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The Burning Bed: The True Story Of Francine Hughes--A Beaten Wife Who Rebelled
Older book but pages are fine. No writing or marks. Just collecting dust on my bookshelf and looking to sell it.
303 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
27 people are currently reading
1887 people want to read
About the author
Faith McNulty
51 books21 followersFaith McNulty was an American nonfiction author, probably best-known for her 1980 book The Burning Bed. She was born "Faith Corrigan" in New York City, the daughter of a judge. Young Faith attended Barnard College for one year, then attended Rhode Island State College. But she dropped out of college once she got a job as a copy girl at the New York Daily News. She later went to work for Life magazine. She worked for the U.S. Office of War Information in London during World War II.
McNulty was a wildlife writer at The New Yorker magazine for several years. In 1980, a collection of her New Yorker work was published as The Wildlife Stories of Faith McNulty. For many years, she edited the annual New Yorker compilation of the year's best children's books.
She also frequently wrote children's books on wildlife, including How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World in 1979 and When I Lived with Bats in 1998. Her 1966 book The Whooping Crane: The Bird that Defies Distinction was written for adults.
Her husband, John McNulty, was also a writer for The New Yorker and with Thomas Wolf, Truman Capote, and Gay Talese, a major figure in the development of the literary genre of creative nonfiction, which is also known as literary journalism or literature in fact. After her husband died in 1956, she remarried, to Richard Martin, a set designer and an inventive designer of set props.
The Burning Bed told the true story of Francine Hughes, who set fire to the bedroom in which her husband was sleeping. Hughes defended herself by saying that her husband had been abusing her for 13 years. The jury at her trial ruled that she had been temporarily insane, and she was found not guilty.
"I can remember my father in his nightshirt, digging for worms for the baby robin in the bathroom. That's the kind of household it was; I had woodchucks in the bathroom, cats, squirrels, chipmunks," McNulty once said.
Toward the end of her life, she wrote a weekly column for The Providence Journal on a local animal shelter run by the Animal Welfare League. Her mother had founded the Animal Welfare League in southern Rhode Island. McNulty had long been known for taking in stray animals at her farm.
She suffered a stroke in 2004. She died at her farm in Wakefield, Rhode Island.
McNulty was a wildlife writer at The New Yorker magazine for several years. In 1980, a collection of her New Yorker work was published as The Wildlife Stories of Faith McNulty. For many years, she edited the annual New Yorker compilation of the year's best children's books.
She also frequently wrote children's books on wildlife, including How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World in 1979 and When I Lived with Bats in 1998. Her 1966 book The Whooping Crane: The Bird that Defies Distinction was written for adults.
Her husband, John McNulty, was also a writer for The New Yorker and with Thomas Wolf, Truman Capote, and Gay Talese, a major figure in the development of the literary genre of creative nonfiction, which is also known as literary journalism or literature in fact. After her husband died in 1956, she remarried, to Richard Martin, a set designer and an inventive designer of set props.
The Burning Bed told the true story of Francine Hughes, who set fire to the bedroom in which her husband was sleeping. Hughes defended herself by saying that her husband had been abusing her for 13 years. The jury at her trial ruled that she had been temporarily insane, and she was found not guilty.
"I can remember my father in his nightshirt, digging for worms for the baby robin in the bathroom. That's the kind of household it was; I had woodchucks in the bathroom, cats, squirrels, chipmunks," McNulty once said.
Toward the end of her life, she wrote a weekly column for The Providence Journal on a local animal shelter run by the Animal Welfare League. Her mother had founded the Animal Welfare League in southern Rhode Island. McNulty had long been known for taking in stray animals at her farm.
