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Nibble & Kuhn: A Novel
A young lawyer in a pretentious law firm loves a girl that he can't have and is forced to try a major case that he can't win, and must do both under the critical scrutiny of senior lawyers who will soon decide whether to promote him to partnership.
- GenresFiction
279 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
David Schmahmann
9 books10 followersDavid Schmahmann was born in Durban, South Africa. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Cornell Law School, and has studied in India and Israel and worked in Burma. His first novel, Empire Settings, received the John Gardner Book Award, and his publications include a short story in The Yale Review and articles on legal issues.
He practices law in Boston, and lives in Weston, Massachusetts.
He practices law in Boston, and lives in Weston, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 24, 2010
Set Up:
Derick Dover is a young attorney working as an associate lawyer for an old established Boston law firm. He is hoping for a partnership with the growing firm and has become involved with another lawyer named Maria Parma whom he works with. She is vaguely fickle and unavailable but emotionally and physically toys with him. Additionally he is handed a botched up and impossible to win environmental case involving children with cancer, which it is clear needs be won if he is to make partner.
Thoughts:
Although the above synopsis may sound a bit dry and the title of this book is slightly awkward, don’t let that fool you. This novel is not. It is a story which is completely addictive. The writing is intelligent, and flows easily, being sadly humorous at times. I devoured it in short order.
It’s Derick’s story as he navigates his world, examining it in terms of his choices and life’s meaning. Although he seems to be making all the wrong moves and wallowing in them, his humanness and personal insight is apparent. He is complex, revealing, and vulnerable. It’s exemplified when he mentions some thoughts about his father:
In the end the novel appears to be about the choices we make and the ones which we believe create our lives. But in actuality, its about the “crap shoot” that often defines our future. The conclusion supports this with its improbable twist. Highly recommended at 4 stars.
Derick Dover is a young attorney working as an associate lawyer for an old established Boston law firm. He is hoping for a partnership with the growing firm and has become involved with another lawyer named Maria Parma whom he works with. She is vaguely fickle and unavailable but emotionally and physically toys with him. Additionally he is handed a botched up and impossible to win environmental case involving children with cancer, which it is clear needs be won if he is to make partner.
Thoughts:
Although the above synopsis may sound a bit dry and the title of this book is slightly awkward, don’t let that fool you. This novel is not. It is a story which is completely addictive. The writing is intelligent, and flows easily, being sadly humorous at times. I devoured it in short order.
It’s Derick’s story as he navigates his world, examining it in terms of his choices and life’s meaning. Although he seems to be making all the wrong moves and wallowing in them, his humanness and personal insight is apparent. He is complex, revealing, and vulnerable. It’s exemplified when he mentions some thoughts about his father:
Men like my father, it seemed to me, honest, optimistic, making their decisions on something less than a solid knowledge of the rules, were just pawns of larger interests, and it was this impotence that I determined to avoid by becoming a lawyer. At the time I had no idea – though I did already begin to suspect in law school – how inadequate my analysis was.
In the end the novel appears to be about the choices we make and the ones which we believe create our lives. But in actuality, its about the “crap shoot” that often defines our future. The conclusion supports this with its improbable twist. Highly recommended at 4 stars.
September 2, 2009
After reading the author's first novel, Empire Settings, which I found brilliant in every way, I really didn’t know what to expect from his second one Nibble & Kuhn. I found a lot more than expected. There is nothing predictable about Nibble & Kuhn. David Schmahmann writes an intelligent story that picks up speed as you read and by the end you really can't put it down.
There is the underlying mystery of a trial that unfolds and a relationship that grows or at the very least changes. The characters are no one you know well, but you absolutely want to be a fly on their wall. As the story unravels, and snowballs to its superb ending, Schmahmann lets the readers get an inside glimpse of the inner workings of a large corporate law firm. Nibble & Kuhn is written with such clarity and brilliance, that whether you work at law firm or not, you will appreciate the subtleties of the book.
There is the underlying mystery of a trial that unfolds and a relationship that grows or at the very least changes. The characters are no one you know well, but you absolutely want to be a fly on their wall. As the story unravels, and snowballs to its superb ending, Schmahmann lets the readers get an inside glimpse of the inner workings of a large corporate law firm. Nibble & Kuhn is written with such clarity and brilliance, that whether you work at law firm or not, you will appreciate the subtleties of the book.
