Women & Love: Finding True Love While Staying True to Yourself: The Eight Make-Or-Break Experiences in Women's Lives [Paperback]

Mira Kirshenbaum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2000

For the first time in history, a generation of women has the power to say no" to mediocre love. It's because we care so much about love that we know nothing less than the best will do. We want love to feel real and strong, to let us be true to ourselves, to be our emotional home. Now Mira Kirshenbaum has identified the make-or-break experiences that lead to just this kind of love.

She presents the radical idea that you have to make mistakes before you can find the love of your life. You try on different kinds of love affairs for size, you allow yourself to fall for different kinds of men. These "love adventures" give a sense of freedom and knowledge about yourself and what you want out of life and love. Mira Kirshenbaum describes seven more essential experiences that can mean all the difference between frustrating and fulfilling love. Through a series of diagnostic questions and quizzes that tailor her advice to every woman 's individual situation, she illuminates the path through these eight passages toward a lifetime of love, and illustrates her points with the stories of real women just like you.

Rarely has such a wise, inspiring, and comforting voice been available to guide women on the path to a lifetime of real love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cheerleading her readers through each page, Kirshenbaum believes that despite the embitterment caused by hurtful or unsuccessful love experiences, women should never settle for less than the best in their relationships. The result feels like a heart-to-heart gabfest with girlfriends, complete with casual language, self-disclosure, harsh truths and borderline-crude analogies. The anecdotes of women grappling with a variety of love and relationship problems are abundant enough to satisfy even the most avid relationship voyeur. With the use of many examples, Kirshenbaum illustrates eight "make or break experiences of love," offering diagnostic and prescriptive advice for each. This advice is clearly intended for the woman first and the relationship secondAshe is relatively quick to advocate dissolving a liaison and unfortunately does not specifically address the merits of remaining in a relationship for the sake of commitment. The common thread of advice running through her chapters is sound, however. Women should clarify their own desires and expectations for love, be honest about them with themselves and their partners and hold out for a partner who can meet their expectations. Above all, she emphasizes, the only requirement for experiencing true love is knowing and loving oneself.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Want true love? Here's a guidebook from the author of the best-selling Too Good To Leave, Too Bad To Stay
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380802228
• ISBN-13: 978-0380802227
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mira Kirshenbaum is clinical director of the Chestnut Hill Institute, a center for therapy and research in Boston, and has been treating patients in individual and couples therapy for more than thirty years. She is the author of ten other books, including Our Love is Too Good, To Feel So Bad, Everything Happens for a Reason, and When Good People Have Affairs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women & Love is responsible for a new and improved me., August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women & Love (Hardcover)

I am not a typical psyc book reader. A friend gave me Women & Love as a gift. The book made such an impact in her life she knew I needed to read it as well. So many issues that i've been struggling with as a 30 year old attractive, smart and single woman were clarified. The book taught me to be myself, keep my eyes open to the truth, and to pinpoint what it is I need from love. I really enjoyed the stories the book told and Mira's style of writing made me feel like I was reading a book written specifically for me. The strange thing about this is that any woman any age would feel the same way. I'm really looking forward to finding my true love...what i'm looking for is much clearer now and I will never again hide my true self.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more unnecessary mistakes!, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women & Love (Hardcover)

This book is not only insightful and helpful, but it also gave me the perspective I needed to fully appreciate how other women handle love issues. Everyone knows we learn from our mistakes, but how brilliant it will be to learn without mistakes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Reassuring and informative., April 10, 2008

By 

Carolyn (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women & Love: Finding True Love While Staying True to Yourself: The Eight Make-Or-Break Experiences in Women's Lives (Paperback)

Read this book if you're confused, perhaps in a transitionary point in your life or relationship. I took it on vacation and it cleared a few things up for me.