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PEER MARRIAGE

Name: PEER MARRIAGE
Author: Pepper Schwartz
ISBN: 0-02-931715-0

HOW LOVE BETWEEN EQUALS REALLY WORKS

by Pepper Schwartz ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 1994

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An illuminating examination of modern egalitarian marriage by a sociologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. Spurred on by insights gleaned during research on her first book (American Couples, with co-author Blumstein, not reviewed) as well as her own egalitarian marriage, Schwartz interviewed over 100 couples in search of the distinguishing characteristics, assets, and liabilities of traditional versus peer marriages. The latter is defined here as ``a collaboration of love and labor in order to produce profound intimacy and mutual respect.'' Such marriages are characterized, Schwartz says, by shared parenting and household duties, equal decision-making power, equal financial control, and equal work status. Not content to dismiss the traditional hierarchical arrangement of male provider/female caretaker on the basis of liberal politics alone, Schwartz demonstrates how the inherent imbalance of power in such marriages prohibits deep friendship and true partnership. She compares the traditional relationship between wife and husband to a friendship between an employee and boss, in which intimacy is limited by the power inherent in the work relationship; similarly the traditional husband's power, residing among other things in control of money, limits marital intimacy. While Schwartz's evidence indicates that the rewards of marriage between equals outweigh the risks, the costs are given full consideration here: Some couples complained of sex feeling incestuous because they were so close; career goals often had to take a backseat to accommodate the commitment to sharing family life; and there is little support from family, friends and society for rocking the boat. Although traditional husbands will probably balk at Schwartz's implication that men are more to blame than women in failing to achieve marital equality, any couple contemplating marriage or reevaluating an existing one will find powerful information and encouragement here for a true marriage of minds.

Pub Date: June 2, 1994

ISBN: 0-02-931715-0

Page Count: 300

Publisher: Free Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1994

Categories:

FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS | GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.