June 25, 2017
An amusing farce, but I didn't catch the romantic chemistry between the main characters. Moreover, I didn't feel invested in the outcome and, although that may be part of the nature of this kind of humor, it made the pacing feel slow.
December 17, 2009
This book isn't my usual type of book I normally read. I gave it a chance anyway because I thought the case was interesting. The case being, the wrongful deaths of several children who contracted cancer as a result of a chemical plant nearby and dumping their waste materials into the water. I thought something like this would bring a lot of intrigue and a lot of plotting within a very cut throat law firm.
I was completely wrong. It wasn't much like that. It was a quiet drama, with a satirical view of a prominent law firm which seems to be going downhill for several years. I liked the satire, it was under the main character's narration and point of view (Derek Dover) and it was nice to read. You can hear the irony in his narration and how he takes a few jabs here and there about the firm. (With a firm called Nibble and Kuhn there's bound to be a lot of jokes with that name). The way the story was written was clear and crisp. Straight to the point most of the time and it seemed like a quick read. Although it wasn't what I expected it to be, it took me longer than usual to finish this novel because it didn't have the intrigue I wanted it to have or the seriousness. (Perhaps I watch too much Law and Order)
As I progressed through the book more, I found myself really disliking Maria and Derek. For two grown up laywers, they act and behave like silly children. Maria, because with her personality, she had the backbone and the guts to tell her parents she's in love with Derek, instead she sucks it in and continues being with her fiance - yet persists being with Derek. Derek could have just let her go with her fiance but that's just too hard now is it? I felt myself rolling my eyes as more than half of the book was about their relationship, how they're trying to conceal it from the firm (why? I don't know..is it taboo to date within the law firm?) I saw these two grown adults just act like pathetic kids and I found myself having to force myself to read through it and wishing there was more about the case than about stupid Maria and Derek's relationship.
To my disappointment, you don't read much about the case in great detail until way at the end, and even then it felt rushed and lacking. It seems Derek was just too obsessed with Maria to even care and just skipped the details and just talked about the case in about a two or three chapters and that's it. That frustrated me as I picked this book up to read about the case, not about their silly romance and the office politics (which was interesting to read, but it got old fast).
The book got boring fast, after a while, Derek's story about the office, and about Maria and less on the case made me want to put the book aside and read other things. I really had to force myself to read the last one hundred pages. Now mind you, if you're into satire, and a "light" read with no heavy trial or heavy drama this might be the book for you. Otherwise, it's really not for me and not my sort of thing. I was really more into the case and nothing but.
Overall, I was disappointed and wished it centered around the case and not about Maria and Derek. Pick this up if you want a light courtroom romance drama. Otherwise steer clear of it if you're into heavier stuff like I am.
I was completely wrong. It wasn't much like that. It was a quiet drama, with a satirical view of a prominent law firm which seems to be going downhill for several years. I liked the satire, it was under the main character's narration and point of view (Derek Dover) and it was nice to read. You can hear the irony in his narration and how he takes a few jabs here and there about the firm. (With a firm called Nibble and Kuhn there's bound to be a lot of jokes with that name). The way the story was written was clear and crisp. Straight to the point most of the time and it seemed like a quick read. Although it wasn't what I expected it to be, it took me longer than usual to finish this novel because it didn't have the intrigue I wanted it to have or the seriousness. (Perhaps I watch too much Law and Order)
As I progressed through the book more, I found myself really disliking Maria and Derek. For two grown up laywers, they act and behave like silly children. Maria, because with her personality, she had the backbone and the guts to tell her parents she's in love with Derek, instead she sucks it in and continues being with her fiance - yet persists being with Derek. Derek could have just let her go with her fiance but that's just too hard now is it? I felt myself rolling my eyes as more than half of the book was about their relationship, how they're trying to conceal it from the firm (why? I don't know..is it taboo to date within the law firm?) I saw these two grown adults just act like pathetic kids and I found myself having to force myself to read through it and wishing there was more about the case than about stupid Maria and Derek's relationship.
