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Partners
Louis Auchincloss is writing here at the top of his remarkable powers as an observer of contemporary America. The Partners is a group portrait of men - and women in what is mostly a man's world - whose common bond is their work. Within that bond each one pursues different answers to the search for money, power, love, revenge, or a meaning in life.
They occupy the chief seats of influence, but there are always pressures threatening to unseat them. An ambitious member can upset the balance in a bold bid for power, a young associate can do it by a foolish mistake, and the clients are susceptible to many kinds of discontent or the deft attractions of a rival firm.
The Partners is a masterful characterization of lawyers and of the people in whose service they gain riches and prestige. It is a story of the small but distinguished New York firm of Shepard, Putney and Cox, and particularly of one of the senior partners, Beekman Ehninger.
When he was younger, Beeky had worked out a reorganization that saved his firm from decline. Son of a rich mother and a socially ambitious father, he succeeded in making a career of his own within the narrow upper levels of the law.
Now he and his colleagues, such as Burrill Hume, the trusts-and-estates lawyer, again face the question of whether they can survive on their own in the relentless heat of competition or must join forces with a different breed - new, tough, but undeniably successful.
Time and these are the forces with which the man of morals must strike a bargain in an amoral world. Every day his bargaining position is slightly different. In this sense the story of one profession today becomes timeless.
The Partners is a portrait done with consummate skill, one to rivet the eye and the mind.
They occupy the chief seats of influence, but there are always pressures threatening to unseat them. An ambitious member can upset the balance in a bold bid for power, a young associate can do it by a foolish mistake, and the clients are susceptible to many kinds of discontent or the deft attractions of a rival firm.
The Partners is a masterful characterization of lawyers and of the people in whose service they gain riches and prestige. It is a story of the small but distinguished New York firm of Shepard, Putney and Cox, and particularly of one of the senior partners, Beekman Ehninger.
When he was younger, Beeky had worked out a reorganization that saved his firm from decline. Son of a rich mother and a socially ambitious father, he succeeded in making a career of his own within the narrow upper levels of the law.
Now he and his colleagues, such as Burrill Hume, the trusts-and-estates lawyer, again face the question of whether they can survive on their own in the relentless heat of competition or must join forces with a different breed - new, tough, but undeniably successful.
Time and these are the forces with which the man of morals must strike a bargain in an amoral world. Every day his bargaining position is slightly different. In this sense the story of one profession today becomes timeless.
The Partners is a portrait done with consummate skill, one to rivet the eye and the mind.
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First published February 19, 1974
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About the author
Louis Auchincloss
205 books96 followersLouis Stanton Auchincloss was an American novelist, historian, and essayist.
Among Auchincloss's best-known books are the multi-generational sagas The House of Five Talents, Portrait in Brownstone, and East Side Story. Other well-known novels include The Rector of Justin, the tale of a renowned headmaster of a school like Groton trying to deal with changing times, and The Embezzler, a look at white-collar crime. Auchincloss is known for his closely observed portraits of old New York and New England society.
Among Auchincloss's best-known books are the multi-generational sagas The House of Five Talents, Portrait in Brownstone, and East Side Story. Other well-known novels include The Rector of Justin, the tale of a renowned headmaster of a school like Groton trying to deal with changing times, and The Embezzler, a look at white-collar crime. Auchincloss is known for his closely observed portraits of old New York and New England society.
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August 2, 2022
The story was a bit dated as it revolved around a law firm in the early 70s. Much of the book concerned the activities and plans of Beeky Ehninger in keeping the peace among the partners of Shephard, Putney and Cox and with his wife at home. Ehninger confronted partners who had greed, delusions of power and ambition and personal problems. Beeky was old school corporate---his style would not fit into today’s corporate world.
I found most of the book interesting. There were slow parts. This book was a bit of a change of pace for me as I am now interested in reading more fiction. Story climaxes with the merger of two law firms...
I found most of the book interesting. There were slow parts. This book was a bit of a change of pace for me as I am now interested in reading more fiction. Story climaxes with the merger of two law firms...
Displaying 1 of 1 review