She suffered a stroke in 2004. She died at her farm in Wakefield, Rhode Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
October 25, 2012
Ignore the crappy cover, title & blurb; this was one important book in it's day. The story of Francine Hughes became a rallying cry for a growing movement to change domestic violence laws. Ranks divided on the verdict, ‘she got away with murder’ or ‘justice was served’, everybody had an opinion…whatever. More significant than the verdict was that people were finally talking, it couldn’t be swept under the rug anymore. Read it so long ago that I can't honestly comment on the writing style. I do remember being riveted and one haunting detail; the day she snapped he had forced her to burn all her secretarial text books because he couldn’t tolerate an ‘educated’ wife.
Interesting, published over 20 yrs ago and I’m still finding it listed on DV Intervention sites. Anyway, please don’t just write it off as dated drivel. Think of it as a turning point for change.
I really hate the cover.
Interesting, published over 20 yrs ago and I’m still finding it listed on DV Intervention sites. Anyway, please don’t just write it off as dated drivel. Think of it as a turning point for change.
I really hate the cover.
October 25, 2019
Riveting book! I immediately thought of this story when an acquaintance of mine was charged with a similar crime. A gut-wrenching read about domestic abuse - how much can a person take before they lose it?
December 27, 2014
A true crime story of the living nightmare Francine Hughes endured during the late 1970's in Mason, Michigan. An intense, but fast read detailing both physical and verbal abuse as well as cruelty to animals at its worst dished-out by Francine's husband Mickey. I agree with the results of the trial and feel that Justice was Served.
Thought the book was better than the movie.
April 22, 2015
Terrible, terrible story. And true.
Francine Hughes, after fourteen years of spousal abuse at the hands of her husband, sets a gas accelerated fire around the bed of her sleeping, drunk husband who had spent the day drinking and abusing her.
When you read the story the words are written as if a reasonable and innocent woman, who might otherwise have never experienced violence, was caught in a situation so horrible that the only way out was to murder her husband. Actually he was her ex-husband but he refused to leave.
I had mixed feelings about the acquittal, jury handed down a decision of temporary insanity. It was pretty clear that if she didn't kill him he was going to kill her. But the self-defense excuse was not going to fly because he had been asleep when she killed him. I think it was self-defense and not temporary insanity, but the lawyer chose well in his decisions on how to best save Francine from a life in jail. The book also makes it seem like she was close to her kids and all they needed was the father out of the picture.
So the story ends on a positive note with Francine walking free.
But go ahead and read about her life after this book. She was partying and doing drugs, her kids were already traumatized by the abuse they had witnessed, and the horrible way their father died. A few years after the trial Francine marries a man who becomes a, well I guess you could say hard-line strict, step-father, physically abusive and, if the youngest child Nicole is telling the truth, sexually abusive. I think it might have been better for everyone if Francine had served her life sentence and I don't know if the kids could have been rescued or not, but it would have been nice if someone had tried.
http://www.people.com/people/archive/...
Probably the most important thing about this book, and all the publicity around the case, is that it helped to change perception about spousal abuse. When Francine was growing up spousal abuse was the business of the family and nobody else's business. Her father abused her mother. She grew up seeing it, and to a large degree it was part of the culture of male dominance in which she lived. We understand a lot more now about the psychology of abuse, its causes and effects. It doesn't mean we have things under control though. From what I read, the third son Dana also became an abusive husband. We have more social services to help battered women and children, but it is far from a sure thing that these victims can get the help they need, that they can recover and not become the next generation of abusers.
Also, I am not sure about the accuracy of what I have said here; I read a book and read some on line articles and comments. Her granddaughter says her grandmother did not marry another abusive man and that we should stop acting like we know her family when we don't. She has a point.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:Wha...
Francine Hughes, after fourteen years of spousal abuse at the hands of her husband, sets a gas accelerated fire around the bed of her sleeping, drunk husband who had spent the day drinking and abusing her.
When you read the story the words are written as if a reasonable and innocent woman, who might otherwise have never experienced violence, was caught in a situation so horrible that the only way out was to murder her husband. Actually he was her ex-husband but he refused to leave.
