Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love

Therapists Linda and Charlie Bloom have been married more than 35 years, and they have worked with couples since 1975. To understand what makes a happy marriage, they interviewed 29 couples married more than 20 years who seemed as happy as newlyweds. The Blooms found that these real couples had faced real challenges — difficulties with children and step-children, war wounds, and infidelity among them. They also found that with loving dialogue and open hearts, the couples had found ways to heal, grow, and deepen their commitment through — and not in spite of — their challenges. The Blooms here distill this real-world wisdom into practical, positive actions any couple can take to achieve or regain not just a good marriage but a great one.