Nonfiction

What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life

What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life

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  • Create Date：2021-05-26 23:31:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marlo Thomas
  • ISBN：0062982605
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Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

Power couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have created a compelling and intimate collection of intriguing conversations with famous couples about their enduring marriages and how they have made them last through the challenges we all share。

What makes a marriage last？ Who doesn’t want to know the answer to that question？ To unlock this mystery， iconic couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue crisscrossed the country and conducted intimate conversations with forty celebrated couples whose long marriages they’ve admired—from award-winning actors， athletes， and newsmakers to writers， comedians， musicians， and a former U。S。 president and First Lady。 Through these conversations， Marlo and Phil also revealed the rich journey of their own marriage。

    What Makes a Marriage Last  offers practical and heartfelt wisdom for couples of all ages， and a rare glimpse into the lives of husbands and wives we have come to know and love。 Marlo and Phil’s frequently funny， often touching， and always engaging conversations span the marital landscape—from that first rush of new love to keeping that precious spark alive， from navigating hard times to celebrating triumphs， from balancing work and play and family to growing better and stronger together。 At once intimate， candid， revelatory， hilarious， instructive， and poignant， this book is a beautiful gift for couples of every age and stage。

Featuring interviews with:

Alan and Arlene Alda • Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter • James Carville and Mary Matalin

Deepak and Rita Chopra • Patricia Cornwell and Staci Gruber

Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden • Billy and Janice Crystal

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest • Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon • Gloria and Emilio Estefan

Michael J。 Fox and Tracy Pollan • Chip and Joanna Gaines

Sanjay and Rebecca Gupta • Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka • Ron and Cheryl Howard

Jesse and Jacqueline Jackson • Elton John and David Furnish

John and Justine Leguizamo • LL COOL J and Simone I。 Smith

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone • John McEnroe and Patty Smyth

Mehmet and Lisa Oz • Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete

Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Bert Pogrebin • Rob and Michele Reiner

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos • Al Roker and Deborah Roberts

Ray and Anna Romano • Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams

Judges Judy and Jerry Sheindlin • George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth

Sting and Trudie Styler • Capt。 Chesley “Sully” and Lorrie Sullenberger

Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner • Judith and Milton Viorst

Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt • Bob Woodward and Elsa Walsh 

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Reviews

Rosemary ，

Forty interviews was too many for me。

Presley ，

It is time to share my testimony， I am Nelson and happy as I testify here， i was introduced to Baba Ogbogo by my mother when she discovered I couldn't get my wife pregnant after 3 years of marriage。 So， these brought so much trouble into my marriage and led to a divorce。 she said， he is Highly spiritual and can make my wife return back to me in joy and we can have children together。 At first， I doubted not until I contacted him and then cast mighty spells on me and made my wife return to me afte It is time to share my testimony， I am Nelson and happy as I testify here， i was introduced to Baba Ogbogo by my mother when she discovered I couldn't get my wife pregnant after 3 years of marriage。 So， these brought so much trouble into my marriage and led to a divorce。 she said， he is Highly spiritual and can make my wife return back to me in joy and we can have children together。 At first， I doubted not until I contacted him and then cast mighty spells on me and made my wife return to me after doing the needful And now， we are happy with lovely children。 From the day Great BaBa Ogbogo worked for me and solved my problems。 I made a strong vow that as long as i live， i will continue to testify to the goodness of his great works， and to those out there facing relationship and marital difficulties should quickly contact him and become a happy testifier like me。 I drop his contact here，  Email: greatbabaogbogotemple@gmail。com or reach him through his WhatsApp number。 +2349020168697He made my ex wife return to me in joyHe cured me from an impotent man to a real man。 。。。more

Bonnie Krueger ，

Long， long。。。maybe too long！ I found many of the couples delightful and they drew a lot of respect from me how they navigate a Hollywood marriage。 Other couples seemed dysfunctional。 I felt this was more of a glimpse into their marriages rather than sharing secrets to success。 I think what works for them wouldn't work for the average couple。LIke I said， I think it was too long。 Long， long。。。maybe too long！ I found many of the couples delightful and they drew a lot of respect from me how they navigate a Hollywood marriage。 Other couples seemed dysfunctional。 I felt this was more of a glimpse into their marriages rather than sharing secrets to success。 I think what works for them wouldn't work for the average couple。LIke I said， I think it was too long。 。。。more

