Effi Briest (Penguin Classics)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Painfully dull
  • Effi Briest, a more realist book than Madame Bovary
  • Sensitive, nuanced tragedy
  • Pleasantly Complex
  • critical
Effi Briest (Penguin Classics)
Theodor Fontane
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

19th Century19th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140447660
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Book Description

In 1919 Thomas Mann hailed Effi Briest (1895) as one of "the six most significant novels ever written." Set in Bismarck's Germany, Fontane's luminous tale of a socially suitable but emotionally disastrous match between the enchanting seventeen-year-old Effi and an austere, workaholic civil servant twice her age, is at once touching and unsettling. Fontane's taut, ironic narrative depicts a world where sexuality and the enjoyment of life are stifled by narrow-mindedness and circumstance. Considered by many to be the pinnacle of the nineteenth-century German novel, Effi Briest is a tale of adultery that ranks with Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina and brilliantly demonstrates the truth of the author's comment and "women's stories are generally far more interesting."

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Painfully dull.......2007-09-26

I recently had to read this book for one of my classes and the only thing that grew out of me reading this book was a very deep hate for it. The story itself is very dull, there is very little exitement, some one who might like authors in the like of the Brontes or Austin might enjoy this book, but other than that, it is very hard to get into the story

4 out of 5 stars Effi Briest, a more realist book than Madame Bovary.......2007-05-13

A very good book which confronts many issues about gender roles and the roles that youth plays in relationships. The characters are more realistic than many of those in such novels as Madame Bovary, which has been declared the prime example of European Realism. Overall a great read.

5 out of 5 stars Sensitive, nuanced tragedy.......2006-07-24

Theodor Fontane's novel Effi Briest is one of the finest that I have read. The most famous example of German realism, the novel tells the story of Effi, a teenage girl who is still acting like a child when she is married off to Baron von Innstetten, a man nearly twice her age and a former suitor of her mother's. Effi moves off to the Baltic coast to live with Innstetten, and there faces fear, loneliness, and finally adultery.

What I like about Effi Briest is that Fontane avoids the usual pitfalls of this kind of story: lionizing the young woman's lover, placing the blame at the feet of the cuckolded spouse, etc. Innstetten really is a good man, and Crampas, Effi's lover, is a manipulative lady's man who Effi, despite their affair, is uncomfortable around. Effi is simply too young and immature to have made good decisions, and so the fault, sadly, is her own. In the end, her decisions come back to haunt her years after the fact, changing the lives of all involved.

It's dark, it's depressing in places, but it's a great novel.

The characters are all well-drawn and psychologically deep, and this is true not only of the three primary characters but also of the numerous supporting ones. Each of them bring vigor and flavor to what could have been just another closet drama.

This translation from Penguin Classics is very good, the best way to read it if you have to read it in English. The translation is very faithful to the German, conveying all the nuance and subtlety that was the hallmark of Fontane's writing. All in all, a very good book.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Complex.......2006-07-15

"Effie Briest" is an 1895 German novel that is a fine example of artful thinking and worth reading if one can appreciate leisurely detail. Like all good stories, it not only presents an interesting set of events, but comments on life and thrills the reader a little with the mystery of things. The main character is a pleasure-loving and secretive girl who is briefly unfaithful to her gentle but neglectful husband with sad consequences for everyone around her. The entire course of her marriage is described, from her acceptance of the marriage proposal to the misery of her separation from her child and death, but sensational moments (such as her liaison with her lover) are skipped over and attention is given instead to psychological matters that explain the events. The author had read Shakespeare and, like him, presents a theme that keeps appearing in a variety of forms, which makes the thought pleasantly complex.

