by Joyce Brothers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 1984
What's to know? Well, given today's ""horrendous gender gap,"" marriageable men are hard to find; in ""the era of the disposable wife,"" they're hard to hang onto. This, obviously, is not pitched at independent females, looking for equality in marriage regardless of the demographics; but neither is it as hung up on dubious male/female differences as Brothers' last, What Every Woman Should Know About Men. It's about equal parts hard-nosed pragmatism, common-denominator wisdom, and marriage-can-be-beautiful inspiration, salted with case histories and adroitly blended. The first ten chapters, about Mate Selection, expand on ""The 'in-a-nutshell'"" formula for a good marriage"": ""the man and woman should be socially alike and psychologically opposite."" A hinge chapter makes ""The Case Against Cohabitation"": it is not a trial marriage, ""it is nothing more than playing house""; you don't work things through, or form ties. Then comes the marriage counsel, geared to unequal input: ""I agree that it is not fair. It is simply that marriage means more to you and so--most of the time--you have to give more."" Take the Baby Drift--to be stopped, during pregnancy, by administering ""monster doses of Love, Attention, Sympathy and Appreciation."" Or the Seven-Year Itch: if you think your husband's boring, try imagining yourself a widow--""one of those 7.3 million leftover women""--for a week. (Besides, ""a lot of success in marriage depends upon your ability to see your husband through rose-colored spectacles."") There's an occasional suggestion for something more closely resembling a partnership--like individual checking accounts for personal use, and a joint account for household expenses. And husband Milt is omnipresent as an appreciated, appreciative model. If a woman wants to do her all to keep a man contented, this side of sexy welcome-homes, Brothers can probably help her.
Pub Date: Aug. 30, 1984
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: N/A
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1984
Categories: NONFICTION
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