Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This feels like the kind of book that stays with you a while.
Re-read June 2019: I had read this years ago, and watching Big Little Lies made me want to read it again. The suspense and waiting were palpable and so well done. I had totally forgotten the ending so I have to say it gutted me and I was definitely weeping for the last bit of the book. So amazing. I can’t wait to forget the ending and read it again.
Originally read April 2011: This story followed a woman as she left her abusive husband, bringing her son along as they started a secret new life. There were vivid flashbacks, but also a lot of current action. It had a good narrative structure, but overall felt very stream-of-consciousness, which worked perfectly. As the woman adjusted to her new life, you were living day-to-day right along with her. When she was struck by fear of her husband finding her, you were jolted into that emotion as well. It was very powerful, very realistic, and very suspenseful. The prose was beautiful in many parts, but never too flowery. The characters were realistic and likable, and I find myself thinking about them even after finishing the book.
Originally read April 2011: This story followed a woman as she left her abusive husband, bringing her son along as they started a secret new life. There were vivid flashbacks, but also a lot of current action. It had a good narrative structure, but overall felt very stream-of-consciousness, which worked perfectly. As the woman adjusted to her new life, you were living day-to-day right along with her. When she was struck by fear of her husband finding her, you were jolted into that emotion as well. It was very powerful, very realistic, and very suspenseful. The prose was beautiful in many parts, but never too flowery. The characters were realistic and likable, and I find myself thinking about them even after finishing the book.
This is a somewhat forgettable story told by Frannie, a woman who has just escaped an abusive marriage, taking her 10-year old son with her. Her husband, a handsome NYC cop, has been beating her regularly, and their relationship has become a cycle of abuse, remorse, makeup, abuse, remorse, makeup - with the veneer of fear covering it all. Frannie doesn't attempt to use the legal system but absconds with her son, even though that decision is really the only thing a mother could do. She makes it clear that her son is the reason she finally had the strength to leave.
As they start new lives, she grows stronger and begins to heal. She has traded one type of fear for another - waiting for her husband to find her. We know he will - it's simply the outcome of that encounter that keeps us reading.
As they start new lives, she grows stronger and begins to heal. She has traded one type of fear for another - waiting for her husband to find her. We know he will - it's simply the outcome of that encounter that keeps us reading.
I agree with other reviewers that it felt a lot like many Lifetime movies that I've seen before. I like this author, but I thought the the story has been told before.
While well-written, this story of a woman's escape from a domestic violence situation can drag and get dull in places. There were also parts that I found to be too stereotypical (for example, giving off the impression that women are the only targets of domestic violence). Despite the dull parts, the book overall wasn't bad.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had a hard time getting into this one, but then I ended up really liking it.