Rating: 
Summary: John Gray is very insightful!
Review: I picked up this book at the airport with the thought of just reading "something". Later, I realized this book healed a past wound I didn't even know I still had. This is a very good book for anyone! I married my husband twice. The first time we did, it was my husband's third marriage and my first. I had no idea why he acted so critical of his ex-wives (and women) and he ended up getting so angry wanting out of the relationship ... (so I let him). A year later we married again, and struggled and are now good friends but not together. Now, after reading this book I understand where my ex-husband was at when we meet. Understanding how men "rebound" was very helpful for me. How when they lose a woman's love ... they often jump too quickly into a relationship (which my husband did) And when things did get better for him, suddenly his independance. And being like most women I tended to blame myself. After reading this book, it helped me to finally get "over" that guilt ... and to lovingly and understandly forgive myself and my husband. I truly want to Thank John Gray for writing this book! If you read this book not as a recipe book but as a book to help heal you ... you too will find peace with yourself and your spouse and be able to truly "move on".
Rating: 
Summary: Life must go on
Review: I read this book several months after the breakup of my last engagement. I am an older lady who was divorced after our son left home in 1989. I suppose the points John makes aren't new, but it seems somewhat comforting to hear them echoewed by someone who deals with emotional challenges on a daily basis. I'm not seeking to be comprehensive in this book reivew, I'm sure there will be yet more reviewers. But the points he makes with respect to healing, and not comparing your new relationship with the old are valid. The point he makes about the grocery list seems true, and I've decided he's right, and I'm wrong. The points he makes about healing memories is true on several fronts, and I believe he is right on that one point if none else. Take what you can use, and throw away the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: Egomaniacal author and too many typos
Review: I recently had the experience of seeing John Gray give a talk...and if this guy isn't an ego maniac, I don't know who is. Some of his information is good, but he purports to know far more than he really does. This book has SOME good information for people like myself who are experiencing divorce for the first time, but most of it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I believe John Gray simplifies emotions and matters of the heart far too much and shouldn't be prescribing such in depth exercises to people with no psychological support, as the repercussions can run deep. I would recommend "Coming Apart: Why relationships end and how to get through the ending of yours" by Daphne Rose Kingma instead.
Rating:
Summary: Save your Money
Review: I thot the original Venus & Mars book insightful, but I think Gray is riding his own wave with this one. It's a -lot- of padding around a very few (and retreaded) ideas. Nutshell: (1) After a divorce/wife's death, men remarry too quickly, usually within 6-12 months. Mistake. (2) Especially after a divorce, women tend to shy away from relationships, perhaps for years. Unfortunate. (3) This is the nugget I took away from this book (which is why you should save your money!): **Don't get into a relationship until you don't need one.** If you haven't read the original book, get that one, but don't bother with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Save your Money
Review: I thot the original Venus & Mars book insightful, but I think Gray is riding his own wave with this one. It's a -lot- of padding around a very few (and retreaded) ideas. Nutshell: (1) After a divorce/wife's death, men remarry too quickly, usually within 6-12 months. Mistake. (2) Especially after a divorce, women tend to shy away from relationships, perhaps for years. Unfortunate. (3) This is the nugget I took away from this book (which is why you should save your money!): **Don't get into a relationship until you don't need one.** If you haven't read the original book, get that one, but don't bother with this one.
Rating:
Summary: This book is not only stupid and sexist, but dangerous
Review: I too would love to give this book a negative star. During my worst times, my work is what has helped pull me through and my on-going friendships, certainly not going out and scoping out a new warm-body. He recommends that men have sex with as many women as possible, without commitment, while women should date as many men as possible without sex. