Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11400 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-17
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

heartbreaking, but u can't put it down
i loved this book. it was difficult due to the topic, but well written. my heart went out to the sisters and i hated for the story to end. i found myself wondering what happened to janine after her divorce. does she find peace, happiness, freedom, a way to love without fear of abuse? its the kind of book that u don't want to put down, u just read from cover to cover. i hope she is free of her father now. i find myself hoping he's found out by others who know him. i'm outraged that he got away with his behavior for so many years. i wish janine could know how it feels to have safety in the love of a father.

A Must Read
This book is about the surviving sister's tale of emotional and physical abuse. It is an unflinching look inside a smoke and mirrors marriage. Janine does not place blame or guilt on any character, she tells it like it is. An 'it is what it is, whatever it is' tale of her marriage, showing that it is possible and incredibly easy for even highly intelligent women to be pulled into an abusive relationship without knowing that you're in one. Other reviewers said they would have liked more information on her sister's life and death. Obviously, there are holes in the stories because as an outsider, you'll never know all of what happened, even if you're family. A perfect example is in her own book as she keeps the "angry" bits of her marriage to herself and although does share some pieces, she doesn't share all of them with her sister. Likewise, sister Amy did not share all, either.

The book is well written by that it's intelligent, frank, and observational without judgement. It is a true testament to what goes on behind closed doors in an emotionally abusive relationship. It shows that emotional scars are harder to detect, harder to heal, and harder to show to an outsider. Abusers make you feel alone, even with your family around you. They make you think that it's not so bad with them. But you have to ask yourself "How bad does it have to be?" Sister Amy did not get out of her relationship in time, Janine did.

This story shows you how bad it can get. It also gives clues to look for in a partner. Dashingly charming and the ability to talk their way into anything is not always a virtue. Read the book. Share the book. Above all, Be Not A Bystander.

What Happened to Amy?
Like many other readers, I bought this book thinking that it would be a tribute to the author's sister and an account of the search for--and punishment of--her killer. Instead, it was about the author's self-involvement with her body. I got a little tired of looking at the pictures she included of herself in various poses. While the book was well-written, there was a disconnect while I was reading it, and I would have liked to have learned more about Amy and her life--and why she made such bad choices when it came to relationships.