Theresa ，

I listened to this。 I fast forwarded past the couples I didn't know。 It was good。 George Stephanopolis's wife is a ditz。 I listened to this。 I fast forwarded past the couples I didn't know。 It was good。 George Stephanopolis's wife is a ditz。 。。。more

Cyndi ，

This book was too long， but I get why they wanted to do 40 couples。 I know the couple think they chose those who represent the population， ie， some in Hollywood， some not， straight， gay couples， but really， the one factor that wasn't looked at was economics。 I am NOT saying that money makes marriage easier， but it certainly takes away some of the stresses in a relationship。 For most of the couples， money hasn't been a problem for a big part of their lives， they almost all had jobs and so that is This book was too long， but I get why they wanted to do 40 couples。 I know the couple think they chose those who represent the population， ie， some in Hollywood， some not， straight， gay couples， but really， the one factor that wasn't looked at was economics。 I am NOT saying that money makes marriage easier， but it certainly takes away some of the stresses in a relationship。 For most of the couples， money hasn't been a problem for a big part of their lives， they almost all had jobs and so that is one less stress on the relationship。 Yes， everything else that goes with Hollywood and stardom can a major strain。Maybe it was that I couldn't really relate to the couples because they are so different。 They have people to take care of the children， do their cleaning， personal assistants and the description of most of the homes and the luxury， just wasn't relatable。 I did like listening to their stories， their reminisces of the struggles they have gone through and the funny stories also。 How having children affected their relationship。 How they worked out their different personalities and why they choose to stay married。 It was refreshing to hear some of the intimate details of what they do for one another on a daily basis。 It is all about connection。 I only got the feeling from one couple that they remain together because they feel they have to， that their cause is more important than the relationship （Jackson's）。 They didn't really seem to respect one another， or I should say， she didn't seem to respect him and he seemed to understand that he would lose power by divorcing her。 Who knows what really goes on in a marriage and I don't think these couples divulged all， who would？ Certainly not me。 。。。more

Sonia Vicky ，

I really appreciate Dr。julius the powerful spell caster who help me cast a love spell that brought my ex husband within 48hours after providing him all the details he required from me and after the casting of the spell my ex husband came back to apologize that i should accept him and this will never happen again， for a long time now but since i met this spell caster online my story has change for good contact him or call/whatsapp +2349054761130 All thanks to Dr Julius for the good work。

Bates McKillian ，

This an insightful book about marriages who have survived the test of time。 I highly recommend that anyone contemplating walking down the aisle read this book <3

Lea Columbus ，

I liked this book。 I had read several excerpts and was intrigued。I really liked the array of couples that they used。 All had been together a long time， but there were people who had been married before， young old， gay straight。 It was a good cross section。 The stories were good and the couples interviewed were honest and open。 I wish that Marlo and Phil had just given us a straight forward chronological tale of their relationship， it felt like we got bits and pieces as I read。 Howev er， I really I liked this book。 I had read several excerpts and was intrigued。I really liked the array of couples that they used。 All had been together a long time， but there were people who had been married before， young old， gay straight。 It was a good cross section。 The stories were good and the couples interviewed were honest and open。 I wish that Marlo and Phil had just given us a straight forward chronological tale of their relationship， it felt like we got bits and pieces as I read。 Howev er， I really enjoyed it 。。。more

Vi ，

I recommend reading this book vs listening。 Basic premise-don’t give up on each other。 I was hoping for more substance than just famous people interviewing famous people。 I think it was the narration that didn’t work for me。

Page ，

Great stories of couples - and great ideas one might take to put in their own lives。

Melissa ，

Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue， one of the quintessential couples， interviewed 40 celebrity couples about their enduring marriages。 The interviews are filled with insight， humor， emotion， and just plain good advice。