I had mixed feelings about the acquittal, jury handed down a decision of temporary insanity. It was pretty clear that if she didn't kill him he was going to kill her. But the self-defense excuse was not going to fly because he had been asleep when she killed him. I think it was self-defense and not temporary insanity, but the lawyer chose well in his decisions on how to best save Francine from a life in jail. The book also makes it seem like she was close to her kids and all they needed was the father out of the picture.
So the story ends on a positive note with Francine walking free.
But go ahead and read about her life after this book. She was partying and doing drugs, her kids were already traumatized by the abuse they had witnessed, and the horrible way their father died. A few years after the trial Francine marries a man who becomes a, well I guess you could say hard-line strict, step-father, physically abusive and, if the youngest child Nicole is telling the truth, sexually abusive. I think it might have been better for everyone if Francine had served her life sentence and I don't know if the kids could have been rescued or not, but it would have been nice if someone had tried.
http://www.people.com/people/archive/...
Probably the most important thing about this book, and all the publicity around the case, is that it helped to change perception about spousal abuse. When Francine was growing up spousal abuse was the business of the family and nobody else's business. Her father abused her mother. She grew up seeing it, and to a large degree it was part of the culture of male dominance in which she lived. We understand a lot more now about the psychology of abuse, its causes and effects. It doesn't mean we have things under control though. From what I read, the third son Dana also became an abusive husband. We have more social services to help battered women and children, but it is far from a sure thing that these victims can get the help they need, that they can recover and not become the next generation of abusers.
Also, I am not sure about the accuracy of what I have said here; I read a book and read some on line articles and comments. Her granddaughter says her grandmother did not marry another abusive man and that we should stop acting like we know her family when we don't. She has a point.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:Wha...
February 25, 2018
This was a heart rending true story and it made uncomfortable reading throughout most of the book.
The story of Francine Hughes and her marriage to Mickey is almost unbelievable and yet all too true. Francine married Mickey when she was just sixteen and he was several years older, Francine had been taught by her mother that a wife must be dutiful, keep the home spotless and to respect her husband. Mickey was an inadequate and uneducated man who felt that Francine ‘belonged’ to him and that he had the right to tell her what she could and could not do.
Francine was a very naive and kind girl who tried so hard to keep Mickey happy and he just took her efforts for granted. They had not been married for long before Mickey started to be abusive, both verbally and physically, Francine did nothing to provoke him and she never retaliated. Over the years they had four children and Mickey continued to beat Francine even whilst she was pregnant. As the years went by the abuse got worse and worse and Francine was in constant fear for her life, she attempted to leave on numerous occasions but lack of money and support and the ambivalent attitude of the police made it impossible to get totally away from Mickey and she ended up having to go back to him even after she managed to secure a divorce.
I have always believed that you should not take a life under any circumstances, but reading this book I cannot see how Francine was going to come out of the relationship alive. No one was able to give her sufficient help for her to break away and I started to think that Mickey deserved what happened to him. The way he treated Francine, the children and even the family animals was for me a reason to lock him up and throw away the key. I felt that because of Mickey’s own inadequacies and lack of education he felt the need to take out his frustration on those who were weaker, I have heard this described as ‘kick the cat syndrome’ and that is just how it seemed to be with Mickey.
When Francine did what she did, she was in shock and at the limit of human endurance, I cannot truthfully condemn her action, she had suffered intolerably and had been driven to the edge of insanity. Despite her dreadful ordeal over fourteen long years Francine managed to maintain her lovely kind nature and her sense of gently naivety, she prayed daily and had trust in God that He would give her the strength to endure.
This is a tough read but one that shines a light of what is going on in so many homes all over the world. It all happened in the 1960’s and 70’s and in some countries the laws have changed for the better but domestic abuse is still a very difficult subject to discuss and a lot of women (and men) suffer in silence or do not get the help that they need from the authorities.
I simply wanted to shout at Francine, run, and keep running!
The story of Francine Hughes and her marriage to Mickey is almost unbelievable and yet all too true. Francine married Mickey when she was just sixteen and he was several years older, Francine had been taught by her mother that a wife must be dutiful, keep the home spotless and to respect her husband. Mickey was an inadequate and uneducated man who felt that Francine ‘belonged’ to him and that he had the right to tell her what she could and could not do.
