Synopses & Reviews
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," Kirkus 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."
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER -
"Intimate and illuminating and, as is true of most anything Quindlen writes, well worth the read."--People
For 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
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER -
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK -
"Intimate and illuminating and, as is true of most anything Quindlen writes, well worth the read."--People
"A compelling and suspenseful novel] that goes straight to the gut."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch For 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.
Synopsis
Contains author's "afterthoughts" and a reading group guide.
About the Author
ANNA QUINDLEN is the author of two other bestselling novels, Object Lessons and One True Thing. Her New York Times column, "Public & Private," won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and a selection of these columns was published as Thinking Out Loud. She is also the author of a collection of her "Life in the 30's" columns, Living Out Loud, and two children's books, The Tree That Came to Stay and Happily Ever After. She lives in New York City.