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Random House Trade Paperbacks

Black and Blue: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Intimate and illuminating and, as is true of most anything Quindlen writes, well worth the read.”—PeopleFor eighteen years Fran Benedetto kept her secret, hid her bruises. She 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 their lives.Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. In this place she uses a name that isn’t hers, watches over her son, and tries to forget. For the woman who now calls herself Beth, every day is a chance to heal, to put together the pieces of her shattered self. And every day she waits for Bobby to catch up to her. Bobby always said he would never let her go, and despite the ingenuity of her escape, Fran Benedetto is certain of one thing: It is only a matter of time.Praise for Black and Blue"Heartbreaking."—Time"Beautifully paced—keeps the reader anxiously turning the pages."—New York Times Book Review"A gut-wrencher—another stunner."—Denver Post"Impossible to put down—the tension is both awful and mesmerizing."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Engrossing—compassionate and tense."—New York Times"Her best novel yet."—Publishers Weekly"Absolutely believable—Quindlen writes with power and grace."—Boston Globe"A moving masterpiece."—Lexington Herald-Leader Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Trade Paperbacks (March 30, 2010)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812980492


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 93


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1000L


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 0.65 x 7.98 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #618,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #6,357 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction #13,454 in Family Life Fiction (Books) #32,443 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#6,357 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Running away from spousal abuse
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen A novel about an abused woman's path to freedom, BLACK AND BLUE introduces us to the world of Fran Benedetto, a woman who is beaten and emotionally abused every day by the only man she's ever loved, her husband Bobby. Fran lives day by day in a type of fear that can't even be described. A wrong word or a wrong look - anything could set off Bobby's anger. A broken nose or a black eye -- Bobby lashes out at Fran in any way he can. It seems to start out as a mistake, a fluke, but as the years go by, Bobby continues to beat Fran for the slightest thing, and does not see anything wrong in what he does to her. The fact that Bobby is a policeman makes this a scarier ordeal for Fran. Bobby knows that even if Fran goes to the police, no one would believe that he had beaten up his own wife. His reputation on the force seems to be legendary. On the other hand, if Fran did try to go to the police, no one could protect her from his wrath after finding out what she did. Fran keeps these abuses and fears to herself. Her son Robert asks Fran, "how did that happen?" when he sees her with a black eye. Fran always has an answer, always avoids telling him the truth. And Robert looks the other way. Although old enough to understand what is happening, he is still too young to want to accept such a thing happening between his parents. So he chooses to pretend that everything is ok. Fran could only take so much abuse. She takes their son Robert and leaves for Florida under the guidance of Patty Bancroft, a leader of a group that helps battered women like Fran by relocating them with a whole new identity, saving them from the men that are abusing them. Fran starts a new life with a new name, and slowly things begin to fall in to place. But, no matter what Patty tells her, Fran feels that Bobby will one day find them. And when he does, Fran knows her life is over. BLACK AND BLUE was one of those books that kept me glued to every page. What surprised me is that I did not cry once or feel any real strong emotions while I read this book except for fear. The book for me was more like a suspense novel, and secondarily a novel about spousal abuse. The author focused more on Fran's attempt to forge a new life for herself and her son and on her every day fears that Bobby would eventually find her. With that said, I highly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. It was an Oprah Selection, but for me it was not as typical a choice as some of her past books. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 2, 2002 by Ratmammy
    • A literary profile of the abuser
Many of us who love Lolita have its unforgettable first lines committed to memory: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three..." Using exquisite prose, Nabokov sketches in an extremely compelling manner the profile of a pedophile and his victim. Unlike many other psychological novels, he doesn't turn tragedy into redemption and pathology into love. There's nothing redeeming or redeemable about the sociopathic pedophile and his sick love for Lolita. Anna Quindlen's Black and Blue follows in Lolita`s footsteps as a great work of psychological fiction. Psychological, because the author sketches in such a realistic fashion the profile of the abuser that I'm tempted to say her novel should be available in every domestic violence shelter under the category of "nonfiction." And yet, one can't forget that Black and Blue is above all a work of fiction, masterfully crafted. Its beginning echoes the first lines of Lolita, in fact, the novel which it resembles in style even more than in content: "The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old. One sentence and I'm lost. One sentence and I can hear his voice in my head, that butterscotch-syrup voice that made goose bumps rise on my arms when I was young, that turned all of my skin warm and alive with a sibilant S, the drawling vowels, its shocking fricatives. It always sounded like a whisper, the way he talked, the intimacy of it, the way the words seemed to go into your gutys, your head, your heart." (1) The message of Black and Blue is similar to that of nonfiction books on dangerous men, which attempt to educate the public and empower the victims. Abusers are often charming. Abusers don't usually begin intimate relationships with overt abuse. Abusers can be entrancing and romantic, at least at first, during the wooing phase. Abuse doesn't get better; it escalates. Abusers push the limits of their victims' tolerance, little by little, until they dominate their targets. Abuse is above all a power game. The abusers are generally narcissistic individuals who lack empathy and want total control. The victims, however, aren't necessarily weak or passive. They can be strong and loving men and women, like Frannie Benedetto. Abuse is a tragedy without a silver lining. It's one thing to read this familiar message in self-help books and pamphlets and quite another to feel it in a great work of fiction. From the very first lines, Black and Blue gets under your skin. It reveals the mindset of both abuser and abused. It traces the emotional scars of the child or children who have to endure these sad family dynamics. "My son scarcely ever cries. And his smile comes so seldom that it's like bright sunshine on winter snow, blinding and strange." (26) Such beautiful language for such ugly facts... Perhaps this is the best way to bring the abuse to life for others. Above all, Black and Blue puts you in the shoes of all those who have the courage to run away from it without ever looking back. Claudia Moscovici, Notablewriters.com ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 13, 2010 by Claudia Moscovici
    • A veiw from the bench
I am a Municipal Court Judge who handles a lot of domestic violence cases. I liked "Black and Blue" but found some aspects of the story a little hard to believe. When Fran left she had a pretty "fairy tale" life. It was a little hard to believe that she could live rent free all that time and work on the almost "casual" level that she did. It seems that she would have been more finacially strapped. Aside from being a judge, I was also a single mother and I know from practical experience how tough it can be. Meeting the gym teacher was a little far fetched. Trust me, you don't meet single men with no baggage. People in the know say that women tend to get hooked up with the same kind of guy as their ex. But I give Fran a lot of credit. She did break free and that's what you have to do. But it was a tough decison and I don't want women to think that they will have it as easy as Fran. Whether it's alcohol, drugs or an abusive relationship you have to make a break and look out for number one. The book is well worth reading for those who are victims of domestic violence or those who work with victims and offenders. One of the early reviews said this was the UNCLE TOM'S CABIN of domestic violence. I wouln't go that far, but it's a quick read and very readable. It does not compare to PARADISE, which was a terrible selection. Shame on Oprah for picking her friend's book! I'm working on a PHD and I can't understand Toni Morrison! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 13, 1998 by C. Ellen Connally
    • Profound!
I found this book to be so profound, the excellent writing, the carefully constructed characters, the horrible humanity, the desperate hope for a better life. I definitely recommend this book.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 23, 2022 by Kindle Customer

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