Fran Benedetto's husband beats her. So badly that she takes her son and runs away. Starting afresh in Florida under assumed names, Fran and Robert slowly rebuild their lives - until an accident at a fairground puts Fran into the public eye. Now, she must face up to her worst fear: that her husband will come after her. That he will never let her go.
Black And Blue
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Review
"It is rare to find a novel at once tender and taut, full of insight, yet with a darkness at its centre - and that's what makes it a gripping read" (Margaret Forster)
"Quindlen invests her tale with rare pathos and even rarer psychological acumen ... the honesty of her storytelling is exemplary" (Sunday Telegraph)
"Anna Quindlen pours heart into Black and Blue ... this novel olingers like a bruise" (She)
"Quindlen has got so deeply inside her characters that they gave me nightmares" (The Times)
"I loved it. Qualities and shades of love are this writer's strong suit, and she has the unusual talent for writing about them with so much truth and heart that one is carried away on a tidal wave of involvement and concern" (Elizabeth Jane Howard)
"Quindlen invests her tale with rare pathos and even rarer psychological acumen ... the honesty of her storytelling is exemplary" (Sunday Telegraph)
"Anna Quindlen pours heart into Black and Blue ... this novel olingers like a bruise" (She)
"Quindlen has got so deeply inside her characters that they gave me nightmares" (The Times)
"I loved it. Qualities and shades of love are this writer's strong suit, and she has the unusual talent for writing about them with so much truth and heart that one is carried away on a tidal wave of involvement and concern" (Elizabeth Jane Howard)
Book Description
A woman on the run from her own life (1998-09-10)
--This text refers to an alternate
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First Sentence
The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is the first book I have read by Anna Quindlen, recommended to me by a friend. I found it very easy to read however in no way a simple story. The portrayal of the main character's feelings and fears is spot-on and you are following her every emotion with empathy and interest. As a reader you feel you have been given a valuable insight into a very private world, normally kept behind closed doors. Very moving, almost to the point of tears. I thoroughly recommend it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I honestly could not put this book down. YOu start to panic with her and are desperate to know what happens at the end. The end was quite unexpected - you usually expect a good ending, which this was with a twist.
I loved it.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I've read a few of Oprah's selections and I was really looking forward to reading this one. However, I did feel a bit let down, particularly by the ending. I feel that the final section could have been explored a lot more. In my opinion it ends too abruptly.
A positive aspect of this book is that it shows how difficult it is for a woman to break free of her violent husband, and the reality that even when she is free, he still has some kind of hold on her, he's constantly in her mind.
Overall I think the author tackled a difficult subject very well, the emotive prose helps us to relate to the main character Fran (Beth), who is living a nightmare. The difficulties that both her and her son, Robert, must endure in their new lifestyles in Florida, so very different to the one they led in New York, for him that he cant be with his father, and for her the fear that her husband will find them, which inevitably does happen.
Black and Blue is well written, and it does touch you, however as I mentioned above the ending was cut short, and I was left feeling a little disappointed.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting book
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I felt it was very perceptive writing and thought-provoking.
Published 5 months ago by Sharon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Black and Blue
Clearly one of Quindlen's earlier books and not as impressive as later ones, e.g. One Last Time. But very readable.
Published 5 months ago by Bridget Macey
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good depiction and a readable style.
It is reasonably accurate in its observations, confusions and feelings of these characters affected by domestic violence and it has a nice readable style that is quite focused.
Published 23 months ago by S. Hyde
4.0 out of 5 stars
heartrending
I could not put this book down. beautifully written and i went through every emotion with Fran on her journey. Read more
Published on 20 May 2011 by schoolescort
5.0 out of 5 stars
a good read
Another interesting story from this author, absorbing and I felt I driven to finish the story as she keeps you anxious about Fran's future and possibilities all the time
Published on 19 April 2010 by M. Pfeiffer
3.0 out of 5 stars
As hard to put down as it is to pick up.
Simply put, Black and Blue is the story of a woman taking her child and running away from her abusive husband. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by E. Lander
3.0 out of 5 stars
An okay book, but not brilliant
This book reflects the sad reality of one of the many plagues affecting this world: domestic abuse. Whilst fully sympathising with Frannie, the main character, and abhorring the... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by I LOVE BOOKS
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Compelling Tale Of Domestic Violence & Hope.
Once you pick this one up, you can't put it down. The author draws you into a deep affinity with the principle charecters. Read more
Published on 13 April 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love This Book!!
This book kept me in suspense the whole time. The ending is unbelievable. You'll rush to get to the end, to find out completely different results than you had expected!! Read more
Published on 6 April 1999
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