A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage: The Essentials for Long-Lasting Togetherness

by Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill and Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill Ed.S.

While there are many self-help books addressing marriage issues, none is as pointed and straightforward as O'Neill's A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage. Like her highly acclaimed short book, Sheltering Thoughts: About Loss and Grief, this book will speak to its readers through its directness and simplicity. It challenges readers to understand and live by the tenets of a committed relationship. In the spirit of the bestselling book, A Short Guide To...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1604330910
• ISBN13: 9781604330915
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Cider Mill Press
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Happily Ever After

Highly recommend for all couples including those planning to tie-the-knot, feel their marriage could be better, and even those with happy marriages. It is a quick easy read so ideal for both partners to read and use as a starting point for meaningful dialogue. The concepts presented are basic and straight forward but often overlooked in busy stress-filled lives. Thoughtful gift.

Good reading for any committed couple

My wife has passed on many 'relationship' books to me over the years hoping that I would get better at it! Recently, A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage was sitting on the counter waiting to be given as a gift to a friend's daughter who will be getting married. It caught my attention and I actually sat down and read right through it; it was a pleasant surprise, and really made me think about my marriage. Guys, this short book is worth reading -- the author talks about "sleeping naked," among some other good ideas that are worth considering! There are many marriage books around, but O'Neill's is both a synthesis of years of observations from a credentialed marriage therapist, and good common sense. Of all of the `relationship' books that I have seen, this is my favorite and I think it will be for many other men as well.

Review which appeared on Midwest Book Review, 10/09

The idiom "you can't judge a book by its cover," applies here. When readers look at this book it appears to be a gift book that a parent would give to a daughter for a wedding or anniversary gift. This book is much more than that. The message of the book is one that should be read by all married couples. Though the message can be relayed to them, readers will have to read this book to understand the importance of the message within. This short guide is the culmination of years of study and research by Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill, a family therapist with more than 25 years experience. O'Neill tells that she has used hundreds of self-help books poured over by couples in search of answers. This missive presents twenty insightful and, in some ways, surprising suggestions to help couples recapture and maintain the romance and closeness that she says needs to be an integral part of marriage. Not Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill's first book, A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage is the author's third work. Lurning: 147 Inspiring Thoughts for Learning on the Job, published in 1993 and 98 pages, is exactly what the title reads: inspiring thoughts for learning on the job. Sheltering Thoughts, publication in June 2005 and 148 pages, on the other hand, offers words of understanding for the family who has lost a family member. At 64 pages, her latest book is the shortest of her publications. Believing that marriage can only work as a team effort, O'Neill gives the following insight. "Here's a little philosophy to set the stage. Many have conceptualized marriage as tedious, lifelong work, day in and day out. That's enough to make anyone ponder jumping ship. Marriage, to me, is better thought of as a creative work in progress. Just as the artist or writer has times when his or her work flows and all is going well, so does a marriage. But there are inevitable times when marriage, like work, does anything but flow. This is when you need those little behaviors you can absolutely count on for support." -A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage, Pages 15-16 Using a direct and simple approach, the writer asks couples in A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage to "live by the tenets of a committed relationship." This is the way to promote communication, happiness and passion throughout the years. O'Neill has a natural popular voice in this book. She has written A Short Guide to a Happy Marriage at an understandable level for the many people who will read it. Her tone is matter-of-fact, as well as enticing, as it beckons readers to continue reading. "Buy the biggest bed you can, always choose honesty, perfect the quickie, and at some point during the relationship, sacrifice something for your spouse," O'Neill says via promo material. "Find a spe

Insightful and practical

This concise guide offers practical behaviors for a strong marriage. A great gift for an anniversary.

Ever-new

Finally, a no-nonsense, practical guide for newly weds as well as couples celebrating their 50th anniversary. It's evident that many years of professional practice have been compressed into this guide for keeping a marriage ever-new. Dr. Bernard L. Rosenbaum NYS Certified psychologist