Black & Blue

This was probably not the best beach read, but it was one I wanted to read and knew would be easy to get into, therefore it was perfect for vacation.

Description: With daring and compassion, Anna Quindlen weaves a forceful, harrowing portrait of a woman and a marriage, capturing the profound intricacies of love and rage, passion and violence. At once heartbreaking and utterly riveting, BLACK AND BLUE is an extraordinary work of fiction and a brilliant achievement.

For eighteen years, Fran Benedetto kept her secret, hid her bruises, and 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.

I love Anna Quindlen.  The subject matter may be dark and ugly but the story is amazing.  This is a story of domestic abuse so if you can't handle it, do not read it.  It tells the struggle of Fran and how she breaks away from Bobby and how she and her son escape.  I like that it was very real.  They were stuck in a nondescript town, in a shabby apartment and a crappy job.  They made mistakes.  They suffered from the mistakes.  But Fran got stronger and she got away, though she suffered a lot by her choices, it was leave or eventually die.

The ending is heart wrenching and I wanted a sequel in about 10 years from the time the book ended.

Have you read any books by Anna Quindlen? What would you recommend? Have you ever wondered how it would be to get an new identity and start over?