Love Stinks: The Romantic's Guide to Breaking Up Without Breaking Down [Paperback]

Overbeck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Addressed to women, this urbane guide to the fine art of ending relationships packs a laugh a minute into its brittle but perceptive pointers. Capsule analyses of the complexities of male-female relationships include case studies of such figures as Homer's Penelope (who "singlehandedly inspired Marabel Morgan to pen her famous Total Woman formula"). Overbeck ( The Whole Birth Catalogue ) does not ignore the pain of a spouse's or lover's desertion or the discomforts of the dating scene, but her witty checklists--e.g., for determining the deadly problems in a relationship or the extent of an obsession--quizzes and rolls of dos and don'ts spoof the conventional self-help genre even as they deliver sound advice. Her light style is sure to bolster the heartbroken: "Your mother, in particular, will take it very hard. She has always seen your romantic life in terms of oceanography. . . . 'There's more than one fish in the sea.' However, now that you're planning to cut bait, the food chain has gone into sudden decline and, lo and behold, the sea is now 99.6 percent fish-free."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 177 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; First edition (February 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671660209
• ISBN-13: 978-0671660208
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,858,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There is a lighter side of romantic despair  it's Joy., September 4, 1998

By 

Steve Creech ([e-mail]) (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Stinks: The Romantic's Guide to Breaking Up Without Breaking Down (Paperback)

As painful and pathetic as a break-up situation can be, the experience also has some strangely poignant -- and funny - moments. Joy Overbeck is a first-hand witness to this and lends her insight to others who may be sinking into the depths of despair over the loss of a loved one (lusted one?). Written ostensibly for women, the book has a message for everyone - even men such as myself. From the first line, Overbeck sets the tone of serio-comedy, describing how the world will end, "not by fire or ice." No, instead, she maintains, the end of the world will look exactly like your lover walking away from you for good, for, presumably, greener pastures - none of which will ever involve you. Then she raises the question: what will you, the reader, do now. Sulk, of course, is the answer. Through humor and insight, however, Overbeck picks up the forlorn by the seat of their pants and points them toward the tiny dot of light at the end of the dark, bleak horizon. "The Romantic's Guide to Break Up Without Breaking Down" makes a beeline through these murky waters, alerting the reader to the dangers of re-entering the gene pool like a safari guide amid packs of wild, feeding animals. Eventually, she has the broken-hearted smiling, then laughing at the silliness of it all. Hey people, there's hope. A little irony here: I actually discovered this book on accident, while working at a newspaper several years ago, in the midst of a particularly painful breakup (are there any other kinds?) As I walked through the newsroom late one night at the end of my sportswriting shift, I found Joy's book on the desk of the writer who was reviewing it. I liked the title - so I stole it. Fortunately, the karma never came back to me (neither, incidentally, did the girl who dumped me). But thanks in part to "The Romantic's Guide to Breaking Up Without Breaking Down," I managed to see that it was her loss anyway, and she is probably regretting what a huge mistake she made. Well, maybe...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor heals, December 16, 1999

By 

Liz Cratty (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Stinks: The Romantic's Guide to Breaking Up Without Breaking Down (Paperback)

Everybody's had their heart stomped on at one time or another, but there is a way to look beyond the immediate pain and suffering and it's with wildly funny wit. Joy Overbeck's hilarious and practical ways of getting back up and into the game are astonishingly right on. Buy a copy for every woman you know.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Started to cheer me up right away, January 2, 2005

By 

Monysmom "monysmom" (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Stinks: The Romantic's Guide to Breaking Up Without Breaking Down (Paperback)

This is a must read if you feel like crud after a breakup, can't sleep, can't leave the phone, can't stop thinking about it, etc but are afraid of driving your friends crazy listening to it or afraid they will have you committed to the nuthouse. Read this and half-way through the book you WILL start to feel better - at least enough to get out of bed.