Momo ，

It is great to find a collection of stories that shares and celebrates commitment and marriage。I read more than half before starting to select the couples I wanted to read。 My pause and cause for selection came after each story read starting to feel a bit too Hollywood for me。 It didn't delve enough into the trials of the regular couple with family， friends， loss， accomplishments， failures， quarrels etc。 I have been in a 25 year relationship now and absolutely am grateful for staying through som It is great to find a collection of stories that shares and celebrates commitment and marriage。I read more than half before starting to select the couples I wanted to read。 My pause and cause for selection came after each story read starting to feel a bit too Hollywood for me。 It didn't delve enough into the trials of the regular couple with family， friends， loss， accomplishments， failures， quarrels etc。 I have been in a 25 year relationship now and absolutely am grateful for staying through some of lifes massive challenges。 It is so easy to blame and tire of the one closest to your heart。 This book touched on it。 But， for me， it became too。。。Hollywood。 Not sure exactly what I mean by that entirely but that is what comes to my mind each time I think about it。Still， I didn't fully read each couples story after the first half of the book。。。so what I felt this book was lacking （for me） may have been in the stories I decided to overlook。To summarize， I enjoyed this book and its message。 Staying in a love for the long haul shows you a side of yourself you cannot see if you keep leaving or changing to another。 So long as your physically safe from harm then it is worth it to stay when its uncomfortable or seemingly no longer fitting。。。only because it can truly show you a prism of soulful growth。Love is always wonderful！ And this book definitely reveals that :-） 。。。more

Meri Levine ，

Great audio book！ Lots of tips and pointers and sentimental stories。

Jane ，

Once again I seem to be the outlier here。 The book sounded so good and I couldn’t wait to read it。 But once I started it I found it to be not a book of shared secrets of happy lives but rather the a book of ways that the rich and famous or the celebrities of the world make their own lives work。 I think Kevin Bacon summed it up best when he said， “My first piece of advice is not to take advice from celebrities。” This book read more like a gossip magazine or a selection of “look-how-great-I/we-am/ Once again I seem to be the outlier here。 The book sounded so good and I couldn’t wait to read it。 But once I started it I found it to be not a book of shared secrets of happy lives but rather the a book of ways that the rich and famous or the celebrities of the world make their own lives work。 I think Kevin Bacon summed it up best when he said， “My first piece of advice is not to take advice from celebrities。” This book read more like a gossip magazine or a selection of “look-how-great-I/we-am/are” stories than a real in-depth study of what makes a great marriage。 In addition， even though I think highly of both of the authors， they added too much personal information， which made it look like they were trying to all be better than each other。 If you are happily married， you don’t need this book。 If you aren’t happily married， then perhaps find professional help。 But reading 600+ pages of someone else’s life experiences probably is not the answer。 And yes， in case you are wondering， I am happily married （44 years in two weeks）。 。。。more

Ruth Everhart ，

I really enjoyed this book， more than I expected to。 I'll admit that I'm a fan of the institution of marriage although I'm fully aware of how challenging it can be。 However I thought that the authors would treat celebrity marriages with kid gloves， or in a cursory or glitzy way， but that wasn't the case。 Oftentimes it was the chapters about people I barely knew that most interested me。 For me， having the whole thing sandwiched by the perspectives of Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue was its own deli I really enjoyed this book， more than I expected to。 I'll admit that I'm a fan of the institution of marriage although I'm fully aware of how challenging it can be。 However I thought that the authors would treat celebrity marriages with kid gloves， or in a cursory or glitzy way， but that wasn't the case。 Oftentimes it was the chapters about people I barely knew that most interested me。 For me， having the whole thing sandwiched by the perspectives of Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue was its own delight because these two voices were important to my generation。 。。。more

Paula Keith ，

I'm not a big "celebrity hype" person and to be honest， I had to google to see who some of these couples were。 That being said， I did enjoy this book and it is quite admirable that these couples have been together for so long。 I especially enjoyed the chapter about Ronnie Howard and his wife， Cheryl。 Personally， it's surprising that celebrity couples have a handle on their marriage and their celebrity。 I'm not a big "celebrity hype" person and to be honest， I had to google to see who some of these couples were。 That being said， I did enjoy this book and it is quite admirable that these couples have been together for so long。 I especially enjoyed the chapter about Ronnie Howard and his wife， Cheryl。 Personally， it's surprising that celebrity couples have a handle on their marriage and their celebrity。 。。。more