3 out of 5 stars critical.......2006-04-04

One book is not enough to judge the vitorian society. Fontane in his unhappy and passive relationship to his wife offers a very negativ view on this times. It might be helpful to read a short biography about Theodor Fontane to see things clearly.
Effi Briest
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Effi Briest
    Theodor Fontane
    Manufacturer: Ullstein-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Zweigniederlassung de
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 3548234178
    Das erzählerische Werk, 20 Bde., Bd.15, Effi Briest
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      Das erzählerische Werk, 20 Bde., Bd.15, Effi Briest
      Theodor Fontane , and Christine Hehle
      Manufacturer: Aufbau-Verlag
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      All German BooksAll German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
      ASIN: 3351031270
      Effi Briest
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Effi Briest

        Manufacturer: Hera Verlag
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        All German BooksAll German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
        ASIN: B000FJTHIM
        Effi Briest
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Effi Briest
          Theodor Fontane
          Manufacturer: Paperbackshop.Co.UK Ltd - Echo Library
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          GermanGerman | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 1406802212
          Effi Briest
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Effi Briest
            Fontane
            Manufacturer: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co.
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Perfect Paperback

            InstructionInstruction | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books | African | Ancient Greek | Arabic | Celtic Languages | Chinese | Danish | Dictionaries; Polyglot | Dutch | English as a Foreign Language | French | General | German | Germanic Languages | Greek | Hebrew | Hungarian | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Latin | Miscellaneous | Native American | Phrasebooks - General | Polish | Portuguese | Russian | Scandinavian | Serbo-Croatian | Sign Language | Slavic Languages | Southeast Asian | Spanish | Turkish | Yiddish
            ASIN: 3423021179
            Effi Briest
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              Effi Briest
              Theodore Fontane
              Manufacturer: PENGUIN BOOKS
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback
              ASIN: B000UDCK2S
              Effi Briest
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Effi Briest
                Theodor Fontane
                Manufacturer: Diogenes Verlag AG,Switzerland
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                GermanGerman | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 3257210779
                Effi Briest
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Effi Briest
                  Theodor Fontane
                  Manufacturer: Roman
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover
                  ASIN: B000WLC1ZY
                  Effi Briest
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Effi Briest

                    Manufacturer: Reclam
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    GermanGerman | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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                    ASIN: 3150069610

                    Bankruptcy Investing: How to Profit from Distressed Companies (2nd Edition)
                    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                    • The new edition is better than the previous two
                    • Absolutely Terrific Introduction into Bankruptcy Investing
                    • Fabulous book
                    • Very poor content and presentation
                    • It's Time for an Update
                    Bankruptcy Investing: How to Profit from Distressed Companies (2nd Edition)
                    Ben Branch , and Hugh Ray
                    Manufacturer: Beard Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    Strategy & CompetitionStrategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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                    1. Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors
                    2. The Vulture Investors, Revised and Updated The Vulture Investors, Revised and Updated
                    3. Corporate Financial Distress and Bankruptcy: Predict and Avoid Bankruptcy, Analyze and Invest in Distressed Debt , 3rd Edition Corporate Financial Distress and Bankruptcy: Predict and Avoid Bankruptcy, Analyze and Invest in Distressed Debt , 3rd Edition
                    4. Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups
                    5. Distressed Securities: Analyzing and Evaluating Market Potential and Investment Risk Distressed Securities: Analyzing and Evaluating Market Potential and Investment Risk

                    ASIN: 1587981211

                    Book Description

                    Experts present a guide through the risky but lucrative investment opportunities available in troubled companies.

                    Customer Reviews:

                    5 out of 5 stars The new edition is better than the previous two.......2004-09-07

                    These guys have provided the new update that was needed. I made money on the first edition, but there have been some changes and they have covered them. Morgan came out with a report saying pretty much the same thing a couple of months back.It would be hard to lose money if you take the book's advice per the report. This book really gets you through the technical stuff with ease. Money well spent.

                    5 out of 5 stars Absolutely Terrific Introduction into Bankruptcy Investing.......2002-09-05

                    Great introduction and overview of the world of distressed and bankruptcy investing. The authors managed to synthesize a very complicated subject into an easy-to-read and understandible book. Of course no one book can cover the entire subject in detail, but this one comes amazingly close. Highly recommended.

                    5 out of 5 stars Fabulous book.......2002-07-20

                    This book has everything I needed to make money in this market. They do need to update their data and bring it forward, but the analysis is first rate and the methodology was very new to me although quite understandable in plain english for someone without a law degree or an mba. I now understand what is going on here and I can see how the vulture investors get the large returns. I reread the first part after several months of buying and it all still held together. Interesting and moneymaking as well.

