Vanity, worldly possessions and the pride of life are the substance of Esther’s life. She was “fond of dress” and a yielding mother left this passion unchecked. Consequently she taunted her brother and drove him away from home. Then Esther left home in a fit of anger. “The foundation of all this trouble that had come, not only upon Esther but upon her family, had its root in this—to seem what they were not.”—Esther’s Regret.

"A fresh look at infidelity, broadening the focus from the havoc it wreaks within a committed relationship to consider also why people do it, what it means to them, and why breaking up is the expected response to duplicity — but not necessarily the wisest one.” — LA Review of Books From iconic couples’ therapist and bestselling author of Mating in Captivity comes a provocative and controversial look at infidelity with practical, honest, and empathetic advice for how to move beyond it. An affair: it can rob a couple of their relationship, their happiness, their very identity. And yet, this extremely common human experience is so poorly understood. What are we to make of this time-honored taboo—universally forbidden yet universally practiced? Why do people cheat—even those in happy marriages? Why does an affair hurt so much? When we say infidelity, what exactly do we mean? Do our romantic expectations of marriage set us up for betrayal? Is there such a thing as an affair-proof marriage? Is it possible to love more than one person at once? Can an affair ever help a marriage? Perel weaves real-life case stories with incisive psychological and cultural analysis in this fast-paced and compelling book. For the past ten years, Perel has traveled the globe and worked with hundreds of couples who have grappled with infidelity. Betrayal hurts, she writes, but it can be healed. An affair can even be the doorway to a new marriage—with the same person. With the right approach, couples can grow and learn from these tumultuous experiences, together or apart. Affairs, she argues, have a lot to teach us about modern relationships—what we expect, what we think we want, and what we feel entitled to. They offer a unique window into our personal and cultural attitudes about love, lust, and commitment. Through examining illicit love from multiple angles, Perel invites readers into an honest, enlightened, and entertaining exploration of modern marriage in its many variations. Fiercely intelligent, The State of Affairs provides a daring framework for understanding the intricacies of love and desire. As Perel observes, “Love is messy; infidelity more so. But it is also a window, like no other, into the crevices of the human heart.”

Project retrospectives help teams examine what went right and what went wrong on a project. But traditionally, retrospectives (also known as “post-mortems”) are only held at the end of the project—too late to help. You need agile retrospectives that are iterative and incremental. You need to accurately find and fix problems to help the team today. Now Esther and Diana show you the tools, tricks and tips you need to fix the problems you face on a software development project on an on-going basis. You’ll see how to architect retrospectives in general, how to design them specifically for your team and organization, how to run them effectively, how to make the needed changes and how to scale these techniques up. You’ll learn how to deal with problems, and implement solutions effectively throughout the project—not just at the end. This book will help you: Design and run effective retrospectives Learn how to find and fix problems Find and reinforce team strengths Address people issues as well as technological Use tools and recipes proven in the real world With regular tune-ups, your team will hum like a precise, world-class orchestra.

Rocky's father was a gambler. When scandal caused his disappearance, Rocky sought forgetfulness and enjoyment on a cruise. It had been a dull voyage from London; rough in the Channel, colder and rougher in the Bay, and raining hard at Gibraltar, but at Toulon, when Rocky came aboard, the ship seemed to come to life. Rocky made it her business to be friends with everyone, but before they had reached Port Said, several of the passengers were asking themselves who Rocky really was... Only a strong, silent man aboard who knows her past understands Rocky's real worth.

Merriam Press Historical Fiction. Esther's Odyssey is a vivid historical novel of a beautiful, gutsy, and intelligent young Jewish woman under the shadow of Nazism in Europe of the late 1930s. Whom she meets (a whole series of unique characters, including men and women of different classes and backgrounds), and how she navigates through a great variety of trials and tribulations, but also fascinating adventures adds up to a book which will interest readers all the way. It immerses one via superb background detail and sprightly dialogue in an entire era. From the opening pages, as the plot twists and turns, and right through to the end, surprises multiply, and simply put, this is a book which cannot be put down.