Francine was a very naive and kind girl who tried so hard to keep Mickey happy and he just took her efforts for granted. They had not been married for long before Mickey started to be abusive, both verbally and physically, Francine did nothing to provoke him and she never retaliated. Over the years they had four children and Mickey continued to beat Francine even whilst she was pregnant. As the years went by the abuse got worse and worse and Francine was in constant fear for her life, she attempted to leave on numerous occasions but lack of money and support and the ambivalent attitude of the police made it impossible to get totally away from Mickey and she ended up having to go back to him even after she managed to secure a divorce.
I have always believed that you should not take a life under any circumstances, but reading this book I cannot see how Francine was going to come out of the relationship alive. No one was able to give her sufficient help for her to break away and I started to think that Mickey deserved what happened to him. The way he treated Francine, the children and even the family animals was for me a reason to lock him up and throw away the key. I felt that because of Mickey’s own inadequacies and lack of education he felt the need to take out his frustration on those who were weaker, I have heard this described as ‘kick the cat syndrome’ and that is just how it seemed to be with Mickey.
When Francine did what she did, she was in shock and at the limit of human endurance, I cannot truthfully condemn her action, she had suffered intolerably and had been driven to the edge of insanity. Despite her dreadful ordeal over fourteen long years Francine managed to maintain her lovely kind nature and her sense of gently naivety, she prayed daily and had trust in God that He would give her the strength to endure.
This is a tough read but one that shines a light of what is going on in so many homes all over the world. It all happened in the 1960’s and 70’s and in some countries the laws have changed for the better but domestic abuse is still a very difficult subject to discuss and a lot of women (and men) suffer in silence or do not get the help that they need from the authorities.
I simply wanted to shout at Francine, run, and keep running!
November 4, 2012
I read this book when it came out years ago. I found it frightening and horrific. This poor women was constantly abused by her husband both physically and mentally. In the end she couldn't take it anymore so she set her husband's bed on fire while he was sleeping in it and killed him. Then there was the court case against her. She got off as not guilty because of all the abuse they were able to prove. They made a movie of it a few years after the book was released and I saw that too. Farrah Fawcett played the abused woman and she did an amazing job. I could not believe it was Farrah Fawcett because they made her look do downtrodden. The movie was (I think) a made for TV movie. I can't remember. It should have been in the movie theater because of how violent it was. I highly recommend this book.
August 16, 2009
the burning bed was one of my sixth grade book reports-i have always liked to read and cheated because i had probably read it in fifth grade--my teacher chatted with my mom about my choice of book for these papers-my mom always let me read her personal books and she still does-this is something i have always really liked about her-
November 14, 2012
I read this book in the mid 1980's, it was a great book that shed light on a huge problem that had been ignored for way too long. I am from Shaftsburg, Michigan which is a short distance from where this took place, so it made it even more interesting. The guy in the story got just what he deserved and everyone I knew thought that she did what she had to do.
June 21, 2016
Raw, gut wrenching writing of the true story of an abused woman. Kudos to Farrah Fawcett for the magnificent portrayal she did in the TV movie!!
July 17, 2015
I had a review posted but Goodreads ate it.
September 22, 2015
Although this book is thirty-five years old, unfortunately, much of it could have been written about a story that happened this week. Though in larger cities there are shelters for women like Francine Hughes and her children, they’re usually filled to capacity. Francine was poor and not well educated. The binds that her husband Mickey and his family put on her is tough to read about. Her story could have ended very differently.
I’m a sucker for true crime books in general, particularly ones that deal with gender issues, so I enjoyed this. This is a fast-paced book about an important subject.
I’m a sucker for true crime books in general, particularly ones that deal with gender issues, so I enjoyed this. This is a fast-paced book about an important subject.