                    1 out of 5 stars Very poor content and presentation.......2002-03-18

                    I was really disappointed with this book, particularly given that it was written by seasoned bankruptcy experts. The book is very skinny on content - it spends about 30 pages on bankruptcy law and its procedures, a few on case studies that are superficial/poorly written and several on bond analysis, and standard research tools that are well-known to a person with basic financial knowledge, ie the sort of people who would be interested in something relatively exotic as Bankruptcy Investing. The few useful pages that there are are marred by poor writing, and a complete absence of analytical frameworks that stay with the reader.

                    Bankruptcy is a complex topic and there is a need for a book of the sort Branch and Ray have attempted. However, this is most certainly not that book.

                    3 out of 5 stars It's Time for an Update.......2002-03-08

                    This book provides a decent overview of the restructuring world and bond market, although a little too basic. I was expecting more of a focus on the puruchase of deeply discounted high-yield bonds and bank debt. Additionally, the book was extremely outdated. LTV has already filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy for its second time, and we have something called the internet to help with our research.
                    The Fallen Colossus
                    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                    • A Detailed History
                    The Fallen Colossus
                    Robert Sobel
                    Manufacturer: Beard Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    BankruptcyBankruptcy | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
                    Non-US Legal SystemsNon-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books
                    GeneralGeneral | Railroads | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                    RailroadsRailroads | Transportation | World | History | Subjects | Books
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                    ASIN: 1893122883

                    Book Description

                    The Penn Central debacle has much to teach investors, businessmen, and financiers about giant corporations caught in economic recessions or industries suffering a slow decline.

                    Customer Reviews:

                    4 out of 5 stars A Detailed History.......2001-04-18

                    The Fallen Colossus is, on the surface, the story of the failure of the Penn Central Railroad. Sobel, however, takes great pains to chronicle the development of transportation in America. Starting with the the very begining of freight and passenger transit by roads and turnpikes, through the canal era, he ulitmately provides a thorough treatment of the eastern lines (and even a bit beyond when he discusses the impact of air and highway transport on the rail industry). The book is, at times, tedious with figures and balance sheets, though they are important to understanding railroads as a business and as a contributing factor to the near catastrophic collapse of the 1960s. The book was written as the Penn Central mess was just being cleaned up with the advent of Conrail and Amtrak. It is notable that the author notes the overly optimistic estimate by the directors of the new Conrail organization that they expected to take these bankrupt railroads and make them profitable by the 1980s. The author and others doubt this potential. Ironically, it worked and Conrail was reasonably successful where the Penn Central failed. Overall, an informative, if not lively, read for those looking into how not to run a railroad.

                    One curious item is the generic cover art. It cannot possibly be part of what was the Penn Central. The scene is one of flat desert with straight rails running toward a series of treeless hills on the horizon. It looks more like the Southern Pacific as this scene couldn't possibly be Appalachia. Details, details.
                    The Legal Aspects of Bank Insolvency:A Comparative Analysis of Western Europe, the United States and Canada (Studies in Comparative Corporate and Financial Law, V. 10.)
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      The Legal Aspects of Bank Insolvency:A Comparative Analysis of Western Europe, the United States and Canada (Studies in Comparative Corporate and Financial Law, V. 10.)
                      Eva Hupkes
                      Manufacturer: Springer
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover

                      Business LawBusiness Law | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                      BankingBanking | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
                      BankruptcyBankruptcy | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
                      ComparativeComparative | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books
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                      BusinessBusiness | English Law | Law | Subjects | Books
                      BankingBanking | Business | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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                      ASIN: 9041197699

