Every newly married couple wants to beat the odds and make their marriage work. Unfortunately, 50 percent of first marriages and 65 percent of second marriages fail. Clearly, couples need guidance and support to keep their partnerships strong. In this guide married couple Stephen Martin and Victoria Costello offer information, tips, and advice to help readers: Recognize danger signs in a marriage Communicate effectively Handle discussions about money, sex, kids, and other tough topics Keep the passion alive Maintain a sense of identity within a partnership Navigate special situations, such as stepfamilies and cultural differences With the help of this concise book, couples can address problems before they become dealbreakers. From the stress of combining finances and raising kids to dealing with in-laws and blending families, thereÆs a lot of pressure in a marriage. But all it takes is a little information and determination to make it workùand to make it last.

'So compellingly personal you feel you're looking over her shoulder as she sits down to write' New York Times 'Electrically entertaining ... Funny, generous, spirited and kind' The Times This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is an irresistible blend of literature and memoir revealing the big experiences and little moments that shaped Ann Patchett as a daughter, wife, friend and writer. Here, Ann Patchett shares entertaining and moving stories about her tumultuous childhood, her painful early divorce, the excitement of selling her first book, driving a Winnebago from Montana to Yellowstone Park, her joyous discovery of opera, scaling a six-foot wall in order to join the Los Angeles Police Department, the gradual loss of her beloved grandmother, starting her own bookshop in Nashville, her love for her very special dog and, of course, her eventual happy marriage. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a memoir both wide ranging and deeply personal, overflowing with close observation and emotional wisdom, told with wit, honesty and irresistible warmth.

Just as Masters and Johnson were pioneers in the study of human sexuality, so Dr. John Gottman has revolutionized the study of marriage. As a professor of psychology at the University of Washington and the founder and director of the Seattle Marital and Family Institute, he has studied the habits of married couples in unprecedented detail over the course of many years. His findings, and his heavily attended workshops, have already turned around thousands of faltering marriages. This book is the culmination of his life's work: the seven principles that guide couples on the path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward in their approach, yet profound in their effect, these principles teach partners new and startling strategies for making their marriage work. Gottman helps couples focus on each other, on paying attention to the small day-to-day moments that, strung together, make up the heart and soul of any relationship. Being thoughtful about ordinary matters provides spouses with a solid foundation for resolving conflict when it does occur and finding strategies for living with those issues that cannot be resolved. Packed with questionnaires and exercises whose effectiveness has been proven in Dr. Gottman's workshops, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the result of Dr. John Gottman's many years of closely observing thousands of marriages. This kind of longitudinal research has never been done before. Based on his findings, he has culled seven principles essential to the success of any marriage. Maintain a love map. Foster fondness and admiration. Turn toward instead of away. Accept influence. Solve solvable conflicts. Cope with conflicts you can't resolve. Create shared meaning. Dr. Gottman's unique questionnaires and exercises will guide couples on the road to revitalizing their marriage, or making a strong one even better.

Have you found the One""? The decision to get engaged is one of the most exciting and important decisions you will ever make. Before Saying ""I Do"": The Essential Guide to a Successful Marriage offers the insights and techniques necessary for a successful engagement and marriage. Psychotherapist Michael Batshaw gives you the tools to decide whether your partner is the right one for you, and if so, how to keep it that way. Some of his advice: Beware the person of your dreams. Couples who do everything together do not have a relationship that can survive. Couples who do not argue are in trouble. Hollywood gets it wrong. The truth of the moment is not the whole truth.""

A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage, 2nd Edition is a concise explanation of the essentials for a long-lasting marriage. Marriage should be thought of as a creative work in progress. Just as the artist or writer has times when his or her work flows and all is going well, so does a marriage. Through good times and bad times, there are certain little behaviors that, when individually considered, over time create a sum in a marriage that is so much greater than its parts. In A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage, Sharon Gilchrest O’Neill challenges you to understand and live by the tenets of a committed relationship through an inviting, simple, and sensible approach to embracing marriage.

Marriage by the Book defines marriage as God defines it. A proper understanding of God’s pattern for marriage is paramount to a successful marriage. Marriage is not defined as a contract or a commitment in the Bible, but it is a covenant. This covenant is an agreement to spend life together. It is sealed by God’s approval. Roles are played by the husband and the wife in God’s plan for marriage. The book explains these roles. Success is the result of playing these roles in marriage. The book covers three danger zones in marriage. If the marriage is to succeed, these danger zones must be managed correctly. These danger zones are communication, money, and sex. The Bible says, “God hates divorce.” However, he loves the divorcees. The book addresses divorce and remarriage according to what God says about it in the scripture. Finally, Marriage by the Book addresses how to find a mate. It lists seven deal breakers and seven game changers that will help young single Christian people as they search for a mate.

The story of one couple - first from the husband's point of view, then from the wife's. The husband, a painter in Casablanca, has been paralyzed by a stroke at the very height of his career and becomes convinced that his marriage is the reason for his decline. Walled up within his illness and desperate to break free of a deeply destructive relationship, he finds escape in writing a secret book about his hellish marriage. When his wife finds it, she responds point by point with her own version of the facts, offering her own striking and incisive reinterpretation of their story.