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amination of early Javanese history to analysis of performances and texts from the 1990s. Her research encompasses not only traditional (a term problematized extensively by Sears) court and village performances but also the transformation of wayang stories and characters in comic books and novels; political cooptations of wayang's characters, performances, and venues; and religious, ethical, and aesthetic interpretations. One should note that, although the book is quite recent, much has changed since its publication. The most dramatic change came with the overthrow of Indonesia's former ruler, Suharto, when the strict censorship practices of his regime ceased; more general and gentle change continues through rapid innovations of performers.While this book lacks the ethnographic depth and focus of earlier books on wayang, Sears more than compensates for this with the integration of ample historical analysis, a more contemporary critical awareness, and a more comprehensive representation of the genre. By stressing the political implications of wayang and charting the involvement of Dutch colonial administrators, Javanese nationalists, and Indonesian politicians in wayang, Sears does a great service. She not only adds to the understanding of wayang as a theatrical form but also gives a strong sense of the shifting meanings and uses of this form through time and from place to place.Bob Simpson, a lecturer in anthropology at England's University of Durham, has written a comprehensive and original book on divorce and its consequences in the United Kingdom. Simpson was a member of a multidisciplinary research team studying divorce between 1985 and 1992, and much of his empirical data comes from this time period, with special emphasis on people who were dismantling marriages in 1985. During this period he held many conversations with ex-husbands, ex-wives, and children experiencing divorce. He also attended court hearings, conciliation meetings, and interviewed a number of professional court officers and conciliators. The team administered three different surveys, including one in 1989, that had 369 respondents (p. 88). These surveys show that over time the disputes between parties caused by a divorce diminished and relations between ex-marital partners improved.