                      Book Description

                      Until recent years, formal bank insolvency proceedings were rare occurrences, with governments more often than not coming to the rescue of failing banks. As a result, few studies relating to bank failure have paid much attention to the regulatory framework for failing banks and the conduct of formal bank insolvency proceedings. However, in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, more attention has been focused on issues of bank insolvency. Structural reforms in the banking sector of various Asian countries, in particular the implementation of effective exit rules to expel insolvent and non-viable banks from the market, have been considered of primary importance to restoring confidence in the troubled banking sector. In addition, the ability of governments within the European Union to rescue insolvent banks has been significantly limited by strict rules on competition, suggesting that failing banks will become increasingly subject to insolvency proceedings. The Legal Aspects of Bank Insolvency compares the legal framework for dealing with insolvent banks in Western Europe, the United States and Canada, identifying the distinctive features of each regime and discussing the main issues and choices in dealing with failing banks. It also examines the implications of a cross-border bank insolvency, and considers different approaches to the problems it raises, including the supranational approach of the proposed European Directive on the Reorganization and Winding-up of Credit Institutions. This work will be of value to lawmakers, to consultants and scholars engaged in technical assistance work, and to those who advise the legislators and officials involved in devising a legal framework for bank insolvency. It will also be of interest to practitioners and in-house counsel working in the field of banking and corporate law.
                      Eat What You Kill: The Fall of a Wall Street Lawyer
                      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                      • Well Told Story About An Intriguing Subject But Analysis Could Be Better
                      • Spellbinding and hugely educational
                      • Important book about ethics
                      • a patient reader reaps far more than an ethics case study
                      • terrific, gripping, insightful
                      Eat What You Kill: The Fall of a Wall Street Lawyer
                      Milton C Regan
                      Manufacturer: University of Michigan Press
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover

                      GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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                      Ethics & Professional ResponsibilityEthics & Professional Responsibility | Law | Subjects | Books
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                      BankruptcyBankruptcy | Business | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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                      Ethics & Professional ResponsibilityEthics & Professional Responsibility | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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                      2. Leading Lawyers: Managing Partners From Akin Gump, Kilpatrick Stockton, King & Spalding and More on Becoming a Senior Partner & Leader in Your Law Firm (Inside the Minds) Leading Lawyers: Managing Partners From Akin Gump, Kilpatrick Stockton, King & Spalding and More on Becoming a Senior Partner & Leader in Your Law Firm (Inside the Minds)
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                      4. Double Billing: A Young Lawyer's Tale Of Greed, Sex, Lies, And The Pursuit Of A Swivel Chair Double Billing: A Young Lawyer's Tale Of Greed, Sex, Lies, And The Pursuit Of A Swivel Chair
                      5. The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street

                      ASIN: 0472114379

                      Book Description

                      "A wonderful character study of someone whose cognitive dissonance ('I am brilliant, therefore I must be doing everything correctly') led directly to his downfall. Students would do well to read this book before venturing forth into a large firm, a small firm, or any pressure-cooker environment."
                      -Nancy Rapoport, University of Houston Law Center

                      "Eat What You Kill is gripping and well written. . . . It weaves in academic commentary and understanding of professional ethics issues in a way that makes it accessible to everyone."
                      -Frank Partnoy, University of San Diego Law School


                      He had it all, and then he lost it. But why did he do it, risking everything-wealth, success, livelihood, freedom, and the security of family?

                      Eat What You Kill is the story of John Gellene, a rising star and bankruptcy partner at one of Wall Street's most venerable law firms. But when Gellene became entangled in a web of conflicting corporate and legal interests involving one of his clients, he was eventually charged with making false statements, indicted, found guilty of a federal crime, and sentenced to prison.

                      Milton C. Regan Jr. uses Gellene's case to prove that such conflicting interests are now disturbingly commonplace in the world of American corporate finance. Combining a journalist's eye with sharp psychological insight, Regan spins Gellene's story into a gripping drama of fundamental tensions in modern-day corporate practice and describes in perfect miniature the inexorable confluence of the interests of American corporations and their legal counselors.

                      This confluence may seem natural enough, but because these law firms serve many masters-corporations, venture capitalists, shareholder groups-it has paradoxically led to deep, pervasive conflicts of interest. Eat What You Kill gives us the story of a man trapped in this labyrinth, and reveals the individual and systemic factors that contributed to Gellene's demise.

                      Customer Reviews:

                      3 out of 5 stars Well Told Story About An Intriguing Subject But Analysis Could Be Better.......2006-07-17

                      Eat What You Kill: The Fall of a Wall Street Lawyer is the story of John Gellene, the only attorney to ever go to jail for making an incomplete disclosure of "connections" to creditors and parties in a bankruptcy case. While it is clear that Gellene committed an ethical lapse, the fact that he was prosecuted, convicted and served time is truly surprising. Others have failed to disclose much more and have suffered much lighter consequences. As a result, the question of why this particular case resulted in a prison sentence rather than a slap on the wrist is really interesting, particularly to lawyers.

