Couples: How We Make Love Last

An intelligent, thoughtful look at the ways people make couplehood work in a time of unprecedented expectations of romance, commitment, equality, fidelity, and happiness ever after

Historically speaking, people currently enjoy unrivaled freedom when it comes to choosing a relationship, yet new levels of uncertainty coupled with new myths about how to live and love can compromise potential coupled happiness. Kate Figes argues that, whether married or cohabiting, gay or straight, remarried or a couple living apart, the quality of one's intimate relationship is fundamental to long-term health and happiness, because the human need for commitment and love has not changed. She set out to find out how people make it work by interviewing 120 people from diverse backgrounds, as well as surveying couplehood-related academic literature. This book offers no universal recipes for success, but learning how others sustain lifelong love and what really goes on in other people's lives can help readers to understand their own partnerships and take responsibility for making them work. This is an incisive and important look at how to make love endure.