Lisa Bodner ，

Another one I enjoyed。 Forty famous couples share their secrets to marriage。 Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue also share their love story。 It is a thick book， but read fast。。

Roni Blanche ，

Everything about this montage of intimate relationship portraits is delightful。 From the back stories worthy of being on the E！ channel to the tidbits of real-life advice on how not to kill your partner （especially during a lock-down in the midst of a pandemic）， Marlo and Phil bring their own personal strengths and styles into telling each story with humor and honesty。 What a lovely read！

Kathy B。T。 ，

I really enjoyed this collection of conversations。 I especially enjoyed reading about people I admire - Ron Howard， Mariska Hargitay， Alan Alda， Bob Woodward， Sanjay Gupta， Dr。 Oz， and many others。 Having not had the experience of a long and happy marriage myself， I learned a lot， I enjoyed all I read。 Peering into other people’s lasting marriages was eye opening。 Two people， both deciding to stay - and love and grow。 Thank you Marlo and Phil for this gift。 Kept me up and reading way into the ea I really enjoyed this collection of conversations。 I especially enjoyed reading about people I admire - Ron Howard， Mariska Hargitay， Alan Alda， Bob Woodward， Sanjay Gupta， Dr。 Oz， and many others。 Having not had the experience of a long and happy marriage myself， I learned a lot， I enjoyed all I read。 Peering into other people’s lasting marriages was eye opening。 Two people， both deciding to stay - and love and grow。 Thank you Marlo and Phil for this gift。 Kept me up and reading way into the early morning hours。 It did take me days to read this 40 story book。 Each time I sat down to it I devoured each new couple’s tale。 The simplest days seem to be the stuff of great marriages。 That and loyalty， trust， respect and a deep abiding love。 Thank you！ 。。。more

Arlene Hayman ，

It's ironic that I would choose to read a book about lasting marriages， when I am no longer in a current relationship。 However， this book intrigued me， as having been married for over 30 years， I sought to find out the secret to lasting marriages of celebrated couples。 Were they happily married， or were they living together in toleration of each other？ I'm not sure that I found the true answer to that question， but I did notice that most of the couples faced obstacles that interfered in their ma It's ironic that I would choose to read a book about lasting marriages， when I am no longer in a current relationship。 However， this book intrigued me， as having been married for over 30 years， I sought to find out the secret to lasting marriages of celebrated couples。 Were they happily married， or were they living together in toleration of each other？ I'm not sure that I found the true answer to that question， but I did notice that most of the couples faced obstacles that interfered in their marriages， and they sought some kind of counselor or therapist from which to help resolve the issues。 Honest， empathetic communication seemed to foster a resolution to many of the issues they encountered。 From the stories presented， it was easy to recognize that a great deal of effort was extended by both partners to make these marriages work。 Aside from those similarities， each relationship had its fine nuances and personal idiosyncrasies to make the couples' lives unique and interesting。 。。。more

Jeannie ，

It is hard to rate this book。 It is long and I only read the story of 30 of the couples I was interested in。 They are short memoirs of when and how the couples met。 That was interesting and I liked learning about them。 At another time I might read about the other 10 couples in the book。It is not for everyone。

Alyssa ，

It was interesting to take a peak into 40 different marriages and see the differences between each relationship。 Thomas and Donahue are great interviewers。 They connected with the other couples and shared just enough about their own marriage to get the couples to share more about their marriages。