January 26, 2010
Another true crime. This one is about an abused wife who murders her husband by setting a fire around his bed while he is sleeping. Fourteen years of marriage, four children, and many many many beatings, any one which could have killed her, and she had had enough.
I thought it was an intersting look into the life of the abuse. There was a movie made on this book starring Farrah Fawcett, if that appeals to you more!
I thought it was an intersting look into the life of the abuse. There was a movie made on this book starring Farrah Fawcett, if that appeals to you more!
September 20, 2013
I loved this story. When I was in high school, a teacher recommended it to me, and I checked it out of the library. Fast forward about 7 years, I took it out of the library again without remembering I had already read it. It's even better now than it was 7 years ago. I would recommend this story to anyone, to me, it is definitely a look into the face of domestic abuse.
January 6, 2013
I read the book and saw the movie. The movie was really good, but the book was more graphic and detailed. It is one of those books one does not want to put down. I highly recommend everyone read it.
June 10, 2007
Excellent book. The man deserved to die.
January 8, 2008
One doesn't ordinarily like to give a thumbs-up to murder, but I do not even hesitate to say this man should have been killed. I may even be okay with the fire. I'll be peace-loving tomorrow.
June 15, 2010
This was a haunting one. I first read it as a teenager and it shaped what I thought about jerk men! Not for me!
February 19, 2012
True Story but very good and wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better than the movie. The movie was lame.
June 29, 2012
A classic and tragic account of how abuse can have deadly results if ignored. I couldn't put this book down.
June 17, 2013
It was a great True story about abuse and the hold it can have on everyones life.
March 9, 2025
Gut wrenching. To hear how they even put the children on the stand for the trial made my heart hurt.
Wonderful to see how the “battered woman” is no longer acceptable in society. There were so many points in this poor woman’s life that she couldn’t catch a break. It wasn’t her fault though. Society at the time was structured to accept this as normal. Hard to believe this was in the lifetime of my loved ones and they could know someone who endured this much trauma.
Wonderful to see how the “battered woman” is no longer acceptable in society. There were so many points in this poor woman’s life that she couldn’t catch a break. It wasn’t her fault though. Society at the time was structured to accept this as normal. Hard to believe this was in the lifetime of my loved ones and they could know someone who endured this much trauma.
May 14, 2019
A group of women I participate with was discussing a recent interview with Lorena Bobbitt, she of penis-ectomy fame, and remarking how deplorable it is that only now, decades later, is any focus given to what was done to her rather than to what she herself did. The movie The Burning Bed starring Farrah Fawcett came up, and it seemed to me it had been based on a true story. I checked around and saw that indeed it was, the story of how Francine Hughes got sick and tired of being beaten to a bloody pulp and having absolutely no help available to her, and during the desolate, desperate evening of March 9, 1977, she set her husband on fire to be free of him. It's available in print but not as an e-book that I can see, and be careful--one Amazon seller is asking $69.81 for it! I found a used paperback at my favorite online used bookseller for about $5, including shipping.
This is a graphic, horrifying, and absolutely unfuckingbelievable story, not only of the emotional, verbal, and physical abuse one woman took, but the lack of laws or any kind of support that would help her escape him. Even if the cops came to the house, they couldn't arrest Mickey unless they actually saw him assault her. Never mind that both of Francine's eyes are blackened, her lips are puffed, she's covered with bruises, the house is destroyed, broken dishes and furniture everywhere, children cowering and sobbing. Never mind that Mickey actually tells the police, on more than one occasion, that as soon as they leave he's going to "break her fucking neck." Our hands are tied, nothing we can do ma'am, so sorry, you try to stay calmed down now sir, ya hear? Repeat at least once a week, ad nauseum, for thirteen fucking years, and see what happens.
