Women were only recruited into the study if they considered themselves to be safe from any further violence from their male partner. The women came from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, with most being low-income earners and some middle-income and high-income earners. Most were Pakeha New Zealanders (of European descent), one identified as Maori (indigenous New Zealander), and two as of both Maori and Pakeha ethnicity. All were drawn from the metropolitan region of a large New Zealand city. Each woman participated in a 90-minute interview. The study found that once the man's violence has emerged, the woman victim must make sense of this violence by interpreting his acts and determining how to respond. To make sense of the violence, the women tended to draw on a number of conflicting and contradictory invocations of love, suggesting the influence of certain discourses of the "perfect love." For some women, the solution to their partner's violent behavior was located in the woman's provision of a "perfect love." Many women considered that their responsibility in their abusive relationship with the man was to become the fountain of "perfect love" that would redeem and change the flawed character of their partner. This meant that any continuation or repeat of the violence was due to the woman's failure to provide such love. This paper argues that women may be governed by the postures dictated for them by "perfect love" discourses to remain silent about their partner's violence. These findings have significance for early intervention and prevention strategies that focus on a realistic interpretation and analysis of the man's violent behavior and the woman's options. 2 notes and 25 references