Black and Blue Author:Anna Quindlen With this stunning novel about a woman and a marriage that begins in passion and becomes violent, the Pulitzer Prize--winning journalist and bestselling author of One True Thing and Object Lessons moves to a new dimension as a writer of superb fiction. "If literature were judged solely by its ability to elicit strong emotions," Kir... more »kus Reviews said about One True Thing, "columnist-cum-novelist Quindlen would win another Pulitzer." And the same will be said about Black and Blue, a brilliant novel of suspense, substance, and importance.
In Black and Blue, Fran Benedetto tells a spellbinding story: how at nineteen she fell in love with Bobby Benedetto, how their passionate marriage became a nightmare, why she stayed, and what happened on the night she finally decided to run away with her ten-year-old son and start a new life under a new name. Living in fear in Florida--yet with increasing confidence, freedom, and hope--Fran unravels the complex threads of family, identity, and desire that shape a woman's life, even as she begins to create a new one. As Fran starts to heal from the pain of the past, she almost believes she has escaped it--that Bobby Benedetto will not find her and again provoke the complex combustion between them of attraction and destruction, lust and love.
Black and Blue is a beautifully written, heart-stopping story in which Anna Quindlen writes with power, wisdom, and humor about the real lives of men and women, the varieties of people and love, the bonds between mother and child, the solace of family and friendship, the inexplicable feelings between people who are passionately connected in ways they don't understand. It is a remarkable work of fiction by the writer whom Alice Hoffman has called "a national treasure."« less
I read this book a while ago, and it's worth a read. Fran escapes from her abusive husband by using an underground network that helps abused women "disappear". She brings along her son, so that he will no longer be exposed to the violence her husband unleashes on her. She sets up a new life, but always in fear that her husband may find her. A heartbreaking account of what abuse does to a woman and her household. I'd give it more stars, except the ending really wasn't as good as the rest of the book. I didn't expect a "happily ever after" finish, and it had a bit of a twist, but it just seemed flat when compared to the rest of the novel.
This was an excellent book. It is a novel about an abused woman escaping via the underground with her son. It goes through her thoughts about leaving and about why she stayed as long as she did. You experience along with her what it would be like to pick up and leave everything you knew, including your identity, behind.
I really got into this story. There are multiple reasons why a person stays in an abusive relationship and just as many why they leave. The book was thought-provoking and brought back my own memories of a similar situation. I carried these characters in my head for quite awhile after finishing the book. One quote stays with me always: "Your children make it impossible to regret your past. They're its finest fruits."
Quindlen renders the intricacies of spousal abuse with eerie accuracy, taking the reader deep within the realm of dysfunctional human ties. However, her vivid descriptions of abuse, emotional disintegration, and acute loneliness at times numb the reader with their realism.
In Black and Blue. Fran Benedetto tells a spellbinding story: how at nineteen she fell in love with Bobby Benedetto, how their passionate marriage became a nightmare, why she stayed and what happened on the night she finally decided to run away with her ten year old son and start a new life under a new name. Now living in FEAR in Florida. She know's he'll come and find her its just a matter of time. Does he find her or not? Here is where you come in. This is a non forgetting story of one battered woman. ***** stars for this reader.
This is an incredible story about the tragedy of domestic violence. Anna Quindlen's characters are very realistic and even though some strong females might find the main character a bit over the top, I thought she was a spot on portrait of a woman who is living in fear for her life from her husband. This, like most of Quindlen's novels, is a must read.
This riveting story is about Fran and Bobby Benedetto. They fell in love when they were young, and before they were even married Bobby started to show his violent nature. "The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old," begins Fran Benedetto. A heartbreaking story of how the years of abuse accumulated. Fran didn't want to leave Bobby because of their son, Robert. Plus, as Bobby said, What was she going to do? Call the cops? Bobby was a police officer. She finally had a home with friends, and she enjoyed her job at the local hospital as a nurse. But one day, Fran decides to leave Bobby with the help of a secret agency.
The agency relocates her to Florida, and tentatively she begins to rebuild her life. Robert starts a new school, she a new job, and they begin to make new friends. She is still fearful of the shadows, what lurks behind every corner, but she is trying. She really misses her sister Grace though. They spoke on the phone every day and when she left, she didn't tell anyone where she was going.
The story escalates to a heartbreaking ending, but one with hope. This being the first Anna Quindlen book I've read, I have to say I wasn't disappointed. The characters were emotional and the story gut-wrenching. Definitely will be looking for more from this author in the future.
Very compelling!! You will race through this book. This is the story of Fran Bennedetto, on the outside she is an accomplished ER nurse with a wonderful 8-year old son. Her husband, Bobby, is a police officer with a violent side that he takes out on her...but only where it won't show. She finally has the courage to disappear with her son and this story explores the difficulty of starting over under a new identity. You will admire her courage in adapting to her new life. And you will wait in terror, as she does, until her husband eventually finds her!
A gut wrencher ...
For 18 years ,Fran Benedetto kept her secret.And hid her bruises.And stayed with Bobby because she wanted her son to have a father. And because,in spite of everything she loved him. Then one night, when she saw the look on her ten year old son's face, Fran finally made a choice - and ran for both of their lives. Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. And in this place she uses a name that isn't hers, and cradles her son in her arms and tries to forget. For the woman who now calls herself Beth, every day is a chance to heal.
Read this one when it first came out in hardcover. Great for book clubs lots to discuss about spousal abuse and abuse in general what keeps people trapped in this cycle.
Awesome book! An honest look at some of life's hardest choices and the reality of broken dreams. Anna Quindlen continues to write easy to read novels that pull you into the lives of her characters. Highly recommended.
This is a very good book. The nuances of the character's feelings are painted so well. The every present fear, the determination to protect her son, the slow steps in rebuilding her confidence.
I love this author, and this is one of her best, drawing you in and creating a very realistic situation.
Fran Benedetto tells a story that we've heard all too often. At 19, she falls in love with the man of her dreams, Bobby Benedetto. But the dream turns into a nightmare until she finally decides to run away with her 10-year-old son and start a new life under a new name. Living in fear, yet with increasing confidence, freedom and hope, Fran unravels the complex threads of family, identity and desire that shape a woman's life--even as she starts to create a new one, complete with a new love.
As Fran starts the long journey towards healing, she almost believes that she has escaped forever. Feeling free at last, she dreams that Bobby will not find her and reignite the complex combustion of attraction and destruction, lust and love...