After her arrest for murdering her husband, even in the days before the Internet, Francine Hughes became a cause celebre, and women everywhere owe...well, I don't want to say we owe Francine anything. I'm sure she'd have given anything not to be the symbol she became, not to have had to do what she did, and the sense I get of her says she would not have wanted the label "hero" stuck on to her forehead. So I guess it's to her defense attorney and the jury of her peers to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude, for seeing beyond the letter of the law and the norms of society, seeing deeper to the human beings our society are supposed to protect. Francine's case shone a harsh light on the brutality levied on women every day, and helped to make things as much better as they are now. Francine Hughes did not have what we have now: Better laws, harsher consequences, protection orders, and shelters and assistance and education programs. It's not enough, as violence against women remains a worldwide epidemic and will continue to be as long as patriarchal societies are permitted to stay in place. But it's a start.
The whole story is such a tragedy, and my heart particularly breaks for those children. (I found an interview wherein the oldest child said of her father, "I spit on his grave...He was a rotten son-of-a-bitch.") As I read, I was trying to find a kernel of sympathy for Mickey Hughes' family, empathy for their grief at losing a son and brother. And I actually had that kernel, right up until Mickey's mother took the stand and said her son was a good and loving father and husband, that he had never hit her, that she had never seen him strike Francine, that Francine was always the cause of the trouble--all provable lies. I mean sure, it would have been wonderful if Mickey could have lived a full life in the loving bosom of his wife and children and parents and siblings. You know what else would have been wonderful? If Francine Hughes had not had to endure more than a dozen years of endless shouting, name-calling, philandering, insults, oppression and repression, being the sole support of her children because their father was a lazy drunken piece of shit, almost daily beatings, and then having to live the rest of her life with the knowledge that she had deliberately taken a life, justifiable though it was. That's what would have been wonderful. And at that point I lost any sympathy I'd had for Mickey's parents. They set the example for him and repeatedly enabled him, and he lived right up to it.
The takeaway: Mickey and Francine Hughes are but a single case study. John and Lorena Bobbitt are but another. This kind of shit still happens, everywhere, every day.
Why do I read this stuff? I'm going to have to sleep with the light on again.
Added note: This book was considered a stellar forerunner in the genre known as creative non-fiction or literary journalism, which Truman Capote is generally credited for developing. It's another shining example of a true story that reads like a novel.
This is a graphic, horrifying, and absolutely unfuckingbelievable story, not only of the emotional, verbal, and physical abuse one woman took, but the lack of laws or any kind of support that would help her escape him. Even if the cops came to the house, they couldn't arrest Mickey unless they actually saw him assault her. Never mind that both of Francine's eyes are blackened, her lips are puffed, she's covered with bruises, the house is destroyed, broken dishes and furniture everywhere, children cowering and sobbing. Never mind that Mickey actually tells the police, on more than one occasion, that as soon as they leave he's going to "break her fucking neck." Our hands are tied, nothing we can do ma'am, so sorry, you try to stay calmed down now sir, ya hear? Repeat at least once a week, ad nauseum, for thirteen fucking years, and see what happens.
After her arrest for murdering her husband, even in the days before the Internet, Francine Hughes became a cause celebre, and women everywhere owe...well, I don't want to say we owe Francine anything. I'm sure she'd have given anything not to be the symbol she became, not to have had to do what she did, and the sense I get of her says she would not have wanted the label "hero" stuck on to her forehead. So I guess it's to her defense attorney and the jury of her peers to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude, for seeing beyond the letter of the law and the norms of society, seeing deeper to the human beings our society are supposed to protect. Francine's case shone a harsh light on the brutality levied on women every day, and helped to make things as much better as they are now. Francine Hughes did not have what we have now: Better laws, harsher consequences, protection orders, and shelters and assistance and education programs. It's not enough, as violence against women remains a worldwide epidemic and will continue to be as long as patriarchal societies are permitted to stay in place. But it's a start.
