'The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old.' 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 - she ran for both their lives. Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. She uses a name that isn't hers, watches over her son, and tries to forget. For the ...
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'The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old.' 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 - she ran for both their lives. Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. 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 with her. Bobby always said he would never let her go, and Fran Benedetto is certain of one thing: it is only a matter of time.
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I have never come across a book that destroys the beauty of figurative language as this one does. The plot is utterly predictable and certain sections are filled with stereotypes, including racial ones. This leads me to believe that the author has a low intellectual level or may just be ignorant. The main character was so weak and unbelievable and the most annoying thing was the metaphors, similes, and other figurative language on nearly EVERY SINGLE LINE. And they didn't work either! I don't understand why the author thought this book would be phenomenal. This topic is way overdone and there seems to be nothing new beneath the literary sun. I highly dislike this book and wouldn't recommend it for a good read.
oldwhatshername
Oct 5, 2007
Horrible
This is a poorly written story about a very stupid (though thank heavens fictional)woman. What a disappointment. With all the hype about Quindlen and this book I expected at the very least a decent read. Just a big pointless waste of time.