To my disappointment, you don't read much about the case in great detail until way at the end, and even then it felt rushed and lacking. It seems Derek was just too obsessed with Maria to even care and just skipped the details and just talked about the case in about a two or three chapters and that's it. That frustrated me as I picked this book up to read about the case, not about their silly romance and the office politics (which was interesting to read, but it got old fast).
The book got boring fast, after a while, Derek's story about the office, and about Maria and less on the case made me want to put the book aside and read other things. I really had to force myself to read the last one hundred pages. Now mind you, if you're into satire, and a "light" read with no heavy trial or heavy drama this might be the book for you. Otherwise, it's really not for me and not my sort of thing. I was really more into the case and nothing but.
Overall, I was disappointed and wished it centered around the case and not about Maria and Derek. Pick this up if you want a light courtroom romance drama. Otherwise steer clear of it if you're into heavier stuff like I am.
November 23, 2009
Derek Dover is hoping to become a partner with his Boston law firm Nibble & Kuhn (and yes, the name is mentioned with a snicker). He never expected to fall in love with new associate, Maria Parma, who is spoken for by her childhood beau and is torn between her feelings for Derek and her loyalty to her very traditional family. As it becomes increasingly more difficult to hide his secret relationship from the watchful eyes of the senior partners, Derek is assigned with a multi-million dollar lawsuit that is essentially destined for failure. Add to this the worry that the extravagant expenditures made by the firm to re-market its name (eventually shortened to Nibble) and image may ruin Derek’s chance of reaching partnership, if not fiscal distress for the entire firm.
Will Maria ever make up her mind? Will Derek be able to, by some miracle, win his lawsuit? These are the major storylines of Nibble & Kuhn. Author David Schmahmann, a writer/lawyer in Boston, has created such an entertaining peek at the inside workings of a law firm, the relationships between its partners and associates and the pursuit of the “smoking gun” when preparing a case.
The story moves quickly yet the story and characters are completely developed. I found myself keeping my fingers crossed for Derek as he diligently used everything in his limited arsenal to prepare a winning case. On the other hand, I felt like slapping him for allowing Maria to string him along, one minute expressing her love for him (both with words and actions) and the next minute pulling away and stating that there could never be a future for the couple. There are senior partners who are arrogant and pompous and other partners who are relaxed, perhaps a little too relaxed. Derek’s secretary is all business, Derek’s best friend provides comic relief and the new office manager Mrs. Buckles has basically taken over the running of everything other then actual cases.
The relationship between Derek and Maria was a large part of the book. I enjoyed some of the bantering and making up but found myself becoming more and more irritated by both of their behavior. I thought the most enjoyable and riveting part of the story was when it concerned the preparation of the trial. The outrageous limitations placed on Derek by one of the arrogant senior partners made for some creative story telling. The potential failure of the witnesses added to the tension. All of this leads up to a completely surprising, outlandish and satisfying ending. This was a great read!
Will Maria ever make up her mind? Will Derek be able to, by some miracle, win his lawsuit? These are the major storylines of Nibble & Kuhn. Author David Schmahmann, a writer/lawyer in Boston, has created such an entertaining peek at the inside workings of a law firm, the relationships between its partners and associates and the pursuit of the “smoking gun” when preparing a case.
The story moves quickly yet the story and characters are completely developed. I found myself keeping my fingers crossed for Derek as he diligently used everything in his limited arsenal to prepare a winning case. On the other hand, I felt like slapping him for allowing Maria to string him along, one minute expressing her love for him (both with words and actions) and the next minute pulling away and stating that there could never be a future for the couple. There are senior partners who are arrogant and pompous and other partners who are relaxed, perhaps a little too relaxed. Derek’s secretary is all business, Derek’s best friend provides comic relief and the new office manager Mrs. Buckles has basically taken over the running of everything other then actual cases.
The relationship between Derek and Maria was a large part of the book. I enjoyed some of the bantering and making up but found myself becoming more and more irritated by both of their behavior. I thought the most enjoyable and riveting part of the story was when it concerned the preparation of the trial. The outrageous limitations placed on Derek by one of the arrogant senior partners made for some creative story telling. The potential failure of the witnesses added to the tension. All of this leads up to a completely surprising, outlandish and satisfying ending. This was a great read!
