Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love [Paperback]

Linda Bloom (Author), Charlie Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2010

Therapists Charlie and Linda Bloom have been married more than thirty-five years. Over a two-year period, they interviewed twenty-seven couples who had been together for an average of thirty years and seemed as happy as newlyweds. Were they just lucky? The Blooms found that these couples had faced real challenges — difficulties with children and stepchildren, war wounds, infidelity, and financial ruin. They also found that with loving dialogue and open hearts, the couples had found ways to heal, grow, and deepen their commitment through, and not despite, their challenges. The Blooms distill this real-world wisdom into practical, positive actions any couple can take to achieve or regain not just a good marriage but a great one.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Any couple reading these stories will be inspired, challenged, and guided toward the relationship of their dreams. I highly recommend it to all couples, successful or unsuccessful.”
— Harville Hendrix, PhD, author of Getting the Love You Want

“Reading this incredibly enthusiastic, confident celebration of marriage is a total joy! Every couple is unique. Every story is engaging. The level of candor in which matters both tragically dire and delicately intimate are presented is thrilling. The message — commitment to love supports and sustains through difficulties — resounds throughout.”
— Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job

“A fascinating and moving glimpse into twenty-seven very different happy marriages. Think of it as a primer: Marriage 101 — Daily Love.”
— Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly

“Charlie and Linda Bloom use real-life stories to relate real-world wisdom to couples in all stages of relationships. Take their words as golden — they’ve walked the walk!”
— Patricia Love, EdD, author of The Truth about Love

“The Blooms work their special magic of evoking, appreciating, and analyzing the special alchemy of relationships and their power to test, heal, and transform.…Read, laugh, and weep in recognition — and learn nuggets you can use immediately in your own practice and your own life.”
— Gordon Wheeler, PhD, president of Esalen Institute

About the Author

Charlie Bloom, MSW, and Linda Bloom, LCSW, have lectured and taught around the world. Regular presenters at Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center, they have been adjunct faculty at University of California Berkeley Extension Program, California Institute for Integral Studies, JFK University, and many other institutes of higher learning. They live in Santa Cruz, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (January 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577316789
• ISBN-13: 978-1577316787
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Term Relationship Is Not a Fantasy March 18, 2010

By Alanna

Format:Paperback

This book provides many examples of how relationships have their spirals and it is generally in the depth of the spirals that we are most challenged and often when we give up. The couples give us great hope and possibility for that long term relationship that was the fantasy of our youth. It provides a reality base for advancing our relationship to a powerful, exciting and provocative experience. Kudos to Linda and Charlie who have not only been role models in maintaining a vibrant relationship but have also helped 100's perhaps 1000's of relationships survive through crisis. From personal experience, I know that their counseling centers on speaking truth to your self and your partner and understanding that you have to be willing to lose your partner in order for the relationship to metamorph to deeper spiritual levels. Levels where your respect and love for another prevents you from ever taking advantage of that person or your self again. This book reflects their very important work in this world and we are all better for it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not ordinary people March 31, 2010

By eileenwj

Format:Paperback

The incredible stories of these mostly Type A personalities made me feel that my ordinary 28 year working marriage just didn't cut it, we are not dramatic enough. The interviews are from mostly overachievers - how about some "regular" folk without websites, institutes, etc. - the interviews were not from a balanced range of the population so struck me as unrealistic

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Marriage is Possible and This Book Tells How! August 30, 2010

By Brett Weiss

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

With all of the conversation about divorce, too many people can't see the great marriages that are occuring all around them. In the face of this, the Bloom's made a bold and honest connection with real people experiencing great marriages and share their lives and ways with us. You will find that each chapter is an intimate look at a couple's lives in their own words. The stories are inspiring and powerful.

The Bloom's approach isn't idealistic. Many of the couples featured in this book had plenty of rough patches in their lives and relationships. As you read, the book reveals some common denominaters that may be the real secret to great marriages. But, the common thread of commitment is best told by each couple.

Secrets of Great Marriages is a truly great book for anybody who cares about marriage - whether their own or everybody else's.