Book Review: Making Marriage Simple

Making Marriage Simple was written by husband and wife team Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt. They have been couple counselors for over 20 years and are also the authors of books like Getting the Love You Want and Keeping the Love You Find.  I got my copy on Amazon but I'm sure you can find it at any bookstore/major website..... 

Summary of the book:

Welcome to the Relationship Revolution! Making Marriage Simple is the accessible, essential road map to building a strong marriage in the modern world. Bestselling authors Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt distill into ten essential truths what they've learned about how to create a successful and satisfying relationship—both from their decades of “R&D” in the marriage lab of their workshops, and from their own relationship journey.  In each chapter, Harville and Helen introduce a simple truth—such as “a frustration is a wish in disguise,”  “incompatibility is grounds for marriage,” or “conflict is growth trying to happen”—and then walk couples through easy yet effective exercises to help them apply each truth in real life, every day. 

Harville and Helen have spent their careers helping couples transform their marriages through research, workshops, and counseling. But marriage—even for marriage experts—is never easy, and a number of years ago they found themselves on the brink of divorce. Harville and Helen put themselves back through the exercises they’d coached so many other couples through, saving their marriage and helping them achieve a true partnership.

This book is for all couples.  It offers the practical tools needed to transform one’s relationship into a rewarding and joyous marriage.  Written with humor, compassion, and honesty, and illustrated throughout with engaging line drawings, Making Marriage Simple is a strategic blueprint for creating a stronger, more satisfying partnership in today's world.

Summary from Amazon.com

My Review:

This book was a new (to me) and interesting view on marriage, why issues come up, and how to solve these problems. Even though the tone throughout the book suggests any couple could benefit from it, I feel it is better suited for a marriage with deep issues. For example, I would not have a long discussion followed by a shared worksheet whenever my husband leaves his socks on the floor. That would be ridiculous. This is more for couples looking for a way to sort their problems without going to a professional (in my opinion).  However, it never hurts to read a book like this because if you do come across a problem in your relationship, you may be able to recognize the warning signs and take steps to correct it before things snowball out of control.  

Rating:

4 (out of 5) – Extremely useful - depending on your situation.

What are you currently reading? I'm always reading Marriage/Family/Womens Interest books but I'm open to pretty much anything. Give me some ideas of what to read next. :-)

Disclosure: I am always interested in books that could somehow help my everyday life. I paid for this book myself. No one asked or paid me to review this book.