Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex (Paperback)

by Dave Barry (Author), Jerry O'Brien (Illustrator) "In getting into the field of marriage, one very important decision you must make is who, exactly, will be your spouse..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Find Somebody, Cleaning Impaired (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Dave Barry's humor speaks for itself. Barry on dating: "These are nonstereotypical times we live in, by which I mean that it is the responsibility of the man to ask for the date, and the responsibility of the woman to think up excuses that get progressively more obvious until the man figures out that the woman would rather chew on a rat pancreas." Barry on falling in love: "When two people have been on enough dates, they generally fall in love. You can tell you're in love by the way you feel: your head becomes light, your heart leaps within you, you feel like you're walking on air, and the whole world seems like a wonderful and happy place. Unfortunately these are also the four warning signs of colon disease, so it's always a good idea to check with your doctor." If you think you might be in danger of having a date, falling in love, or getting married, buy this book immediately.

From Publishers Weekly
Syndicated columnist Barry is just as funny here as in his previous humor books, Babies and Other Hazards of Sex and Claw Your Way to the Top. With a jaundiced eye, he comments on dating and marriage: opening lines ("How about that Middle East?"); French kissing ("a really sexy thing to do, according to the French people, although you should bear in mind that they also like to eat snails"); Disney World honeymoons ("They say 'honeymooning in Florida' because they don't want people to know that the highlight of the whole wild lustful romantic adventure was shaking hands with Goofy"); grounds for divorce ("wearing shorts and black knee socks at the same time"). In addition to the litany of love-life lunacies, there are O'Brien's 60 entertaining illustrations, including maps, pie charts, cartoons, diagrams and comic strips. A "funny index" not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878577254
• ISBN-13: 978-0878577255
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Barry. . ., November 3, 2001

By	Naomi (Israel) - See all my reviews

Though not as good as his later works, definitely worth buying, though 'Dave Barry's Guide To Life' is also availiable on Amazon.com and contains this and three other works of similiar quality and length by the same author, while being slightly cheaper than this edition alone.
Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHH (etc.), August 7, 2003

By	Andrew (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Another classic Barry. The title alone should give it five stars, but the content overwhelms my funny bone.

At one point, I was falling out of my chair I was laughing so hard!

oh well....5 STARS

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breaking Up Or Getting Engaged?, January 1, 2001

By	Chad Spivak (North Miami Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

If you've made it to that chapter (Chapter 4) without laughing so hard you have beverages coming out of your nose, please check your pulse. You may already be dead.

Anyone who has ever read a Dave Barry article can appreciate his incredibly dry wit and hilarious sense of humor. Barry always seems to capture subjects that are serious, but manages to put a funny twist on them. Not only does he nail the concept of marriage AND/OR sex in this book, but the illustrations by Jerry O'Brien are the perfect compliment. The outrageous diagrams on "How to French Kiss" remind me of my life just last week, er, I mean high school.

This book is loaded with helpful tips for both men and women. For instance, Barry feels that the best bet for a new bride on how to get along with her mother-in-law is drugs. If only more people could read this book!

This book has something in it for everyone. If you are about to get married, the chapter entitled "How to Have a Perfect Wedding No Matter What" will definately come in handy. Of course, those of you already married, chapters "How to Argue Like a Veteran Married Couple" and "Children: Big Mistake or Bad Idea?" will, most definately, be of interest.

Barry's book is a fairly quick read, and would make a nice addition to anyone's book collection, if not for the mere fact that it is a great conversation piece. Any fan of Dave Barry will love it, and if you live on another planet, and have never heard of him, this is a great book to start with. You can't help but laugh!