"Provides a different way of thinking about what constitutes the social world of family. And it brings to the topic a rich set of insights and ideas about the very same phenomena we sociologists are working to understand." --American Journal of Sociology

"This is an insightful and important study, which should inspire scholars of the family to ponder and test in years to come." --American Ethnologist

"Simpson's analysis is shrewd and compassionate and, for me, greatly enriched by its anthropological perspective. His book would sit very comfortably on a psychologist's bookshelf as well as on that of other social scientists." --Reviewed by Rosemary Dunlop in Canberra Anthropology

"The book is an example of the valuable contributions to academic anthropology that can be gleaned from the work of anthropologists in policy related areas. The book is a contribution to kinship theory in general, not just in Britain." --Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute