What Makes a Marriage Last

Book 55 of my 2020 Reading Challenge

read from August 6 - 24

What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life

by Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2020

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, handed, revelatory, hilarious, instructive, and poignant, this book is a beautiful gift for couples of every age and stage.

My Opinion

5 stars

I loved this book because it was conversational people-watching at its best.  The story of each couple was stand-alone so reading here and there throughout the day was easy and left me with a good feeling.  I was sad when it was over.  Random fact: there were a collective 1,252 years of marriage (as of the time of publication) in this book!  I'm assuming that only refers to the current marriages because a few of them took a few tries to get it "right", haha.

The pictures of each couple from their wedding were amazing and the format of them doing the interviews in person as a foursome (like a double date), usually in the comfort of their own homes, led to natural, spontaneous conversations.  Even when it turned to difficult or sad topics, there was still an undertone of hope, probably because I knew they wouldn't be in the book if they hadn't made it through.  I liked how the authors sprinkled their own story throughout but didn't steer the narrative too much; much of the book was just transcripts of the conversations rather than their interpretations/recollections.

They made audio recordings of every conversation and if they had done video I would watch it!  This would be a great short-form, YouTube series.  Random fact: the only couples to "double-tape" (the interviewed couple taped the conversation as well) were Jesse and Jacqueline Jackson and Bob and Else Woodward.

It had a wide variety of people and their stories were interesting even if I wasn't familiar with them.  The authors also made a point to include same-sex couples because even though their years of marriage may not qualify in a typical "longevity" book, that was because of the legalities and not because of a lack of commitment.