                      This is a book about lawyers and the law, so that a little background on the law is helpful Representing large companies in bankruptcy is big business. The fees can run into the millions of dollars. In order to secure one of these potentially lucrative appointments, the lawyer must seek court approval of his employment and demonstrate that he is "disinterested." To show that he is "disinterested," the lawyer must submit a sworn statement disclosing his "connections" to the debtor and its creditors. Since the statement is submitted under penalty of perjury, a false statement is subject to criminal prosecution.

                      In the Gellene case, the large New York law firm of Milbank, Tweed was hired to represent Bucyrus-Erie Corporation in its bankruptcy proceeding. The bankruptcy was very contentious because the largest unsecured creditor, Jackson National Life, had accused the company's investment banker, Goldman Sachs, with manipulating the company's financial affairs to its own benefit. Things got worse when a Goldman Sachs partner, Mikael Salovaara, started his own firm, South Street Fund, and that firm did a deal with Bucyrus-Erie which put them ahead of all the other creditors.

                      All this happened before bankruptcy lawyer John Gellene entered the picture. However, it created an adversarial situation between the company and between different groups of its creditors. The debtor's attorney would be caught in the middle of this conflict and would have to navigate it in order to successfully reorganize the company. John Gellene began representing Bucyrus-Erie a year before its bankruptcy at a time when his law firm was not representing either Salovaara or South Street. However, shortly before the case was filed, Milbank, Tweed began representing South Street in another bankruptcy and also represented Salovaara in a dispute with his partner. Both of these were "connections" with creditors. However, Gellene failed to disclose these relationships in either of two affidavits filed with the court.

                      Gellene successfully guided Bucyrus-Erie through its reorganization and his firm was paid nearly $2 million in fees for doing so. Unfortunately, his successful plan put the company's old adversary, Jackson National Life, in control of the company. Years later, Jackson found out about the failure to disclose and sued Milbank, Tweed to return its fees and for malpractice. This proved to be very costly for Milbank, Tweed but it was worse for John Gellene. The publicity spawned by the fee litigation prompted the U.S. Attorney to file criminal charges against Gellene. A deal to plead to a misdemeanor fell through and the case went to trial. The prosecution sought to portray the failure to disclose as black and white, the while the defense attempted to put the statement in context. The jury sided with the U.S. Attorney and Gellene was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Gellene went from being a highly respected bankruptcy attorney to a convicted felon in a relatively short period of time.

                      Eat What You Kill does a good job of telling the story and does an adequate job of explaining why this lawyer did what he did, but really fails to answer the big question of why John Gellene was prosecuted. The book does its best job at opening a window onto the pressures faced by a big firm lawyer struggling to survive but cutting corners to do so.

                      Part 1 of the book does a slow but methodical job of setting the stage. In particular, it describes the world of the large New York law firm where security is an illusion. Gone are the days where clients maintained loyalty to a single firm and firms maintained loyalty to their partners. This world was replaced by a much more fluid one where clients award their business to the best suitor and partners compete against each other in a continuous tournament to see who can bring in the most clients, or failing that, who can bill the most hours. In such a world, it is tempting to cut corners if doing so means being able to attract more business and bill more hours. Additionally, it creates an atmosphere where the "service partners," the ones who perform and supervise the work, must maintain the good will of the "rain makers" who bring in the clients.

                      Parts 2 and 3 of Eat What You Kill tell the guts of the story in a fast-paced, easy to read manner. It is exciting to watch (at least from a bankruptcy lawyer's vantage) as John Gellene tries strategy after strategy to bring the reorganization to a successful conclusion before the company implodes under the weight of the litigation. Then, just as Gellene has achieved success, everything comes crashing down on him with the weight of a Shakespearean tragedy.

                      Part 4 and the epilogue try to make sense of what happened. This part of the story could have benefited from a thorough job of editing and re-writing. Pieces of the story which were apparent from the original telling are replayed over and over again in over 70 pages of mind-numbing discussion without achieving a coherent explanation. The epilogue strays into proposals for reforming legal ethics while paying scant attention to the story.

