101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last [Paperback]

Linda Bloom (Author), Charlie Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2004

With the divorce rate spiking at a dizzying 60 percent, it’s safe to assume that young couples and experienced partners alike may lack the skills and understanding necessary to sustain a committed relationship. Psychotherapists Linda and Charlie Bloom present 101 techniques delivering practical guidance and make it clear that, regardless of past experience, anyone can develop the basic strengths, skills, and capacities needed for a great relationship. Each lesson is presented as a simple, one-line thought followed by an explanation using real life examples — from the authors' own experiences in sustaining their marriage of 31 years to those of the thousands of couples they've professionally counseled or who have taken the Blooms' life relationship seminars. This book demonstrates how anyone can find ways out of a painful relationship, and how couples can enrich their own relationships through working through love's challenges.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (January 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577314247
• ISBN-13: 978-1577314240
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Bloom, L.C.S.W., and Charlie Bloom, M.S.W., are psychotherapists and marriage counselors who teach communication seminars and relationship workshops throughout the world. They are the co-authors of Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truths from Real Couples About Lasting Love (New World Library, 2010) and the widely acclaimed book, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married (New World Library 2004).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SIMPLE & WISE PREP FOR MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIP, February 22, 2004

By 

Allen L Roland, Ph.D (Sonoma, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (Paperback)

Charlie and Linda Bloom's first book 101 THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN I GOT MARRIED / New World Library finally puts a face on one of my favorite quotes from Teilhard de Chardin ;
The only right love is that between couples whose
passion leads them both, one through the other, to a higher
possession of their being .

As a psychotherapist , with over 30 years experience dealing
with love and relationship, I can unequivocally say that relationship is the true test of who we really are.

And relationship is what this book is all about.

Charlie and linda take on the test of marriage and relationship with humor and pathos and each of their simple one and two page lessons are tasty morsels to be slowly digested and savored .

I especially liked these ;

# 10 It isn't conflict that destroys marriages; it's the cold,
smoldering resentment that is bred by withholding.

# 35 The cost of a lie is far greater than any advantage
you gain from speaking it.

# 76 Of all the benefits of marriage, the greatest is the
possibility of using this relationship to become a more
loving person.

Which leads me to my concluding point ~ this book should be
read as a prep for not just marriage but for relationship in general.
It's truths are simple and wise and are based on a 31 year marriage that has obviously made both Charlie and Linda more loving persons.

Allen L Roland, Ph.D
A practicing psychotherapist living in Sonoma , California and author of RADICAL THERAPY / Surrender To Love and Heal Yourself in Seven Sessions ~ Not Seven Years.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you..., February 18, 2004

By 

"italiangirlat" (Petaluma, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (Paperback)

This book gives us simple straight forward strategies for building the kind of intimate relationship most of us can only imagine - regardless of whether or not you are in a traditional marriage, living together, straight or gay.

Imagine a relationship in which you can be yourself... a partnership in which you can speak your truth without causing harm...imagine sharing a level of intimacy that allows you to grow in love - for yourself, for your partner, for your world. A relationship that actually raises you and your partner to a higher level of counsciousness.

There is no psycho-babble or magic bullet in this book - rather Linda and Charlie Bloom give us concrete examples of how to do partnership better. They present us with ways to share, show us how to increase trust, how to lean into each others differences, how to disagree without leaving each other bloody. These examples, while simple, are often not easy. It becomes clear that improving a relationship requires both commitment and work.

By sharing their personal relationship issues, as well as their clients', we can see that the Blooms have practiced what they preach - so we don't ever feel like we're being lectured - it becomes more a case of -- look, we made these mistakes and we'd like to offer you some ways to do it better.

Linda and Charlie Bloom have raised the bar on the concept of what a marriage can be - but in their book they've given us the tools to help us begin to up-level our most intimate relationship and turn it into the kind of partnership that most of us deeply desire.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last (Paperback)

My husband and I have been married twenty four years, and we were enthralled with the clarity and understanding of Linda and Charlie Bloom's book: 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married.

The table of contents alone is a gold mine. We went down the list and checked off the concepts that we thought we ought to discuss with each other. It became an afternoon of iinsight and humor mixed with wisdom and incredible feedback of our impact on one another.

Thank you Linda and Charlie for making this contribution to peace ful understanding on this planet one couple at a time. This is high spiritual work you both are doing!