Through ten real-life illustrative matrimonial cases, Couric (The Trial Lawyers, 1988) offers an absorbing and useful ``general overview of the divorce process and divorce issues.'' The author describes each case from the point of view of one of the divorcing spouses, using each case to make some didactic point about the rapidly evolving and euphemistically misnamed field of ``matrimonial'' or ``family'' law. She argues, for instance, that the development of ``no-fault'' divorce has obviated the traditional necessity to assign blame as a legal prerequisite to divorce, and has transformed the practice of divorce law from a distasteful and somewhat shady business into a sophisticated and respectable legal specialty concerned primarily with tax and property issues. The case studies are concerned with such issues as the validity of prenuptial agreements, joint custody arrangements, custodial rights of stepparents, and tracing assets. As the title implies, however, it is the divorce lawyers in Couric's account, many of whom are nationally renowned (e.g., Raoul Felder, Stuart Walzer, Donald Schiller), who are the stars of her narrative. The lawyers in Couric's stories generally solve their clients' problems through masterful and creative litigation techniques. In a final chapter devoted to choosing a divorce lawyer, though, Couric points out that ``the profession has its share of rotten apples, incompetent, lazy, greedy practitioners who tend to spoil the reputations of their colleagues.'' She gives advice on how to choose and evaluate a divorce lawyer, as well as on the legal issues that typically arise in the divorce process. An insightful and practical handbook, useful alike for the attorney, the layperson interested in law, and anyone considering a divorce.
Pub Date: Feb. 25, 1992
ISBN: 0-312-07083-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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