A solid starting point for building a better divorce, but not a comprehensive resource.
In this slim debut, financial planner Sewell puts forth a new way of negotiating divorce.
According to Sewell, divorce is a game, but its players shouldn’t be spouses opposing one another; rather, the author contends, divorcing couples must view themselves as a team taking on the costly and soulless divorce industry. The book begins with an outline of current divorce models, from those negotiated entirely without lawyers to those dragged through the overburdened family law courts. Sewell outlines the basic structures and drawbacks of each, and she’s particularly against taking divorce to court, telling court-bound couples to “open your wallet, hug your kids, and hold on. You’re about to enter one of the worst legal processes we’ve created.” Though the author acknowledges that court or other standard methods of divorce may be the best choices for some couples, her central argument is that, for most people, there’s a better way: fair negotiation through financial planning. Of the financial counseling business she runs, Sewell writes: “We strongly encourage you to do something radical and get your complete financial analysis and several scenarios before going to see an attorney.” Through a series of examples and anecdotes, she builds a convincing case for making professional financial planning the centerpiece of a successful divorce. However, the book does little beyond persuading readers to hire a financial professional, and much of it feels like an extended advertisement for the author’s profession. The book includes some outlines of the financial documents and variables that divorcing couples need to consider, but these concrete details are too briefly discussed and too haphazardly organized to be of much use. Additionally, short sections on forming co-parenting plans and healing after divorce feel rushed and out of place, as if only serving as reminders that these issues are important. Though Sewell’s arguments are uniformly rational and persuasive, the book itself doesn’t provide all the tools and information necessary to put her conclusions into practice.
A solid starting point for building a better divorce, but not a comprehensive resource.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615637099
Page Count: 130
Publisher: wedlock-divorce.com
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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