Rating: 
Summary: Good but abit too Self-pitying
Review: The characters in the book were so well described and seem so real. However towards the middle part of the book I felt that there was too much self-pitying. I was almost bored of the 'it's all my fault' tone of it. Thank goodness there was Mike Riordan to act as a balancer... although he's at the total end of the spectrum - too good, too optimistic. But overall, it was a pretty good read.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This novel tackles the tough subject of physical abuse in a marital relationship. The novel is very well written. I definitely felt for the heroine and the circumstances she had to suffer through. I thought this book was enlightening in terms of how someone is hidden after leaving an abusive relationship. The author did a good job of portraying how it would feel to leave everything about your life behind and start all over with a new life, similar to what people in the Witness Protection Program have to do. The characters are well developed. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what turn Fran would have to take next. The only things that made the book difficult to read at times were the unclear and rapid jumps from the present to the past. Overall, I would recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Re-write Cinderella
Review: Little girls all over the world are waiting to marry Prince Charming, not realizing the different kinds of marriages they could end up with. Black and Blue keeps the issue of domestic violence on the front burner. I applaud it for that, however I don't think the main character left her husband for the right reasons. She could have died if she had stayed with him. Nothing else mattered.
Rating: 
Summary: You must convince me first
Review: When Quindlan wrote her column in the NYT, she often wrote about battered women; it was a subject about which she felt strongly. However, translating this compassion to fiction is difficult. When I started reading B & B, I was not convinced by the reasons this woman decided to run away rather than fight in the normal channels (i.e., order of protection, filing a complaint and getting him arrested, trying for a divorce!) The ease with which her son went along with the plan was unconvincing, too. He was not abused "enough" by his father, or at least it was not shown to the reader that he was terrorized enough by fear; kids tend to take a lot before they want to separate from a parent. Also, a lot of the past was in telling, not showing, and therefore I had to rely on the protagonist--the narrator--to convince me that her judgment of the situation was correct, which of course, she failed, because in a closed circuit structure, she was an unreliable narrator. Without accepting the motivation that propels the novel, I had a hard time wanting to get on the trip with this woman, and I therefore put the novel down.
Rating:
Summary: Inevitably Heartbraking
Review: The subject matter of this book, domestic violence, is one with which most people are familiar, if not personally, then through the media. However, Quindlen is able to personalize it in a way that no news story could. We are able to enter Fran's thoughts and learn her reasons for staying in an abusive marriage, and her ultimate motivation to leave (which isn't to save her own life, interestingly). We also learn how easy it is for any woman to find herself in this situation with seemingly no options. In addition to the subject matter, what struck me most about this book was just how talented a writer Quindlen is. She uses so many effective techniques to move the story along. One is the way she moves from present to past effortlessly and without any awkwardness. It is easy to follow Fran's train of thought as she moves from one memory to another, with each revealing a bit more of her background and of the story. Fran's mind seems to work like anyone's, which makes it a bit easier to imagine finding yourself in her shoes. Quindlen is also great at controlling the tension throughout the book. There is a constant sense of urgency and you catch yourself almost wanting to look over your own shoulder in case someone is there. Yet she also shows Fran relaxing a bit at appropriate times, even though she knows the danger is everpresent. As the novel reaches its heartbraking but inevitable conclusion, it becomes clear that no other ending would be plausible. As one reviewer mentioned, there is a glimmer of hope, but it is tinged with deep sadness. Although I enjoyed this book immensely, it left me disturbed, particularly because I know it's so true to life. Still I enjoyed the characters, the emotion, and Quindlen's excellent writing.
