Goin' to the Chapel: Dreams of Love, Realities of Marriage [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Charlotte Mayerson (Author), Ellen Burstyn (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

Writer and poet Mayerson traveled across the country talking to women about their girlhood dreams of marriage and how those dreams were realized in their lives. Based on interviews with women ages 25 to 59, Goin' to the Chapel provides a perspective both useful and touching. We hear the voices and personal stories of what these women wanted out of marriage and what they got--tales that are touching, articulate and recognizable. 2 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Writer and editor Mayerson here explores the differences between ideas about what marriage will be like and the real experiences of it as described by the 100 women she interviewed for this study. Most women, she discovers, see marriage as an important part of their destinies, but, not surprisingly, few marriages proceed quite as their participants expect. Idealistic women who internalize cultural fantasies about marriage are more likely to be disappointed than those who seek fulfillment of their own particular needs and desires. Across the board, Mayerson finds, many women are frustrated with their sex lives and with juggling household responsibilities and careers. On the other hand, women in marriages both good and bad describe motherhood as an even more positive experience than they had imagined. While these findings are not particularly surprising, the frank discussions of the specific ways in which the marriages in question either failed to match or exceeded expectations are enlightening.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A professional writer and poet, Mayerson (The Death Cycle Machine, Crown, 1996) traveled cross-country for an entire year to interview the 100 or so women whose stories are told here. She interviewed women of various age groups from most parts of the United States, but her interviewees tended to be college educated and white, so her sample is not unbiased. Chief among Mayerson's conclusions is her claim that women who daydreamed constantly of candle-lit, tulle-filled weddings and a happily-ever-after marriage were far more likely to end up unhappy than their more pragmatic sisters. Women who didn't clearly outline a list of desirable attributes in their husbands-to-be were also more likely to be unhappy with their choice of spouse than were women who had composed a shopping list of traits that they definitely sought out. These may not exactly be momentous discoveries, but the stories are interesting enough and are put together well enough?excepting a few flaws, such as a strangely out-of-place chapter on motherhood?that this journalistic survey on a topic of perennial interest deserves a place on most public library shelves.?Pamela A. Matthews, Missouri Western State Coll. Lib., St. Joseph
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Literature; Abridged edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574530747
• ISBN-13: 978-1574530742
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,697,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Reality Of It All, June 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Goin' to the Chapel: Dreams of Love, Realities of Marriage (Audio Cassette)

When I first picked up this book at the bookstore I thought I would be in for a light hearted reading experience. I was surprised to read what I did. Mayerson was direct and to the point about all of the realities of marriage. The women that she interviewed were very candid and did not hide anything. I am getting married soon and this book gave me the opportunity to really see all the different types of relationships that there are.