October 9, 2009
Two young lawyers at Nibble & Kuhn have fallen in love even though one is engaged to be married. Working in the same law firm, they are not supposed to be romantically involved. Derek and Maria face disapproval from their colleagues, her parents, and of course, her fiance. In addition, Derek is in line for partnership in the law firm, so he has to toe the line to make the grade, as well as win a complicated case against a factory with polluted runoff that may have caused cancer in several area children.
The shenanigans in the firm, Nibble & Kuhn, including a move of offices into a marble Triumph Tower, and the personalities in the firm, leave Derek less than enthusiastic, as he continues to work toward partnership, while still in hot pursuit of his colleague Maria.
My comments: The love story and the rest of the plot are low key. The conflicts are not earth shattering, satire is very subtle, and the drama is minimal, except for a very big surprise during the factory pollution trial. In this sense, the novel is more true to life and realistic than most novels dealing with law firms, lawyers, and law cases. This is not a legal thriller in the style of John Grisham. It is basically a love story and the story of a young, up and coming lawyer and his reactions to the corporate law environment he is in.
Lawyers who know and work within the corporate law system will be very interested in Derek, the main character in Nibble & Kuhn. The book will be released Nov. 1 and is written by Boston lawyer David Schmahmann, John Gardner Book Award winner of the novel, Empire Setting.
Advance review copy provided by Academy Chicago Publishers.
The shenanigans in the firm, Nibble & Kuhn, including a move of offices into a marble Triumph Tower, and the personalities in the firm, leave Derek less than enthusiastic, as he continues to work toward partnership, while still in hot pursuit of his colleague Maria.
My comments: The love story and the rest of the plot are low key. The conflicts are not earth shattering, satire is very subtle, and the drama is minimal, except for a very big surprise during the factory pollution trial. In this sense, the novel is more true to life and realistic than most novels dealing with law firms, lawyers, and law cases. This is not a legal thriller in the style of John Grisham. It is basically a love story and the story of a young, up and coming lawyer and his reactions to the corporate law environment he is in.
Lawyers who know and work within the corporate law system will be very interested in Derek, the main character in Nibble & Kuhn. The book will be released Nov. 1 and is written by Boston lawyer David Schmahmann, John Gardner Book Award winner of the novel, Empire Setting.
Advance review copy provided by Academy Chicago Publishers.
November 18, 2009
Excerpt from the full review on my blog:
Do real private detectives read detective novels? Do police officers read crime fiction? I wonder because, as a practicing attorney, I don't usually read novels dealing with lawyers. Even when written by attorneys, story-telling seems to require shortcuts. Perhaps unnoticed by the average reader, those shortcuts can leave me incredulous, even infuriated. Although David Schmahmann's Nibble & Kuhn also takes a few shortcuts, it doesn't raise my ire as much because it's clearly an irony-tinged look inside a large law firm.
While John Grisham's novels are the equivalent of a big studio, blockbuster thriller, Nibble & Kuhn is more akin to an indie, light romantic comedy. It is told by Derek Dover, who is up for partnership in the Boston law firm Nibble & Kuhn. Reminiscent of Jonathan Harr's nonfiction work, A Civil Action , one of the managing partners assigns him a lawsuit against a huge corporation for allegedly polluting a neighborhood swimming hole and causing cancer in seven children. Previously handled by a partner who is becoming a judge, Dover quickly learns the thousands and thousands of dollars in time and expenses invested in the case are nearly useless.
Do real private detectives read detective novels? Do police officers read crime fiction? I wonder because, as a practicing attorney, I don't usually read novels dealing with lawyers. Even when written by attorneys, story-telling seems to require shortcuts. Perhaps unnoticed by the average reader, those shortcuts can leave me incredulous, even infuriated. Although David Schmahmann's Nibble & Kuhn also takes a few shortcuts, it doesn't raise my ire as much because it's clearly an irony-tinged look inside a large law firm.