                      It is possible for the reader to put together the "why" of John Gellene's actions, but it requires some patience. In short, Gellene was placed in an atmosphere where he had to succeed to survive. Disclosing the connections to Salovaara and South Street would have risked losing a lucrative piece of work that he had already been working on for a year. It would have also risked incurring the displeasure of his rain maker who controlled the relationships with Bucyrus-Erie, South Street and Salovaara. The disclosures were one piece of paper of thousands filed in the case. There must have been overwhelming pressure to give them scant attention and move on to more substantive issues. If Gellene did weigh the risks in any detail, he probably dismissed them, since disclosure violations frequently resulted in mild consequences. Thus, it is likely that John Gellene felt sucker-punched when he was indicted, tried and convicted.

                      Unfortunately, the book gives little emphasis to the "why" of his prosecution. White color prosecutions are rare and prosecutions for failure to disclose conflicts in a bankruptcy case are rarer still. In this case, the Asst. U.S. Trustee (an official charged with overseeing bankruptcy proceedings) had previously been the U.S. Attorney. Perhaps he approached the case with a prosecutor's mindset rather than from a bankruptcy point of view and thus was able to lobby for a prosecution. This was a case where a big New York law firm collected millions of dollars in fees in a case filed in Wisconsin. Perhaps jealousy and mistrust of outsiders played a role. Unfortunately, these themes are not discussed in any depth.

                      This is an interesting book about an interesting topic, but a revised edition could be better.

                      5 out of 5 stars Spellbinding and hugely educational.......2005-08-11

                      Hats off to Professor Regan for his prodigious research and painstaking, vivid recreation of the saga of a prominent lawyer's startling rise and fall --an all-the-more remarkable achievement given Gellene's refusal to cooperate in this project. This is an amazing look-behind-the-curtain as to: how large law partnerships reward and penalize their producers and non-producers; how complicated bankruptcy negotiations unfold; how investment bankers and vulture investors exploit weakened corporations; how a brilliant professional succumbed under pressure to career-ending ethical blunders; and much more. An extremely valuable reading experience for practioners and students of law and business that deserves to be a best-seller.

                      5 out of 5 stars Important book about ethics.......2005-08-09

                      Great book showing what can go wrong when law firms let top lawyers get away with violating common practices.

                      5 out of 5 stars a patient reader reaps far more than an ethics case study.......2005-05-05

                      Read for: lessons in bankruptcy law and practice, junk bonds, vulture investment, corporate law generally, white collar crime and trial tactics, and a nuanced ethical exploration

                      Avoid if: seeking simple answers, easily bored by thorough and balanced legal arguments

                      "Eat What You Kill" explores in excruciating detail the rise and fall of John Gellene, bankruptcy attorney extraordinaire, who failed to disclose a conflict of interest which landed him in prison.

                      Yet Milton Regan's book offers more than an ethics case study. A blow-by-blow survey of corporate restructuring, bankruptcy litigation tactics, and white collar criminal prosecution, Regan's book overwhelms with useful instruction. Though focused upon Gellene's life at law, Regan uses it as a prism to explore the environment of many others swimming in the same waters.

                      Lay readers may find the professorial tone both vice and virtue, as the riches grow tiresome to anyone uninterested in following the pros, cons, counter-pros, and counter-cons of various litigation tactics and arguments. Within this web of contextual detail, the ethical story threads diverse legal doctrines.

                      Offering no simple denunciations or defenses, Regan sees Gellene as merely a lawyer who tends to lie to avoid the consequences of his own negligence. Flawed, perhaps, but hardly a gross flaw.

                      Refraining from potshots or praise permits Regan to hold Gellene accountable while looking more deeply into the practice of corporate law itself. Regan's conclusions seem to be that lawyers, preoccupied with the business of law, lose sight of its spirit.

                      5 out of 5 stars terrific, gripping, insightful.......2004-12-23

                      A better read, simply as a page-turner, than many novels.

                      Gellene, the protagonist/anti-hero of this book, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Georgetown with degrees in philosophy and economics. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, then clerked for Justice Morris Pashman of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Pretty impressive resume, eh? He had the "world at his feet," yet before much more time had passed he was in a prison cell.

