'Dragon women' cause divorceSecrets of Relationship Successby Vanessa Lloyd-PlattVermillion, 6.99Sarah AnticoniThis is a self-help book running to a few more than 200 pages and is an enjoyable and at times entertaining read.As a divorce lawyer with more than 20 years' experience, Vanessa Lloyd-Platt has clearly expressed personal views to support her contention that women are to blame for the world's escalating divorce rate.She concludes that women's behaviour has undergone a revolution that men cannot tolerate and defines with exacting language, the 'Dragon Woman' in her various guises which have, in turn, created 'Colditz man'.She explains how women need to soften to become www.woman (warm welcoming and wise).

As one woman's view on the world it is a clear one, and not one which will necessarily be shared by other family law practitioners.The book is written in a journalistic and engaging style with the opening chapters in particular interspersed with a plethora of memorable quotations from men and women to support Ms Lloyd-Platt's theories.Case studies (presumably based upon heavily disguised client experiences) and some historical examples are also used to illustrate points.This is no practitioner's bible but clients might find it light relief and constructive for future relationships.

It is unclear whether such a publication is aimed at both men and women, but the comprehensive bibliography of other self-help texts (together with useful contact numbers) is clearly aimed at clients rather than practitioners.Family lawyers may find its contents amusing, as it is always important to be reminded of the human aspects of divorce work and the strategies that could be employed by clients in the future in their new relationships.

The legal content of the book is minimal, but what there is has been carefully worked into the text to make it more appealing to a lay reader.Sarah Anticoni is a partner atLondon law firm Charles Russell