Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding!!!
Review: I grew up in an abusive household. My mother stayed for 16 years, 14 with me. Everytime Bobby opened his mouth during this book, I heard my fathers voice. The author truly captured what life with an abusive man is like not only for a woman but for a child as well. I have two small children therefore reading is generally slow for me, I read this book in less than a day . My only hope is that we will someday have a sequel and answer all the last chapters problems. Thank you, for such a honest story on escaping....Outstanding!
Rating:
Summary: A compelling read with powerful characters.
Review: I loved that this books starts where most end - this woman has chosen to leave an abusive marriage. Thus, the portrayal of her is not as victim, but as someone struggling to rebuild after making a series of bad choices. The fact that she stayed in the marriage as long as she did is completely believable, and is evidence of the fact that smart women sometimes make dumb choices. Her struggles in building this new life are realistic and both joyous and frustrating to read about, as she discovers herself anew within her new freedom (though it's a strangely bounded freedom; to say more would give away the story). Issues of parenting, relationships, choices friendships, perspective - all are explored. This book has stayed with me in the weeks since I first read it. And little passages and sub-stories were as powerful as the main plot. I found myself recounting a very small part of the book (maybe 1-2 paragraphs) to someone else with tears in my eyes. I truly appreciated Quindlen's refusal to allow women to be victims, while at the same time not trying to turn her protagonist into a caricatured super woman.
Rating:
Summary: A great novel reflective of all of Quindlen's strengths
Review: In Black and Blue Anna Quindlen combines the success of One True Thing with her journalistic background in a novel about domestic violence and the havoc it wreaks on all layers of familial life. Reminiscent of Sue Miller's The Good Mother, Quindlen protrays realistically the internal struggle of Fran Benedetto as she tries to escape with her son from an abusive husband. Since the violence is only inflicted upon the wife, Fran must confront constantly the lies she told her son as she tries to forge a new life. What Quindlan does best here, however, is show the reader why women stay in these relationships and the cost of trying to escape.
Rating: 
Summary: Troubling topic, familiar voice
Review: Anna Quindlen tackles the subject of domestic violence with sensitivity and intelligence. Couple this with her Pulitzer Prize winning style and you have a book that grabs you and pulls you into the maelstrom that is Fran Benedetto's life. For the reader who is uneducated in the area of domestic violence, the character of Fran brings to life the ambivalent emotions that beset abuse victims. Minor problems that detract somewhat from the book's impact are a confusing time-line of events and the fact that the wonderful visual imagery that Quindlen creates serves more to embellish the setting for a particular scene than to strengthen its emotional value.
Rating:
Summary: Not the usual suspects . . .
Review: My first thought on reading the description of this book was, "Oh, no. Here we go again. Another 'Look at me, I hurt'" type of book. "Abused woman barely escapes." That type of thing. Boy was I wrong! Anna Quindlen has given us a rare look into the life of a victim with "Black and Blue." What might have turned into a made-for-TV-movie type of book in any other author's hands turns to gold in this riveting tale or abuse, dysfunction, and psychological horror. I also initially thought that making the main character's husband a cop was, well, a bit of a cop-out (sorry). But Quindlen manages to bring even this to a new level. This is just a great book and I highly recommend it. Would also recommend another wonderful (though disturbing) book that I recently came across. "The Bark of the Dogwood" by Jackson McCrae. Equally well written and on the same level as this one.
Rating:
Summary: unforgettable, gripping fiction
Review: I cannot get enough of Anna Quindlen's writing, whether fiction or essays, and although I faced this tale with some trepidation because of the difficulty of the topic of spousal abuse, I quickly sympathized with the protagonist's journey. As the wife of a NYC cop, I can vouch for the acccuracy of that "guy" culture in Bobby's character, and the author has captured the relationship between mother and child with crushing poignancy.
A tough issue, but a real-life dilemma, and Ms. Quindlen surrounds it with grace and courage even as she couches it in the lives of vivid characters who might live next door to any of us.
I highly recommend this book, and look forward to Ms. Quindlen's next fiction release. (Alas, I've read all the others! Write faster, Anna!)
Rating:
Summary: Won't leave you feeling blue
Review: Before I wrote my review, I wanted to see what others had to say and I was very disappointed in those that gave this book poor ratings. Fran gives us insight into the fear of the unknown, strength to persevere and courage to do what you have to do to survive again some really difficult odd. This book really opened my eyes to not just because of the content but because of the reality. We often times want the happy ending to all stories but that's not reality either is it? We walk around day after day and refuse to acknowledge that there are evil people doing brutal things to other. Because it does not affect our 'world' it seems like a bunch of fiction. However, this is not just fiction or words on a page...this is someone reality. I would recommend this novel to women and men, whether they are in a relationship such as this one or not. Someone else's 'testimony' can save lives. I would not want something like this to happen to my siblings or relative or friends or even aquaintances and in order to help stop this type of brutality is to educate one another. Take the blinders off! Other books I'd recommend: Bark of the Dogwood You Remind Me of Me Children's Corner by McCrae A Child Called it by Pelzer All are great, but buy B&B first for a really great reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended.
Review: This is a fascinating, well-written book, but an intensely disturbing subject matter. I found it very hard to put down, the tension and suspense was rivitting.
The reader knows that eventually Bobby will find Fran/Beth and Robert. I found myself growing impatient with all the details and pages filling up the space until he does - in that respect, I felt the book would have been better had it been faster-paced, and a bit shorter.
I don't want to spoil the ending, so all I'll say is that I found it surprising and unsatisfying - I had trouble coming to terms with it, especially since I'm a sucker for happy endings. (A sequel would be nice to tie up the lose ends.) I also had trouble understanding Fran's continued lust and attraction towards Bobby after everything he did to her - it's like she never let go of wanting him even after she tried to move on. This made me wonder about her level of committment towards her second husband.
Still, though, it is a very good book! Very though-provoking, and one that stays with you long after you finish reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: I know I should give this a positive review .. but ...
Review: give me a break, what a short sighted and basically unlikable protaganist. I mean this girl, yes she may have suffered an abusive relationship, but, she looks down on the people that want to help her AND worst of all really expresses a doubt that when her son grows up and beats his wife, well, she won't really care since it's been done to her.
Some people interpret this as tragic, I interpret this as stupid, shallow and with no redeeming grace. I mean why write about her 'that bites the hand' that feeds her mentality... I have never read an Oprah's book club selection before ... well ... nuff said !
Rating:
Summary: Reveals a life I'd like not to experience
Review: This was such a wonderful story about a subject that I have little knowledge, and one that I thought would be very disturbing, spousal abuse.
Frances Bennedetto, a nurse, is living with her husband, Bobby, a NYC cop, who has abused Frances since they dated. Bobby grows angrier as time goes on, and takes it out on his wife. Bobby, an undercover narcotics officer is angry at a lot of things, and Frances is only grateful that he has never hit her in front of their son, Robert. After 17 years Bobby delivers the blow that sends Frances packing. Knowing that Bobby will be able to find her, she and her son assume new identities and take up residence in FL.
The bulk of the book deals with the new life Beth, aka Frances, and Robert have established. It's a very sweet and compelling story in and of itself. You do keep waiting for Bobby to pop into the story, and just when it seems that Beth, aka Frances, has fully established herself in her new life, and Robert has adjusted well, Bobby does come back. The ending leaves enough unanswered questions to keep the story in your mind, but answers others that you'd hope would come true and is very fulfilling.
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