The Four Man Plan: A Romantic Science [Hardcover]

Cindy Lu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

Are you Fabulous and Single? Very, Very Single?

Do you secretly suspect that you suck at love?

Author and actress Cindy Lu knew for a long time that she sucked at love. For years, she dated one wrong guy after another until she decided to use her math skills to fix her romantic life. The result is The Four Man Plan—a brilliant system for finding love that combines the certainties of math and human behavior into a sure-fire formula for finding Mr. Right. The secret? Always be dating four men at any given time.

“But I can’t find one man, let alone four!” Fear not. Lu gives you everything you need to round up the candidates and assess how they measure up. Based on a carefully developed system of postulates and practices—including the “Disney Theorem” and the “Wait for Sex Index”—her step-by-step process takes the guesswork and heartache out of dating and lets men compete for your affections while you enjoy the ride. The result is a Dating Revolution where women protect each other and take charge of their love lives; where men rediscover the joys of chivalry; and where you end up with the ultimate prize: One man to save your seat, rub your feet, and grill your meat into happily ever after.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Raves for The Four Man Plan:

“Single ladies will be emboldened by her sound hypothesis.”—LA Weekly

“Effusively clever and perkily filthy.”—Entertainment Today

“Takes the angst out of dating with walloping comic style.”—America Radio Network

About the Author

A professional actress for over eighteen years, Cindy Lu has performed in theatres across the country and in dozens of television shows, films, and commercials. The Four Man Plan began as a one-woman show in Los Angeles. Between dates and acting gigs, she spent time as a waitress, a bartender, a personal assistant, and an energy healer.

Cindy Lu lives in Culver City, California, with her husband, Earl, and their three dogs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767928571
• ISBN-13: 978-0767928571
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Relationships > Dating

More About the Author

I sucked at love. It was bad, so very, very bad. One night after a horrible break-up, I was inspired by an episode of Seinfeld. You know, the one where Jerry suggests to George that to improve his lousy life, George should do the OPPOSITE of everything he would normally do. That sounded like a reasonable way for me to improve my love life. The Four Man Plan was created in the dating annals of my late 20s as a personal experiment. As I went against my every instinct, a strange thing happened. I started gaining a better understanding of myself and the men around me. Eventually I went from dating losers and bad boys to meeting my future husband. Someone I previously would not have given a second glance. That was a decade ago.

As a comedienne and an actress for 20 years, I initially embarked on sharing The Four Man Plan as a one woman show. To my surprise, women came up after the performances clamoring for the book, which did not exist at the time. After the self-published version was born, the Plan was tested and refined again and again during the 5 month run of my show. Now published in 9 diverse countries with more to come, and with nearly 3 years of tracking the progress of a myriad of 4MPlanners on our website, it turns out, The Four Man Plan works! REALLY WORKS!

There is lively and candid online community of 4MPlanners in the "Fourum" at www.thefourmanplan.com. Get support, share your stories, ask your questions, find your man! Join us!

I currently live with my husband, Earl in Topanga, California and our three dogs and horse. That's right, I wrote a relationship book and I'm still married. A modern day fairy tale.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Wisdom!, December 28, 2007

By 

ourhouse - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Four Man Plan: A Romantic Science (Hardcover)

A failed marriage and a bumpy entry into on-line dating left me open to the idea that picking good men and developing strong, healthy relationships was not, perhaps, my strongest suit. I stumbled onto this book and it's the oddest darn thing--I found wisdom, insight and understanding in a self-help book about dating. I mean, compassionate, funny, smart and truly helpful wisdom! From The Wait for Sex Index to The Breakup Ladder, Cindy Lu offered tools that changed my approach to dating. I'm much happier and guess what: the men I'm dating are so much nicer!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing book!, September 14, 2007

By 

Lucy Yeh (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Four Man Plan: A Romantic Science (Hardcover)

I'm sure I've read as many dating advice books as your typical thirty-something female, but this one hit me differently from the beginning.

First of all, it's funny! The bottom line in The Plan is to have fun - which was the missing element in my dating life when I read this. Dating had become a drag and this lightened it up for me. Plus, there's a really fun online forum where Cindy Lu gives further support.

Second of all, it's logical! Cindy Lu puts it all together in a straightforward manner, and after reading it I couldn't NOT follow her advice.

Third of all, it's a quick read! I devoured it completely the first night I got it - and so have my girlfriends. I could hardly wait til morning to try it out.

Lastly, IT WORKS! After following Cindy's advice for a while, I met someone who fits perfectly with me. He's generous and loving and takes care of me - and now I can receive it like never before.

This book changed my life - I hope it changes yours too!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now, thank me later, January 14, 2008

By 

an observer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Four Man Plan: A Romantic Science (Hardcover)

This book hit the mark with me. I picked it up by complete chance, and it made so much sense. It is funny and entertaining, but when I put it into practice is when the real fun began.

To those who think the book encourages disrespect to oneself or another, I have to disagree. Yes, it's tongue in cheek. It's real. It addresses how women talk to each other and act around guys. The heart of the book though is (to me, and to many others who have put it to use) all about respect. It's not about finding a husband. By re-learning a new way to interact with people I found a greater capacity for understanding, practiced unflinching honesty, became less judgemental, and was humbled by the people I met and had the joy of interacting with. Did I marry every one? No! But each one taught me something about the world and something about myself.

If you push yourself to read it and be brave and try it out, you'll realize it's about more than just dating (though that's quite fun). It's about cultivating respect for yourself, your boundaries, your time, your heart, and for the people around you and the roles that they fill in your life. Give it a shot. Buy it for yourself, or for a friend who desperately sucks at love!