The whole story is such a tragedy, and my heart particularly breaks for those children. (I found an interview wherein the oldest child said of her father, "I spit on his grave...He was a rotten son-of-a-bitch.") As I read, I was trying to find a kernel of sympathy for Mickey Hughes' family, empathy for their grief at losing a son and brother. And I actually had that kernel, right up until Mickey's mother took the stand and said her son was a good and loving father and husband, that he had never hit her, that she had never seen him strike Francine, that Francine was always the cause of the trouble--all provable lies. I mean sure, it would have been wonderful if Mickey could have lived a full life in the loving bosom of his wife and children and parents and siblings. You know what else would have been wonderful? If Francine Hughes had not had to endure more than a dozen years of endless shouting, name-calling, philandering, insults, oppression and repression, being the sole support of her children because their father was a lazy drunken piece of shit, almost daily beatings, and then having to live the rest of her life with the knowledge that she had deliberately taken a life, justifiable though it was. That's what would have been wonderful. And at that point I lost any sympathy I'd had for Mickey's parents. They set the example for him and repeatedly enabled him, and he lived right up to it.
The takeaway: Mickey and Francine Hughes are but a single case study. John and Lorena Bobbitt are but another. This kind of shit still happens, everywhere, every day.
Why do I read this stuff? I'm going to have to sleep with the light on again.
Added note: This book was considered a stellar forerunner in the genre known as creative non-fiction or literary journalism, which Truman Capote is generally credited for developing. It's another shining example of a true story that reads like a novel.
February 9, 2021
**Spoiler alert if you don’t want to know the outcome of the real-life case prior to reading**
It seems strange to say that I loved this book, given the violent subject matter.... but I really did love it!! I was immediately drawn into Francine’s world from the beginning pages, and I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an old friend now that I’ve finished.
In 1977, 29-year-old Francine Hughes set fire to her live-in ex-husband’s bedroom while he was sleeping, and fled with her kids to the police station to confess. The book begins with a short description of this main event, and then backtracks to describe Francine’s life leading up to that moment, from childhood onwards. It is incredibly detailed, while not being at all tedious or boring. I felt fully absorbed into her story, and really came to care about her and understand her as a person. Despite being a victim of abuse and circumstances, she had an admirable inner strength and a drive to better her life. Her husband was awful, and while I do feel she could have stayed gone during one of the many times she left, I don’t blame her for doing what she did. She was a good person, and I’m glad she was acquitted 💗
It seems strange to say that I loved this book, given the violent subject matter.... but I really did love it!! I was immediately drawn into Francine’s world from the beginning pages, and I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an old friend now that I’ve finished.
In 1977, 29-year-old Francine Hughes set fire to her live-in ex-husband’s bedroom while he was sleeping, and fled with her kids to the police station to confess. The book begins with a short description of this main event, and then backtracks to describe Francine’s life leading up to that moment, from childhood onwards. It is incredibly detailed, while not being at all tedious or boring. I felt fully absorbed into her story, and really came to care about her and understand her as a person. Despite being a victim of abuse and circumstances, she had an admirable inner strength and a drive to better her life. Her husband was awful, and while I do feel she could have stayed gone during one of the many times she left, I don’t blame her for doing what she did. She was a good person, and I’m glad she was acquitted 💗
September 25, 2017
An older story, but one which has always fascinated me as a true crime novel lover. I'm glad I ran across this book while browsing that section of the library. Raw, honest, and I can't believe she put up with the abuse for as long as she did, although I know it's common in the case of spousal or lover abuse. I'll never condone killing anyone when your life isn't in immediate danger and it truly is self-defense, but she honestly believed it was her only way out. She builds a strong case for why she did it, doesn't condone it or claim that it was the best decision after some time, but in the moment she truly did and that fear which had developed over the years kicked in and she acted on it. If on that jury, I also would have voted not guilty. She was never a threat to society, and never a threat to her ex either...she was terrified, he was destroying her life and trying to kill her, and she had no one to turn to...not even the cops could do anything. Her hands were tied...she didn't see any other way out at the time. She never should have gone back to him, but he had control of her; as do most abusers; and that's what ultimately led to his death. A murderer did not go free. An abused woman did not take out her revenge. An intelligent, battered woman reacted in the heat of the moment to get her life back, protect her children, and prevent what would have eventually been her own murder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2017
This is the story of a woman whose experience as a victim of domestic violence captivated a nation. Her story reflects the cultural acceptance of wife-beating in 1970's-- the relationship between women's rights and the law. The match she lit not only freed herself and her children, but it lit the flame which has steadily illuminated the truth. Domestic violence is not a rare manifestation, but an evil deeply ingrained in human history. Stories like hers have become classic examples, but they are not irrelevant. Reading this story 39 years later, I see in it truths of domestic violence I have seen in my lifetime, as well as cultural change, difference in law, in resources, in attitude. I know that domestic violence, paired with drugs and/or alcohol, still occurs; that the cultural belief that violence against a partner is a right, endowment, or duty, still exists. Books like these are important, they remind us that domestic violence exists, that it has always existed, and will always exist... unless we continue to learn from the past and fight for a better future.
