Black and Blue (Oprah's Book Club)
by Anna Quindlen
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Book Reviews of Black and Blue (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: Gripping
Summary: 5 Stars
With regard to domestic violence, there are essentially two kinds of women: those who have experienced beating, and those who haven't. Among those who haven't, there is the eternal question we ask the others: Why did you stay? I began this book mainly because I thought it would help me understand those women. However, the book gripped me in an entirely unexpected way. It was very suspenseful. Being told in the first person, it put me right in the action, listening for the possible intruder, the sudden appearance of the husband she's finally run away from. It all seemed very real.
And yes, the book did attempt to deal with the question of why women stay with their tormentors for years. Did it succeed? In this regard, what this book did was, it stimulated me to arrive at a conclusion regarding getting into other people's heads -- a conclusion I had been in the process of forming after reading another very engrossing book "Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf" by Asher Brauner. In that book also, you are inside the head of the protagonist, and you become very involved. Both books are so well-written, you just feel you're right there. And I'd been mulling over how far you can go in understanding the other person through their first-person revelations.
What I learned from both these reading experiences is that when you get inside the other person's head like this, you can only go so far. You can follow along with their thinking, and then, when the protagonist makes a decision, you still cannot really understand why. The tormented heroine of Black and Blue goes into long explanations and flashbacks of why she stayed with her husband, and I'm trying mightily to identify. But then, when she reveals the decision she's made, I suddenly realize I did not see it coming because I'm still a different person, and I know that I, me, I would never have made the decision she did. It's stimulating reading.
Book Review: Parts excellent, others less so
Summary: 4 Stars
As an occasional reader of Anna Quindlen's column (who often disagrees or doesn't quite like what's written), it's hard to disagree with the fact that Quindlen is an excellent writer and has an intelligent mind. This was the first novel of hers that I read, and I'll probably seek out more.
But I didn't really love the book. I liked a lot of it, that's true. But some parts bothered me quite a bit. The writing is really great - you're immersed into this world wholly and feel like characters around you are warm and alive. From son Robert to neighbor Cindy, there's this vivid and clear world. The story runs on a perfectly smooth track, alternating rather well (I felt) between past and present.
Meanwhile, I didn't really like the end. I didn't like the rather stereotypical situation with the husband and the husband's character (abusive, possessive cop... overdone perhaps?). The description of abuse was laid on rather well but felt used and kind of dry. I thought main character Fran/Beth could have been drawn better. And most of all, I felt some parts of the book were a bit far-fetched.
I really liked the book until the very ending where, though it touched my heart, I felt a bit empty. Perhaps this was the intention, but with other far-fetched moments throughout the book it added up to being simply a four-star book - well-written, much better than most, but still lacking in some places. I enjoyed reading it all the way through and comparatively, it's a high four or a four-and-a-half, but some parts were definitely weaker.
Good side-character characterization, excellent writing, extremely difficult and important topic, and very good presentation means that this book is fairly good. While it's not a classic, it's a deep and significant read that I would recommend and one that will lead me to seek out more of Quindlen's novels.
Book Review: A Stupid Protagonist
Summary: 1 Stars
The main character made so many stupid mistakes and had such severe character flaws herself, that I had to struggle a few times to sympathize with her. She admits that when she married her husband, she realized it was 'inevitable' that he would beat her -- yet she not only went ahead and married him, but she had a child, knowing this child would be exposed to the violence. When she meets a decent guy, she admits that the guy is rather dull compared to her ex-husband -- the subtext being that she misses getting beaten up? Most horrifying to me: She muses that if her son grows up to marry a woman and then beats that woman... she will not really care. She will not sympathize with the woman, because she will never be able to see any wrong in her son. This is one sick puppy, yo. And her sickness clearly pre-dates the abusive marriage, so it's not like her husband 'twisted' her.
I resented how she seemed hostile to the very people who were helping her out of her abusive situation. They got her a new identity, moved her to another state, supported her -- she didn't even have to work unless he wanted to -- and yet she complained about how superior they must feel for helping little pathetic her -- a paranoid feeling that was only in her own head.
Make no mistake -- I'm sympathetic to any abuse victim, but this one was such an idiot it would have been hard for ME not to knock her around a little.
Book Review: Black and Blue is one of Quindlen's Best
Summary: 5 Stars
It's quite difficult to write a humorous post about this topic, but I'll keep it to minimal analysis and pontification. I am pleased to say, however, that Black and Blue is in my Top Ten shelf.
I'll keep the plot summary to a minimum. Quindlen's masterpiece of a novel features Fran, a motivated young woman married to an initially captivating man, but ultimately abusive violent husband. After numerous, horrific events, she leaves him, starts a new life with her son, changes her name. I'll leave it at that - as you can imagine, the increasing anticipation of 'what's next' and the ultimate denouement pumps the reader full of adrenaline.
Most of us are fully aware of the male/female dynamic of domestic abuse. What's important to remember is that domestic violence can take many forms. It can be between siblings, it can be wives abusing husbands, it can be adult children abusing their more helpless, aging parents.
The thread between them all is that there exists a guise of intimate connection that should presuppose kindness and security, but ultimately is a lie. It's a dynamic of power, plain and simple.
Many people often say, "why doesn't she/he just leave if they're being abused?" I always challenge those individuals to research the topic a bit more before they judge. It's actually never that simple.
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Book Review: Empathy and understanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite authors, and I consider "Black and Blue" to be one of my top five favorite books. Before I read "Black and Blue", I had very little empathy for abused women. I never understood why they didn't just pack up and leave their horribly painful environments. But after reading this book, I can now understand why many women choose to stay. Quindlen very skillfully delved into the insidious nature of domestic abuse, how a woman is captivated by a particular man, falls in love, and becomes, in a way, accustomed to the shameful treatment she receives. Having children complicates the issue because the guilt she might feel for "breaking up her family" makes escape seem even more unrealistic. Leaving your old life behind suddenly does not become such a viable option, especially if your partner has promised to kill you if you should choose to leave. Fran Bendetto made the bold move to escape her abusive surroundings. This took great courage, but definitely was not without its repercussions, as this book carefully portrays. I felt the ending, although not terribly upbeat, was very realistic. Not all of life's dramas end neatly and perfectly. In my opinion, "Black and Blue" is an eye-opening depiction of the sadness and tragic nature of domestic abuse seen through the eyes of the abused.