Black and Blue

Rating:
Summary: Good Writing - Poorly Constructed Plot
Review: I hate to say it, folks, but this is Anna Quindlen at her best. She has a marvellous style of writing that is completely wasted on her average plots. I know a bit about domestic abuse, and I know that many abused women share personality traits in common with the weak and wilted Franny Flyn, but thought it completely unbelievable that a domestic abuse underground network would hide a woman directly south of her former home, with no variance toward the much larger west, nor could I accept that such a violent man as Bobby Benedetto would not have hurt his son; many children of abused women are themselves victims of abuse, whether sons or daughters.

Rating:
Summary: Did not care for the ending, but a good read
Review: This was a very good read, keeps you interested in the characters, and the "reality" of the situation. Not your typical happy endings however. But all in all, I would recommend this book to my friends and family.

Rating:
Summary: Black and Blue: a truly genuine novel
Review: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen is an excellent inspiring novel. This book gives you an idea of the abusive lives many people today live. From the first page, you become hooked and personally, I could not put the book down. As a reader, you personally feel for all of the characters. At times, you feel pain and want to cry for them. The characters seem so real to you and the author makes you feel like you know them. The reader experiences how the character is treated and how she responds from her own point of view. The author opens the issue of spousal abuse and makes the reader aware of the problem. From this book, we learned that abuse victims now have resources that can help them overcome their social stigma. Future generations would see that there is finally recourse to this problem. This book shows us that abuse is an ongoing problem but it's possible that together we can try to overcome it. At least we are now able too discuss it out in the open and recognize how serious it is. The audience of this novel is very wide from teenagers to adults. Many people could relate to this book especially if they have ever had a friend or family member that experienced abuse. Overall, I would give this book five out of five stars. This book is one of my favorites and I think it deals with an important issue in today's world. I would recommend this book to people that want to read a truly genuine book.

Rating:
Summary: A splendid book with a great message
Review: A Review by Joan
Black and Blue is a very interesting book and domestic violence. It shows how a wife gets fed up with her husband beating her and decides to run away with their child. She goes as far as changing her name and appearance. This story portrays very well what a woman might have to go through to change her life completely in the drop of a dime, and not to leave a trace. The story line is amusing, but at times Quindlen tends to ramble on about parts that aren't that crucial to the story. She repeats what she's saying a lot of times, but by using different words. " There were almost no cars on the highway, and the breeze was a little cold, as though even the tropics had to pay a homage to the Pilgrims' chilly feast. It's as if life stops in America on holidays. Or maybe it's that way everywhere, all over the world, all the places I've never gone, countries I've never seen." ( pg. 156) I think she does this for effect but she uses this technique a lot.

I fully enjoyed reading this book when the story line was making progress. I know some people that have ran from their abusive husbands, and this provides me with further insight on how they might have felt. This book makes me hold a big grudge against abusive husbands, because in the book the husband gets away with everything, and treats her horribly. I know this happens all around but the book reminded me of it. " "What are you gonna do, Fran? Call the cops?" This was funny for him because he was a cop.

I think Quindlen should spent a little more time describing the characters other than the narrator. I personally think that she should have spent more time reflecting how the other characters felt about the situation, and how well she hid her past. During the middle of the book it starts to dragon and the last about thirty pages was the most intriguing. This was a splendid book with a great message to send. I suggest that if you interested in this sort of thing than you should read Black and Blue.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Message
Review: Wow! was my reaction after I read the book Black and Blue. If I could use only a few words to describe it, I would say it was absolutely compelling. I wish that all women could read this book, because I feel that they would feel empowered. This book proves that women are strong and that men don't control us. I, myself am a teenage girl and this book helped me to understand why women don't just leave the men that hit them. But I now understand that many still love their husbands and their childern still love their fathers. This book empowered me and if you read it I hope you will feel the same way.

Rating:
Summary: A Sad Chronicle of Life as a Battered Woman
Review: Anna Quindlen is a marvelous author who could no doubt write about the alphabet and make it interesting and compelling. This basic history of not only a bad marriage, but a physically/mentally destructive one should be required reading for all high school kids. It deals with what happens when mistaking romantic love for being enough to sustain a good marriage. Also, it points out the perils of marrying too soon without the experience of dating many boys/men. Fran meets this handsome hunk in the neighborhood pub and she loses her heart. He is a cop and even before they marry he has struck her. The rage and beatings escalate throughout the marriage and eventually with assistance from a woman's rescue network she runs away with their son to begin a new and fabricated life. There are no real surprises in the experiences of Fran and her 8 year old son as they attempt to live a "normal" life in strange surroundings. By constantly recalling the years of her marriage, Fran basically gives us her life story and though it sometimes is redundant, it is probably necessary to explain what was good and what was horrible. The main problem I had with the book was Fran still being "in love" with her abusive spouse. She was still aroused by his voice and recalled his handsome face and physique, even as she vividly relived the many beatings, broken bones and humiliations suffered at the hands of this monsterous man. Maybe that is true of battered women. I've read they feel it is their fault, etc., but how they can maintain love for the man was hard for me to accept. Still, when Anna Quindlen writes, I will read it. There is always something I take away with me and keep.

Rating:
Summary: a very honest tale...
Review: about how spousal abuse affects an entire family; this is a must read; schools should put it on the required reading list for teens

Rating:
Summary: intense
Review: an amazing book about a woman and her child escaping an abusive home....shocking ending left me crying....

this book isn't for everyone....it can tug at your heart if you have ever gone through anything like what the book is about. A mother's love to keep her son safe from a horribly abusive husband....it's not a happy read because it's about a subject that's intense and not something to cheer about. But it's a glimpse into the reality of what some mothers and women face when confronted with abuse.

I really love Fran's character...So strong...but doesn't know it! The story is about how she leaves her abusive cop husband and begins to make a new life and a new identity with her little boy...and she also begins to learn how to trust and love again....but wow...what a shocking ending! The book was so gripping and intense...but to leave it like that?? Don't know!

Rating:
Summary: Good Mainstream
Review: I was surprised to like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Very surreal at times
Review: I was recommended this book by someome after I had revealed how I was in a violent relationship. I was a bit skeptical at first because I didn't think I would relate. There are several parts in the book that were very real to me and my experience. There were several parts that were just in as fillers to the book. If you have been in a violent relationship there are parts that will make you cry. The book is well written, at times there are parts that are very unrelated but I had to remember that it's a book and not my life. All in all it was an enjoyable book to read as well as very real at times for my situation. Not sure if you could relate if you haven't been through many of the things Frannie goes through.