Black and Blue

You might think this topic wouldn’t be something that would make a decent book or a story that anyone would want to read... but it makes an interesting, gripping story that will have the reader literally engrossed in Fran’s life...both before and after Bobby. The protagonist and several other characters are quite likable, the elements of suspense and frustration is there in spades. You might wonder why it took Fran 10 years to have had enough and take her son and run. The reasons are anything but “simple” ... the heart of the matter is that no one would have believed her. She couldn’t go to the police because the police were already in her home...her abuser was a decorated police officer and the father of her son...so Fran runs for her life and starts a new life with a new name. and slowly things begin to fall in to place. But no matter what her friends tell her...Fran knows that Bobby will one day find them...and when he does... her life is over. I want my books to have a happy ending...but as interested as I was in the story and Fran’s life...I just wanted this one to be over. Not because it was badly written or that I wanted to see Bobby get everything he had coming to him... but because it left me feeling a bit of heartache for the life that could have been and the unfairness of it all.

DNF at 15%

I thought a talented author would tell a more engaging tale about abuse and the struggles to leave/stay/hide. You know pull the curtain back a bit. By exposing it, we learn. But the story was told so boringly that I don't feel like it's time well spent and I wasn't engaged a bit. ( )

Black and Blue. Anna Quindlen. 1998. A book that will stay with you longer than you want it to. Fran Benedetto is a battered wife and mother, The novel opens as she is leaving her husband and going into hiding. The story is told in flashbacks as she and her son settle in a nondescript town in Florida under assumed names. My friend who told me about the book said her friend who recommended the book said it was the most realistic picture of an abusive marriage she’d ever read. Suspense builds slowly, but you just know the SOB is going to find her. Hard to read but well-written. ( )

It's the the story of Frances (Fran) Benedetto. On the surface a successful nurse with a handsome policeman husband and adorable son. All seems well and the marriage seems perfect but there are dark threads woven throughout and they are about to become unraveled. Fran is the victim of physical abuse from her husband Bobby. Bobby's job as a policeman is to protect...but who is going to protect Fran? Because Bobby is liked and respected by his peers...Fran fears that she'll lose her son so she puts her off reporting and hides her injuries. Bobby eventually went beyond the hidden bruises and breaks her nose, Finally Fran decides that enough is enough, and contacts a mysterious woman who runs an 'underground' service for battered wives. The woman gets Fran and her son relocated but her problems and her fears never completely go away. Running from New York to Florida she fights to stay one step ahead of the husband who's hunting her...perhaps with murder in mind this time. A well written story about a horrible subject that is too often on the other side of fiction. ( )

Review: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen.

I found this was a well written book and I enjoyed it. The characters are well developed. The story flows smoothly and the author did well alternating between the past and present. This is a battered wife story which I felt was interesting and educating to others of how to get away from an abusive marriage.

The story is about a medical nurse going through years of beatings and afraid to leave her husband. She couldn’t escape; call the police in fear of losing her son. Francis thought there was nothing she could do until she met a lady who was in a protective agency. They talked for awhile which encouraged Francis that the agency could help her and her son. They would relocate her and her son, give them new names, and she needed to leave and not talk to any family members or friends when she left her life as Francis. Her son hesitated with her plans because he only saw little abuse from his father. Most of her bruises came from accidents (as she told people) and he didn’t hear much oral abuse from his father.

As she left her present situation she struggled adapting to her new life. She held on to fear and kept her son close to her. They were never really happy in their new identities.
As the story progresses there are some twist and turns to keep Beth (new name) always looking over her shoulder. The story surprised me of how things worked out. ( )