Couples: How We Make Love Last

by Kate Figes

An intelligent, thoughtful look at the ways people make couplehood work in a time of unprecedented expectations of romance, commitment, equality, fidelity, and happiness ever after  Historically speaking, people currently enjoy unrivaled freedom when it comes to choosing a relationship, yet new levels of uncertainty coupled with new myths about how to live and love can compromise potential coupled happiness. Kate Figes argues that, whether married or cohabiting, gay or straight, remarried or a couple living apart, the quality of one's intimate relationship is fundamental to long-term health and happiness, because the human need for commitment and love has not changed. She set out to find out how people make it work by interviewing 120 people from diverse backgrounds, as well as surveying couplehood-related academic literature. This book offers no universal recipes for success, but learning how others sustain lifelong love and what really goes on in other people's lives can help readers to understand their own partnerships and take responsibility for making them work. This is an incisive and important look at how to make love endure.

Genres: Relationships

416 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2012

Reviews

[Taylor Rice · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's insightful and interesting. The stories are colorful and range in variety. I occasionally get lost in the words and at times it seems that the content is redundant. I believe that the guidelines and principles covered in this book help relationships, romantic and non-romantic. Figes breaks the preconceived notions of love and explains that if "falling in love is soaring through the sky in a plane then being in love is when the plane lands." I did not have the desire to read more than half way.

[Zahida Zahoor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Long winded, boring, poorly written, heavy editing needed, lots of common sense peppered with cases, quotes from counsellors and psychiatrists. Basically, summary of 300 pages is you have to work to your relationship, have realistic expectations and do what works for your relationship using honest communication