                      This book should act as a warning on several levels. On one of them, it warns a certain type of investor about the nature of the chapter 11 process (in the course of which Gellene made the false statements that led to his downfall). Vulture investing in the instruments of distressed companies going through this process isn't an explicit theme of the book, one it ends up here nonetheless. There are traps for vultures, too.
                      Company Charges: Spectrum and Beyond
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                        Company Charges: Spectrum and Beyond

                        Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Hardcover

                        Banks & BankingBanks & Banking | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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                        ASIN: 0199299935

                        Book Description

                        This exciting volume draws together the views of some of the most eminent figures in corporate law and finance regarding the law on fixed and floating charges. The focus for the book is the litigation in the case of Spectrum Plus, which culminated in a House of Lords judgment in June 2005 ([2005] UKHL 41). This decision has important commercial implications, not only for the parties in the case but also for the business community at large, including banks and other lenders, and practitioners in corporate finance and insolvency. The litigation also raises important juristic questions regarding the fixed/floating charge divide such as the theoretical basis for that divide, how the divide is determined, why it exists at all and whether it ought to be maintained as a coherent doctrine and a beneficial policy. The decision also has important ramifications in both security law and insolvency law and it provides a challenge to some of our most basic conceptions of freedom of contract and the assignability of rights and assets in law and equity. These issues, amongst others, are explored by the contributors to this book. The contributors include Gabriel Moss, who was one of the QCs involved in the Spectrum litigation, Sir Roy Goode, Michael Bridge, John Armour, Robert Stevens, Sarah Worthington, Julian Franks and Oren Sussman, Jenny Payne and Louise Gullifer, Philip Wood, Joshua Getzler, Look Chan Ho, and Nicholas Frome and Kate Gibbons.
                        Agent liabilities ruled unconstitutional. (Iowa's Insurance Company Insolvency Act): An article from: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management
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                          Agent liabilities ruled unconstitutional. (Iowa's Insurance Company Insolvency Act): An article from: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management
                          Colleen Mulcahy
                          Manufacturer: The National Underwriter Company
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Digital

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                          ASIN: B0008SEEQA
                          Release Date: 2005-07-28

                          Book Description

                          This digital document is an article from National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management, published by The National Underwriter Company on July 31, 1989. The length of the article is 788 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                          Citation Details
                          Title: Agent liabilities ruled unconstitutional. (Iowa's Insurance Company Insolvency Act)
                          Author: Colleen Mulcahy
                          Publication: National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management (Magazine/Journal)
                          Date: July 31, 1989
                          Publisher: The National Underwriter Company
                          Issue: n31 Page: p1(3)

                          Distributed by Thomson Gale
                          Annotated Guide to the Insolvency Legislation (Company Law Books)
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            Annotated Guide to the Insolvency Legislation (Company Law Books)
                            L.S. Sealy , and David Milman
                            Manufacturer: Sweet & Maxwell
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Paperback

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                            ASIN: 0421827904
                            Bankruptcy Code, Rules and Official Forms, 1987
                            Average customer rating: Not rated
                              Bankruptcy Code, Rules and Official Forms, 1987
                              West Publishing Company Editorial
                              Manufacturer: West Publishing Company
                              ProductGroup: Book
                              Binding: Paperback

                              BankruptcyBankruptcy | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
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                              ASIN: 0314382356
                              Bust!: A Creditor's Guide to Dealing With Failing Companies
                              Average customer rating: Not rated
                                Bust!: A Creditor's Guide to Dealing With Failing Companies
                                Vivienne Young
                                Manufacturer: Trans-Atlantic Publications
                                ProductGroup: Book
                                Binding: Hardcover

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                                ASIN: 0273600559
                                Companies in 2004-2005: Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2005: House of Commons Papers 544, 2005-06
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                                  Companies in 2004-2005: Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2005: House of Commons Papers 544, 2005-06

                                  Manufacturer: Stationery Office
                                  ProductGroup: Book
                                  Binding: Paperback

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                                  ASIN: 0102935777

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                                  1. Faust I & II (Goethe : The Collected Works, Vol 2)
                                  2. Germinal (Penguin Classics)
                                  3. Green Hills of Africa
                                  4. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
                                  5. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
                                  6. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
                                  7. Hornblower and the "Hotspur" (Hornblower Series)
                                  8. Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society
                                  9. Joseph and His Brothers
                                  10. Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Bantam Classics)

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