Although marriage is for grown-ups, very few of us are grown up when we marry. Here, the bestselling author of Suddenly Sixty and Necessary Losses presents her life-affirming perspective on the joys, heartaches, difficulties, and possibilities of a grown-up marriage -- and no, that's not an oxymoron! Featuring interviews with married women and men, the findings of couples therapists, the truths offered by literature and movies, and a bemused exploration of her own marriage, Judith Viorst illuminates the issues couples struggle with from "I do" through "till death do us part." Examining marital rivalry, marital manners, marital sex (extramarital, too), marital fighting and apologies, what kids do for (and to) marriage, and the boredom and bliss of everyday married life, Viorst leaves no marital stone unturned. From the early years when we wonder "Who is this person?" and "What am I doing here?" to the realities of divorce, remarriage, and growing older (and old) together, Viorst offers insights and advice with honesty, humanity, and humor -- all the while recognizing how tough it is to be married and, when it works, how very precious it can be.

HOW TO MARRY FOR LIFE—WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY GOT A LIFE Over thirty-five and still seeking that special someone? About to take a serious relationship to the next level and want to make sure it works—for keeps? The Garter Brides can help! These three friends—whose name derived from the lucky garter passed from one woman to another—met and married wonderful men later in life. Now you can tap into the wisdom of this special sisterhood through the true stories and real-life strategies these women—plus the dozens of others they interviewed—used to meet the right guy, fall in love and create exciting, happy and fulfilling lives. YOU'LL FIND GREAT ADVICE ON: - Transforming dating from a drag to a delight - Revealing your history and hopes for the future - Blending friends, family and kids - Creating a home together - Dollars and common sense for grown-ups - Your wedding, your way ...and much more!

Marriage is an important transition in the life of any adult who marries. But often when a son or daughter gets married, their relationships with their natal families changes. It is often said that a 'daughter is a daughter all of her life, but a son is a son 'til he takes him a wife.' This book examines how marriage changes relationships between adult children and their parents and how this differs for sons versus daughters. Merrill considers the process by which men 'get pulled into' their wives' families and the ways in which men are sometimes more connected to their wives' families following marriage than to their own families. But what is it about a relationship with a son that changes when he marries? And why do daughters tend to stay closer? Why do mothers experience greater difficulty in negotiating relationships with married sons than with married daughters? Why do daughters tend to stay closer and maintain stronger ties to their natal families than sons do? This book answers these questions and offers advice for mothers on how to maintain strong ties with their children when they marry, negotiate relationships that may be fraught with new challenges, and accept changes when they happen. Sharing firsthand accounts from mothers, sons, and daughters, the author sheds new light on this neglected topic.

"Witty and smart, this is a must-read for any woman ready to find Mr. Right. Or at least Mr. Right Now." Christopher Hopkins, Oprah's Makeover Guy and author of Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45 By the time you hit forty, you have a pretty good idea of what you want when it comes to dating, love, and romance. But how do you get it? HOW TO DATE LIKE A GROWN-UP will tell you everything you need to know to find the love you're looking for (even after a long marriage or other dating hiatus), how to get married (if that's what you're after), or how to just get lucky. Dating expert, bestselling author, and TV personality Lisa Daily (Daytime) uses her hilarious and compassionate voice to offer up realistic, counterintuitive advice that will help you finally find the relationship (and the guy) you deserve, including: Where (and how) to meet better men 5 easy tips to chat up any stranger What you may be doing to make yourself a magnet for losers How to deal with the pitfalls and fringe benefits of dating younger men Little-known secrets to dramatically improve your dating odds How to break it to your kids that you have a better social life than they do A foolproof way to find the best dating site for you How to face getting naked in front of someone new for the first time How to accommodate changes in your body (and the little blue pill) The one simple thing you can do in the bedroom that will make a man speed up his marriage proposal Why men are rushing to the altar, and why you might just want to wait Dating: It's Not Just For Kids Anymore

Take a fresh look at your marriage through the lens of this valuable book. Learn how to communicate, how to rekindle love, how to avoid financial bondage. If you're single, learn how to avoid the problems many marriages develop.

A national bestseller from the New York Times best-selling author of The Middlesteins, All Grown Up is a wickedly funny novel about a thirty-nine-year-old single, childfree woman who defies convention as she seeks connection. Who is Andrea Bern? When her therapist asks the question, Andrea knows the right things to say: she’s a designer, a friend, a daughter, a sister. But it’s what she leaves unsaid—she’s alone, a drinker, a former artist, a shrieker in bed, captain of the sinking ship that is her flesh—that feels the most true. Everyone around her seems to have an entirely different idea of what it means to be an adult: her best friend, Indigo, is getting married; her brother—who miraculously seems unscathed by their shared tumultuous childhood—and sister-in-law are having a hoped-for baby; and her friend Matthew continues to wholly devote himself to making dark paintings at the cost of being flat broke. But when Andrea’s niece finally arrives, born with a heartbreaking ailment, the Bern family is forced to reexamine what really matters. Will this drive them together or tear them apart? Told in gut-wrenchingly honest, mordantly comic vignettes, All Grown Up is a breathtaking display of Jami Attenberg’s power as a storyteller, a whip-smart examination of one woman’s life, lived entirely on her own terms.

'The Power of the Past' advances the notion that intimate life - marriage and ideas of how to best live - is closely linked to the class in which individuals were raised. Arguing against the notion that class is a meaningless category or that college degrees erase childhood inequalities, this book describes the ways that the class of individuals' past influences their identities and marriages.