While John Grisham's novels are the equivalent of a big studio, blockbuster thriller, Nibble & Kuhn is more akin to an indie, light romantic comedy. It is told by Derek Dover, who is up for partnership in the Boston law firm Nibble & Kuhn. Reminiscent of Jonathan Harr's nonfiction work, A Civil Action , one of the managing partners assigns him a lawsuit against a huge corporation for allegedly polluting a neighborhood swimming hole and causing cancer in seven children. Previously handled by a partner who is becoming a judge, Dover quickly learns the thousands and thousands of dollars in time and expenses invested in the case are nearly useless.
September 27, 2009
Derek Dover works at Nibble and Kuhn. A law firm. He is really trying to make a name for himself as a prominent attorney. Derek is a little distracted by his girlfriend, Maria Parma. She works at the same law firm. Derek will have to get on the top of his game and fast.
Margaret Kelly an attorney at N&K is leaving. She has been nominated to be justice of Massachusetts Superior Court. She was in charge of a huge lawsuit case. The case is against a factory called Morganic Continental. Supposedly the factory had a leak and vaused seven young boys to get cancer. This case will require all of Derek’s undivided attention.
I thought this book showed promise but unfortanetly it just wasn’t for me. I found the charaters interesting and a litle stiff, like I would imagine lawyers to be. The other issue is that the story really moved slowed for me. In fact I put this book down and walked away from it and later came back to it but only got about half way till I quit. This was a bummer as the case that Derek was preparing for really sounnded like a good one. One aspect of the book I did pick up on was that it seemed that Mr. Schmahmann tried to keep the story as closely as he could to reality.
Margaret Kelly an attorney at N&K is leaving. She has been nominated to be justice of Massachusetts Superior Court. She was in charge of a huge lawsuit case. The case is against a factory called Morganic Continental. Supposedly the factory had a leak and vaused seven young boys to get cancer. This case will require all of Derek’s undivided attention.
I thought this book showed promise but unfortanetly it just wasn’t for me. I found the charaters interesting and a litle stiff, like I would imagine lawyers to be. The other issue is that the story really moved slowed for me. In fact I put this book down and walked away from it and later came back to it but only got about half way till I quit. This was a bummer as the case that Derek was preparing for really sounnded like a good one. One aspect of the book I did pick up on was that it seemed that Mr. Schmahmann tried to keep the story as closely as he could to reality.
October 26, 2009
I liked Nibble & Kuhn. Not least for the name... There's just something about a law firm with the name of "Nibble"... *grin* Brings to mind that one joke (yeah, only one) about lawyers and the bottom of the sea...
Anyway. Never mind the bad lawyer jokes. Derek is a good guy. He's pretty smart, works hard, bills as he should... As he's coming up for partnership though, some things happen... He falls for Maria, and he gets assigned a huge case--taking over for an elevated-to-judgeship lawyer at his firm. Now, Maria. Maria is more than she seems. She's a good girl, who happens to fall for a not-quite-family-approved boy. Of course, they can hardly approve of Derek if they don't even know that he exists, right?
Nibble & Kuhn is part emotional drama, part comedy, and part satire. All told in a crisp, clean narrative by author David Schmahmann. You'll shake your head at some of the goings on at the moving-on-up law firm, wince at Derek's case, and laugh out loud at the re-branding of Nibble & Kuhn. All while rooting for Derek and Maria. Not a bad way to while away a fall evening at all...
Anyway. Never mind the bad lawyer jokes. Derek is a good guy. He's pretty smart, works hard, bills as he should... As he's coming up for partnership though, some things happen... He falls for Maria, and he gets assigned a huge case--taking over for an elevated-to-judgeship lawyer at his firm. Now, Maria. Maria is more than she seems. She's a good girl, who happens to fall for a not-quite-family-approved boy. Of course, they can hardly approve of Derek if they don't even know that he exists, right?
Nibble & Kuhn is part emotional drama, part comedy, and part satire. All told in a crisp, clean narrative by author David Schmahmann. You'll shake your head at some of the goings on at the moving-on-up law firm, wince at Derek's case, and laugh out loud at the re-branding of Nibble & Kuhn. All while rooting for Derek and Maria. Not a bad way to while away a fall evening at all...
June 9, 2012
As I read this novel, I found myself wavering back and forth between feeling vaguely bored and detached, then intrigued and amused. Schmamann's writing is often dry, though ultimately that enhances the satirical nature of the story. Though I do not have a legal background, it was reasonably obvious when Schmamann was treating certain aspects of the legal profession with irony. With Nibble & Kuhn I also found myself reading another novel in the present tense, but this time it worked and rarely felt awkward.
Admittedly I was much more interested in the storyline involving the actual "unwinnable" case that Derek Dover was saddled with, rather than his workplace romance that was apparently going nowhere. Trudging through some of the drier parts of the book were ultimately worth it--the ending was priceless and one that I didn't see coming--a ridiculous conclusion that fit the rest of the story. It was truly a "laugh out loud moment." Overall, I thought Nibble & Kuhn was a good example of legal satire, and in the end I even enjoyed the outcome of Dover's relationship troubles.
Admittedly I was much more interested in the storyline involving the actual "unwinnable" case that Derek Dover was saddled with, rather than his workplace romance that was apparently going nowhere. Trudging through some of the drier parts of the book were ultimately worth it--the ending was priceless and one that I didn't see coming--a ridiculous conclusion that fit the rest of the story. It was truly a "laugh out loud moment." Overall, I thought Nibble & Kuhn was a good example of legal satire, and in the end I even enjoyed the outcome of Dover's relationship troubles.
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February 19, 2010From my review:
Nibble and Kuhn is a book about a lawyer who is up for partner at his law firm. Meanwhile, he’s having an affair with a junior associate (who is practically engaged) and made out with his boss’s secretary, who is sort of mad at him for not going out with her again.
To make matters worse, he gets handed a horrible case, that was previously worked on by another lawyer (who left to become a judge), and the firm is counting on him to win to recoup all the money they’ve already spent, only now he’s not allowed to spend any more money (for lab samples, expert witnesses, etc.). Basically, he’s screwed.
Read my full review here: http://bibliofreakblog.com/fiction/ni...
Nibble and Kuhn is a book about a lawyer who is up for partner at his law firm. Meanwhile, he’s having an affair with a junior associate (who is practically engaged) and made out with his boss’s secretary, who is sort of mad at him for not going out with her again.
To make matters worse, he gets handed a horrible case, that was previously worked on by another lawyer (who left to become a judge), and the firm is counting on him to win to recoup all the money they’ve already spent, only now he’s not allowed to spend any more money (for lab samples, expert witnesses, etc.). Basically, he’s screwed.
Read my full review here: http://bibliofreakblog.com/fiction/ni...
October 30, 2009
Derek is excited because he may become partner at the law firm he works for. He's also very smitten with Maria, a co-worker. The problem is, Maria plans to marry someone else. When Derek is handed a case that he can't possibly win, he begins to panic.
This is an entertaining novel that is unlike anything I've read before. Derek is an extremely lovable character whose determination can't be thwarted.
This is an entertaining novel that is unlike anything I've read before. Derek is an extremely lovable character whose determination can't be thwarted.
April 11, 2010
Although I found this a little slow to start, by the time the trial rolled around, I was hooked. I think my problem at first was that although I really liked David, I found the book focusing more on his romance with Maria than I expected which I found rather cumbersome. The author definitely had a few surprises up his sleeve that made for exciting and interesting reading though!
I would recommend it as a fun, light read.
I would recommend it as a fun, light read.
April 24, 2010
I picked this book up because it was about a law firm in Boston. It is about a lawyer in a old firm that hopes to become partner - he is in love with a fellow lawyer who is engaged to someone else.
The plot is ok - he is given an case that cannot be won and wins through a very stupid plot twist. He also gets the girl - but by the end, i did not care.
The plot is ok - he is given an case that cannot be won and wins through a very stupid plot twist. He also gets the girl - but by the end, i did not care.
February 1, 2010
Great little book, read it in one day. I love the author's style and will have to find other books written by him.
December 27, 2009
An entertaining legal satire.
July 12, 2011
Good read. Based on experiences/ people at firm I work for ( i think)'so I could not put down & read in one day!
March 26, 2010
My husband and book group read this and thought it was wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews