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juushikaTitle: Black and Blue
Author: Anna Quindlen
Published: New York: Del Publishing (Random House), 1988.
Page Count:369
Total Page Count: 14,632
Text Number: 40
Read For: My own enjoyment
Short review: Black and Blue is the story of a woman who flees an abusive relationship, taking her son and attempting to disappear into residential Florida, all the while waiting for her husband, a New York cop, to find and hurt her. The book is not Quindlen's best and while it is readable, and at less than 400 pages a manageable length, it feels like little more than a Lifetime "woman's" movie in novel form. I wouldn't recommend this book, especially in comparison to Quindlen's other work, although the lessons of what abuse is, how it happens, and how difficult it can be to escape are good ones to learn about, even in a fictional context.
Anna Quindlen is also the author of One True Thing, a book-cum-film about a daughter's experience with her mother's terminal cancer. That book is good—realistic, emotional but not maudlin, and challenging. Black and Blue is merely an example of weak writing that reads like a made for TV movie. It made its way into Oprah's book club but would never make it on to any of my must-read lists. Facing the realities of abuse is a good lesson to learn, and so the subject is worth reading about, but Quindlen's portrayal is less than realistic or compelling. All of the checklist facts are there: abuse leads to abuse, specifically carried from father to son; some women are drawn to the type of men that are/become abusers; legal protection can be inadequate; violence can lead to death. So on, so forth. The list of facts is there but the emotional context is filmsy, centers on children (rather than personal strength) and strange, powerless situations. Even when she flees her husband, things seem to be done to the protagonist rather than done by her. It's unfulfilling and disappointing to the reader and detracts from the whole text. In fact, the more interesting characters are mere foils and supporting roles like her new friends and romantic interest. They seem to have more personality and depth than the protagonist.
It will take less time and energy, and induce the same emotional responce, to watch any one of the numerous women's TV daytime movies about the same subject. Black and Blue is gripping only because you want to know if her husband will find her or not, and presents very few challenges, either in the writing or the ideas, to the reader. It's readable and I was able to get through it, but it's still a poor example of literature and even of the lesson it attempts to teach. Don't waste your time on this one. There is so much out there worth reading—spend your time on it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Anna Quindlen
Published: New York: Del Publishing (Random House), 1988.
Page Count:369
Total Page Count: 14,632
Text Number: 40
Read For: My own enjoyment
Short review: Black and Blue is the story of a woman who flees an abusive relationship, taking her son and attempting to disappear into residential Florida, all the while waiting for her husband, a New York cop, to find and hurt her. The book is not Quindlen's best and while it is readable, and at less than 400 pages a manageable length, it feels like little more than a Lifetime "woman's" movie in novel form. I wouldn't recommend this book, especially in comparison to Quindlen's other work, although the lessons of what abuse is, how it happens, and how difficult it can be to escape are good ones to learn about, even in a fictional context.
Anna Quindlen is also the author of One True Thing, a book-cum-film about a daughter's experience with her mother's terminal cancer. That book is good—realistic, emotional but not maudlin, and challenging. Black and Blue is merely an example of weak writing that reads like a made for TV movie. It made its way into Oprah's book club but would never make it on to any of my must-read lists. Facing the realities of abuse is a good lesson to learn, and so the subject is worth reading about, but Quindlen's portrayal is less than realistic or compelling. All of the checklist facts are there: abuse leads to abuse, specifically carried from father to son; some women are drawn to the type of men that are/become abusers; legal protection can be inadequate; violence can lead to death. So on, so forth. The list of facts is there but the emotional context is filmsy, centers on children (rather than personal strength) and strange, powerless situations. Even when she flees her husband, things seem to be done to the protagonist rather than done by her. It's unfulfilling and disappointing to the reader and detracts from the whole text. In fact, the more interesting characters are mere foils and supporting roles like her new friends and romantic interest. They seem to have more personality and depth than the protagonist.
It will take less time and energy, and induce the same emotional responce, to watch any one of the numerous women's TV daytime movies about the same subject. Black and Blue is gripping only because you want to know if her husband will find her or not, and presents very few challenges, either in the writing or the ideas, to the reader. It's readable and I was able to get through it, but it's still a poor example of literature and even of the lesson it attempts to teach. Don't waste your time on this one. There is so much out there worth reading—spend your time on it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
