This massive tome is an extraordinary book—a chef d'oeuvre and obviously a labor of love. It is neither a biography nor a comprehensive study of Melanie Klein's theories and work. Rather, it includes these but focuses on the setting, politics, and development of psychoanalysis in its early, formative period and on Klein's establishment of child analysis, along with Anna Freud, yet differing in approach. But let me hasten to add that this fascinating book is not just for psychoanalysts or those interested in psychoanalysis. Grosskurth has spun a fascinating tale of ideas and interactions and the human struggle to help (or make) them prevail. The section headings in themselves are creative, as they summarize their contents. For example: Part Two: Berlin 1920-1926 The Protegee Limbo Ostracism The concision and aptness of this kind of summation suggest that the writer knows what she is about and is directly
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Natalie Shainess (1987) studied this question.