Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 216
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-4422-0009-8 • Hardback • January 2010 • $55.00 • (£42.00)
978-1-4422-0011-1 • eBook • January 2010 • $52.00 • (£40.00)
David Yount, an experienced pastoral counselor and previous Marriage Encounter leader, is the author of thirteen books. His column, Amazing Grace, is syndicated weekly by Scripps Howard to newspapers with a combined readership of 25 million.
Preface: Whatever Happened to Marriage?
Introduction: Against All Odds
Chapter 1 A Fine Romance: Putting It Together for a Lifetime
Chapter 2 Deciding to Marry: Finding the Love of Your Life
Chapter 3 Fidelity: Being True to Each Other
Chapter 4 Forbearance: Dealing with Differences
Chapter 5 Finance: Budgeting for Bliss
Chapter 6 Comfort and Care: Providing for Your Mutual Health and Well-Being
Chapter 7 Love and Respect: There Are Many Parties to a Good Marriage
Chapter 8 Children: Surviving the Blessings of Offspring
Chapter 9 Intimacy: Being One Flesh and One Spirit
Chapter 10 Divorce: Surviving Separation, Finding Love Again
Chapter 11 Permanence: Maintaining Marriage in Changing Times
Chapter 12 Compatibility: A Test for Couples Contemplating Marriage and for Those Already Wed
Appendix: How Long Has This Been Going On? A Short History of Marriage
In a crowded field of marriage self-helps, author and pastoral counselor, Yount crafts a fresh entry full of excellent insights, as well as above-average inspirational quotes from luminaries like John Donne and Tolstoy. Yount covers all the bases in one volume, from the decision to marry to the decision to divorce, but always emphasizing the importance of taking marriage vows seriously to keep a marriage strong, or at least sustained, through complicated situations such as troubled children or long-term illness. Though his approach doesn't present a new set of solutions, Yount's text is full of vivid examples that demonstrate his ideas working in real marriages. Sticking close to the topic of wedded bliss, Yount keeps his Christian perspective on marriage apparent but far from overwhelming; a useful 101-question "compatibility test" offers a serious inventory of issues that every couple should consider for their long-term health.
— Publishers Weekly, Web Exclusive Review December 2009
What impressed itself on me was the book's multidimensional presentation of married life. Without slighting a couple's personal relationship, Yount situates marriage within a larger context.
— The Conference Of Catholic Bishops, February 2010
Making a Success of Marriageis a much-needed guide for couples who truly want to make their relationships work. David Yount has an engaging and compelling formula for taking the guess-work out of marriage and helping couples to continually deepen the commitment and foundation that drew them together in the first place. Great for any couple, whether long-married or considering marriage for the first time.
— Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben Ph.D., author of There's an Easter Egg on Your Seder Plate Surviving Your Child's Interfaith Marriage