seems to start out as a mistake, a fluke, but as the years go by, Bobby continues to beat Fran for the slightest thing, and does not see anything wrong in what he does to her. The fact that Bobby is a policeman makes this a scarier ordeal for Fran. Bobby knows that even if Fran goes to the police, no one would believe that he had beaten up his own wife. His reputation on the force seems to be legendary. On the other hand, if Fran did try to go to the police, no one could protect her from his wrath after finding out what she did. Fran keeps these abuses and fears to herself. Her son Robert asks Fran, "how did that happen?" when he sees her with a black eye. Fran always has an answer, always avoids telling him the truth. And Robert looks the other way. Although old enough to understand what is happening, he is still too young to want to accept such a thing happening between his parents. So he chooses to pretend that everything is ok. Fran could only take so much abuse. She takes their son Robert and leaves for Florida under the guidance of Patty Bancroft, a leader of a group that helps battered women like Fran by relocating them with a whole new identity, saving them from the men that are abusing them. Fran starts a new life with a new name, and slowly things begin to fall in to place. But, no matter what Patty tells her, Fran feels that Bobby will one day find them. And when he does, Fran knows her life is over. BLACK AND BLUE was one of those books that kept me glued to every page. What surprised me is that I did not cry once or feel any real strong emotions while I read this book except for fear. The book for me was more like a suspense novel, and secondarily a novel about spousal abuse. The author focused more on Fran's attempt to forge a new life for herself and her son and on her every day fears that Bobby would eventually find her. With that said, I highly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. It was an Oprah Selection, but for me it was not as typical a choice as some of her past books.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, a bit too long though
Review: I enjoyed this book, but thought that toward the end, some of the chapters were too much. The one thing that I really liked about this book was that you got a feel for Fran's relationship with Bobby without having to read about it in "real time." Her memory reconstructing events was a great way to tell the story of her marriage without starting at the marriage and then taking you to "now."
However, a real flaw in my opinion was that by the end of the book, the stories of her marriage all started to sound the same. I skipped about 30 pages toward the end, and got to the part when Bobby finds her - and honestly, I don't think that I missed anything important.
This book is good - it's not too sad, and not too complex. If the subject matter was a bit lighter, I'd say it's a beach read, but it's not quite that due to the content.
Rating:
Summary: A REAL HEART-BREAKER....
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept going and going, it never got dull or boring. I really liked the develpment of the characters, it gave the story more of a quench. I would really like to see a sequel because I want to see what happens next, that is how intriguing it is.
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