Mars and Venus on a Date: A Guide for Navigating the 5 Stages of Dating to Create a Loving & Lasting Relationship [Hardcover]

John Gray (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The latest tentacle of John Gray's formidable Mars and Venus octopus deals with a topic near to the heart of almost everybody--dating. With a lot of insight and common sense, Gray tackles the hard and often messy business of finding "a soul mate." Without fear or favor, Mars and Venus on a Date dissects the dynamics between men and women and the five stages each relationship must pass through: attraction, uncertainty, exclusivity, intimacy, and, finally, engagement (for marriage, of course). Even though Mars and Venus on a Date isn't The Rules by a long shot, the courtship it describes is surprisingly old-fashioned. It's chock-full of things your mother might say: "Most people find or are found by their soul mates when they are not really looking." "The man should never talk more than the woman." But how to know if the person you're with is your "soul mate?" Gray writes, "When our soul wants to marry our partner, it feels like a promise that we came into this world to keep." Which translates into, "When you know, you know."

From Library Journal

You're from another planet if you don't know who wrote this singles dating guide.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (June 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060174722
• ISBN-13: 978-0060174729
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #63,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #38 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Dating
  #51 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Mate Seeking
  #12 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Authors, A-Z > Gray, John

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful., July 22, 2009

By	D. Blakely - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mars and Venus on a Date: A Guide for Navigating the 5 Stages of Dating to Create a Loving and Lasting Relationship (Paperback)

I do agree that this book is a bit old fashioned. However, what used to work in the good old days worked for a reason and for that, this is a book that I think many women should read. It's hard to always be frustrated by circumstance and when men don't respond in the way you wish, it can be downright frustrating. Overall, this is a book that may seen flash in the pan, but isn't. It's got some good insight and for that I recommend it, along with Man Magnet: How to Be the Best Woman You Can Be in Order to Get the Best Man-A Guide To Dating (Revised Edition).

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Moronic, September 12, 1998

By	Mark Ricci - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mars and Venus on a Date: A Guide to Navigating the 5 Stages of Dating to Create a Loving and Lasting Relationship (Mass Market Paperback)

Whatever credibility John Gray had is shot with his inclusion of a list of 101 places to meet your soulmate. I thumbed through the book at a co-worker's desk and couldn't believe what I was reading. (Neither could she.)

Most of the suggestions are so preposterous that I could read them verbatim at Open Mike Night at a comedy club and bring the house down. Some gems with my comments in brackets:

"If you're a woman in a restaurant, go to the rest room repeatedly so you can catch the eye of men." [And hope that a convention of urologists is in town?]

"If you wear a uniform, wear it when you're off duty because people will approach someone in a uniform." [I'm sure the meter reader from the local utility company is besieged with offers in between houses.]

"If you don't attend a church or synagogue, go to the one where there are the most eligible people." [Hey, who's got the best babes, the synagogue or the Episcopalian church?]

"If you don't like a museum, go to one and ask an art lover questions." [Allow me to display my total ignorance and annoy you. Two surefire ways to get you to spend the rest of your life with me.]

Finally my favorite of the list I've read so far:

"If you go to a bar and drink alcohol, go to a place where they don't serve alcohol. Your soulmate might not drink." [As opposed to 'If you don't do crack, go to a crackhouse because your soulmate might be a crackhead.']

I wish I were making these up, but I'm simply not that clever.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs to be updated! It's too one sided and old fashioned!, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mars and Venus on a Date: A Guide to Navigating the 5 Stages of Dating to Create a Loving and Lasting Relationship (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read most of his books, and as a big John Gray fan, I was very disappointed in this book. The entire book was old fashioned and focused on women who "want to have a relationship and get married to men who do not". Gray seems to assume that women are desperate to get married-to anyone! What about women who are being pursued and inundated witb men who want to settle down and get married-and we don't want to marry them? It works both ways, both sexes have the same problems and need advice. Gray should take a non stereotypical approach, it is almost the year 2000! More women are in the business world and are making equal, if not more, money. What do we do about male gold diggers? About men looking for trophy wives? How do we find true soul mates? That's what I want to know! If you are an independent woman with many dates, if you are a perfectionist and cannot seem to "settle on one mate" if you are looking for advice in this dating world, this is NOT the book for you.