What Makes a Marriage Last
40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Power couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have created a compelling and intimate collection of intriguing conversations with famous couples about their enduring marriages and how they have made them last through the challenges we all share.
What makes a marriage last? Who doesn’t want to know the answer to that question? To unlock this mystery, iconic couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue crisscrossed the country and conducted intimate conversations with forty celebrated couples whose long marriages they’ve admired—from award-winning actors, athletes, and newsmakers to writers, comedians, musicians, and a former U.S. president and First Lady. Through these conversations, Marlo and Phil also revealed the rich journey of their own marriage.
What Makes a Marriage Last offers practical and heartfelt wisdom for couples of all ages, and a rare glimpse into the lives of husbands and wives we have come to know and love. Marlo and Phil’s frequently funny, often touching, and always engaging conversations span the marital landscape—from that first rush of new love to keeping that precious spark alive, from navigating hard times to celebrating triumphs, from balancing work and play and family to growing better and stronger together. At once intimate, candid, revelatory, hilarious, instructive, and poignant, this book is a beautiful gift for couples of every age and stage.
Featuring interviews with:
Alan and Arlene Alda • Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter • James Carville and Mary Matalin
Deepak and Rita Chopra • Patricia Cornwell and Staci Gruber
Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden • Billy and Janice Crystal
Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest • Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen
Viola Davis and Julius Tennon • Gloria and Emilio Estefan
Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan • Chip and Joanna Gaines
Sanjay and Rebecca Gupta • Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka • Ron and Cheryl Howard
Jesse and Jacqueline Jackson • Elton John and David Furnish
John and Justine Leguizamo • LL COOL J and Simone I. Smith
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone • John McEnroe and Patty Smyth
Mehmet and Lisa Oz • Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete
Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Bert Pogrebin • Rob and Michele Reiner
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos • Al Roker and Deborah Roberts
Ray and Anna Romano • Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams
Judges Judy and Jerry Sheindlin • George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth
Sting and Trudie Styler • Capt. Chesley “Sully” and Lorrie Sullenberger
Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner • Judith and Milton Viorst
Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt • Bob Woodward and Elsa Walsh
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor Thomas and talk-show host Donahue, married since 1980, mine the long-term love lives of 40 celebrity couples in this delightful and instructive volume. The authors interviewed couples and found various patterns. Some fall under the "opposites attract" concept, namely Democratic political strategist turned LSU professor James Carville and his Republican wife, Mary Matalin (married in 1993), who explain, "we have feelings and relationships... politics are what we do for a living." Others embody the spirit of "for better, for worse," such as actors Michael J. Fox, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1992, and Tracy Pollan (married in 1988), who advise couples "to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Know that you love this person and they love you." Former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn (married since 1946), counsel that they decided long ago not to go to sleep in the same bed angry with each other. Actor Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka (who had been together for years before marrying in 2014) teach that the little things, like date night, can help keep love burning bright. Love and understanding shine through in this inspiring collection.
Customer Reviews
What a great read😎
Loved all the interviews in this book! Each chapter, whether I knew the couple or lot, was thought provoking and uplifting, in so many ways.
Outstanding!
Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue interview 40 long-married celebrity couples in intimate settings (usually their homes) to get the real story behind their wedded bliss. The conversations are thoughtful and inspiring, and cover just about everything any married couple experiences. I was totally impressed with this comprehensive collection and will certainly buy it again as a gift for newlyweds. Bravo, Phil and Marlo!
Stinker!
I don’t like giving a bad review for a couple that I like, but this book is more like interviews you’d read in a magazine. Marlo and Phil interviewed 40 couples (each chapter is dedicated to one couple), and it became monotonous after two chapters. If you like to read about famous, rich couples and how they met and how they stay together, this book is for you, but I found it tedious to get through and couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’d give it one star but don’t want to be overly critical of such a sweet couple. It just doesn’t live up to the title.