Jane ，

At the time I picked up this book， my husband and I had logged over 31 years of marriage。 Insights from others--especially interesting celebrity couples--about what's made their marriages succeed were therefore welcome。 Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue did a terrific job of creating an inspirational， revealing and conversational book that is accessible。 Incidentally， this book would be of interest even to unmarried readers， since it offers so many juicy details about the marriages of people you "kn At the time I picked up this book， my husband and I had logged over 31 years of marriage。 Insights from others--especially interesting celebrity couples--about what's made their marriages succeed were therefore welcome。 Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue did a terrific job of creating an inspirational， revealing and conversational book that is accessible。 Incidentally， this book would be of interest even to unmarried readers， since it offers so many juicy details about the marriages of people you "know" from the broader world。 Don't miss the spicy life of George Stephanopoulos and Allie Wentworth， for instance！！ You'll love Alan Alda and his wife， Arlene， even more after reading their chapter。 Chip and Joanna Gaines share a lot about how they balance their marriage， which clearly involves two very different personalities。 Other favorites of mine were Michael J。 Fox/Tracy Pollan， Kelly Ripa/Mark Consuelos， Ron/Cheryl Howard and Ted Danson/Mary Steenburgen。 There is a lot of heft to this volume and surely some of the couples' chapters would capture anyone's attention。 Focusing on success stories makes for a good way to start off a new year--especially since there is so much else out there in our world at present that is NOT positive。 。。。more

Mommooshka ，

While I enjoyed hearing about the lives of the 40 couples interviewed， it really didn't give insight into secrets to make a marriage last as the title promised。 It was more anecdotal although most were interesting。 As would be expected， some couples were much more interesting reading than others， and several I didn't know。I also found the fact that all were successful and wealthy couples led to discussion of options that often aren't available to average couples。 While I enjoyed hearing about the lives of the 40 couples interviewed， it really didn't give insight into secrets to make a marriage last as the title promised。 It was more anecdotal although most were interesting。 As would be expected， some couples were much more interesting reading than others， and several I didn't know。I also found the fact that all were successful and wealthy couples led to discussion of options that often aren't available to average couples。 。。。more

East Gwillimbury ，

Wonderful and enlightening stories of different power house couples and how they stay together in a marriage。 I found it insightful and a good read。 Giving good tips on what these couples think are the qualities of a good marriage。 How do they fight and make up！ What works and what doesn't work for their lifestyles and personalities。 Wonderful and enlightening stories of different power house couples and how they stay together in a marriage。 I found it insightful and a good read。 Giving good tips on what these couples think are the qualities of a good marriage。 How do they fight and make up！ What works and what doesn't work for their lifestyles and personalities。 。。。more

Nancy Collins ，

I loved it！

Joanie ，

There is nothing earth-shattering in this book， but it is a fun read。 It's probably more fun to get some intriguing insights into the seemingly good marriages of some famous couples， but I did appreciate some of the nuggets of wisdom that folks who have married longer than I have had to offer。 Would recommend to anyone interested in marriage。 There is nothing earth-shattering in this book， but it is a fun read。 It's probably more fun to get some intriguing insights into the seemingly good marriages of some famous couples， but I did appreciate some of the nuggets of wisdom that folks who have married longer than I have had to offer。 Would recommend to anyone interested in marriage。 。。。more

Sarah Ewald ，

Interesting stories of couples and their marriages。 You can give and take who you want to read about。 Loved a lot of the stories， Michael J。 Fox and Tracy， James Carville， and Mary Matalin （real opposites）， Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden， Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone。。。 There were a few who I skipped but most were really interesting。 （it was surprising how many lived in NYC and had apartments that faced Central Park） What impressed me is that the public persona doesn't match the adversitie Interesting stories of couples and their marriages。 You can give and take who you want to read about。 Loved a lot of the stories， Michael J。 Fox and Tracy， James Carville， and Mary Matalin （real opposites）， Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden， Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone。。。 There were a few who I skipped but most were really interesting。 （it was surprising how many lived in NYC and had apartments that faced Central Park） What impressed me is that the public persona doesn't match the adversities they have faced， such as Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt's story。 Many stories are funny （Billy Crystal's， Melissa McCarthy's）， but all are very revealing。Great read。 。。。more

Leslie Phillips ，

Great nuggets of info from successful marriages。。。。fun always follows Marlo Thomas！

Mahesh Naidu ，

A good book with success stories from 40 successful couples mostly from the glamour of the USA on how they managed to have a prosperous marriage despite of all the ups and downs。 It's a good read！ A good book with success stories from 40 successful couples mostly from the glamour of the USA on how they managed to have a prosperous marriage despite of all the ups and downs。 It's a good read！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0