i really loved quindlen's columns when she wrote for newsweek so perhaps i had inflated expectations for the first book of hers that i read. it was actually not bad, just not great. from the work i've done with survivors, i think she gets most of the dynamics of domestic violence, but not all of it. her portrayal of the woman helping is unfortunate, and uncommon, from all that i've seen. also, as an aside because it's not her fault, this edition is fraught with typos.