September 2, 2016
I read this back in the 1980s when the story was still new. I wish I could say things have changed a lot since then. And in some ways they have: there are more shelters now, and more police involvement, and more help for people who are able to get away. In other ways they haven't: women still tend to blame themselves for the abuse, the shelters are always full and have a waiting list, and people still say, "Why didn't she just leave?" Also, we now know that women hit just about as much as men do but with an open hand and 100 pound weight disadvantage. There are very very very few programs for men who are abused.
This woman struggled with her life. She lessened the struggle for hundreds of others. There's still a lot to do. This book was well written, fast-paced, and didn't try to sugarcoat anything. It should be required reading or required viewing for every junior high kid who says "I handle it."
This woman struggled with her life. She lessened the struggle for hundreds of others. There's still a lot to do. This book was well written, fast-paced, and didn't try to sugarcoat anything. It should be required reading or required viewing for every junior high kid who says "I handle it."
October 5, 2018
Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. Phenomenal book! I’ve been a fan of the movie for many years and pleasantly surprised that the movie was true to the book 😍
A horrific story of what it was like years ago for women in domestically violent relationships. Yes, it’s still happening today however there are laws for this now as opposed to Francine’s era. It’s particularly triggering if you yourself have been a survivor of domestic violence, I found myself crying and multiple spots in this book, and that wonderful feeling of relieve at the end, where you get goosebumps and ugly cry 😭
The author did a truly wonderful job of capturing Francine’s story. The writing was so fluid and enticing l, I never wanted to put it down. Would I recommend this book to others? Hell yes I would! Quick, go find a copy now!!!
A horrific story of what it was like years ago for women in domestically violent relationships. Yes, it’s still happening today however there are laws for this now as opposed to Francine’s era. It’s particularly triggering if you yourself have been a survivor of domestic violence, I found myself crying and multiple spots in this book, and that wonderful feeling of relieve at the end, where you get goosebumps and ugly cry 😭
The author did a truly wonderful job of capturing Francine’s story. The writing was so fluid and enticing l, I never wanted to put it down. Would I recommend this book to others? Hell yes I would! Quick, go find a copy now!!!
August 18, 2016
This book tells the heartbreaking story of an abused woman, when there wasn't as much help available. I have seen the movie also, and this made me cry quite a bit (the movie & the book). I am glad there is more available now, but there still is much to be done to help abused women & children escape the clutches of an abuser. Some men are abused too, and it isn't right for anyone to suffer abuse at the hands of another.
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August 9, 2011Good book but had to keep reminding myself when it was written, domestic violence was "new"....Gave me a greater understanding of how stuck women in these relationships feel & really are w/out police acting & where dv shelters aren't readily available. Of course I had to "google" to see what has happened to everyone involved since....didn't get much better for everyone "(
February 5, 2012
I first read this book when it came out in 1980. I think it was one of the first books about a woman being abused by her husband that I read. It opened my eyes to something that happens way too much. There is also a movie made from this book, which starred Farah Fawcett. It was an excellent movie. It gets me really angry! Good read, but sad.
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