Rating: 
Summary: A book about a silent epidemic facing women today
Review: While giving the dark details of a marriage between an abuser and his wife, this book also gives a glimmer of hope for the person reading it. I too have found myself saying throughout reading this book, oh yeah, I so know what she's talking about. Oh yes, that happened to me too. And I never thought I would relate to the main character, Fran/Beth as she escapes from an abusive husband. Her fears of being found, thoughts of how it's her fault and so on are disturbingly realistic. More and more women are talking about domestic violent, and just now, they are being taken a lot more seriously. Fortunately, some of us don't have to go underground ~~ changing our lifestyles completely, moving to a strange place just so we can stay alive ~~ but this book speaks to our deepest fears. We fear of losing everything ~~ our homes, our friends, our children and our lives ~~ because we fear the one person who promised to protect and cherish us. If we can't trust the one man who promised to protect us ~~ especially from him, then how can we trust anyone else? Quindlen explores that issue with a thorough directness throughout her book. As gloomy as this book may be, there is a glimmer of hope. Victims of domestic abuse can relive their lives again ~~ even with the fear that hangs over them for the rest of their lives. It's about one woman who decides to live her life despite her ex-husband and having to go "underground" for awhile. She finds true love the second time around ~~ with a man who doesn't use violence to control her. Every woman should read this book and see the dark sides of marriages that do happen ~~ and women should speak up against domestic violence ~~ it can happen to you.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: After working in a women's shelter for over three years, I too read this book. This is so real to life and something that so many women face every day. I feel this sort of education in our world today is very important. This is how we can begin to stop this silent situation in our society.
Rating:
Summary: Rebuilding a Life After Living With Abuse
Review: Black and Blue is the first book I read by Anna Quindlen, and it was so good that I immediately wanted to read all her other work. Quindlen is the recipitent of a Pulitzer Prize for her column in the New York Times, and her great writing style carries over into her fiction. Add that to an exciting, moving plot and this was one book I just couldn't manage to put down until I had finished it. Although several months have passed since I have read this book, I still remember the way it captured me. I was studying in Madrid at the time and I read it on a bus trip to Alicante. I was so immersed in it that I forgot to pay attention to where my friend and I were headed, as well as to my friend herself! She kept asking me why I was so distracted and I would tell her that when I wasn't reading Black and Blue I was thinking about it, that it was so real it felt like I was actually a character in it. When we arrived in Alicante and were laying out on the beach I fell asleep, and she woke me up to ask if she could read my book for awhile. I agree and went back to sleep for about an hour, and when I woke up again she was as immersed in the book as I was, and it was a constant battle to figure out who was going to read it and finish it first. Everyone I have recommended the book to since has had the same reaction as my friend and I did, so I feel that this is a great book to read and recommend to others. The main character is Fran Benedetoo, who has an abusive husband and a young son. The story opens when Fran and Bobby, her son, are at a train station in a desperate attempt to escape Robert, Bobby's son and Fran's husband. The drama that unfolds centers on the new life in hiding that Fran and Bobby are forced to build for themselves, and although Fran is relieved to be away from Robert, she is constantly afraid that he will find out where they are and hurt her or take Bobby away from him. The events that do take place are horrifying and really made me think about what life is like for real-life women in situations like Fran. I don't think anyone can read this book without thinking about the serious implications that a woman's choice - either to stay with an abusive husband or live a life in hiding once running away - has for her and her children. Black and Blue is a fast and easy read but its topic will make you think. And, if you are like me, you will be interested in reading every word that Quindlen has published after finishing this novel. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Don't tell me what he USED to say - Do something smart!
Review: I get angry at characters who continually do stupid things (such as marrying a man who has hit you, not getting psychological help for your child that you KNOW needs it, or not even explaining Caller ID to your kid, when you're on the run). Because the protaganist was (finally) smart enough to leave, I kept hoping she'd make other good decisions; however, she continued to wallow in the past, and mostly do dumb things, all the way to the end of the book. (I've learned from my friends at the local Women's Shelter that "real life" stories in this area SOMETIMES have normal, happy endings -- not always, but sometimes, if the woman decides to make healthy choices.)
Rating:
Summary: Spell binding...
Review: This is exactly the type of book Oprah selects for her book club. It's a dramatic story of the heavy handed, constant fear battered women live with. While some may say it is a little sugar coated, I couldn't have read it if it had been any more graphic. I read it in a day because I was as anxious for "Beth" to be caught by Bobby as she was.
| 
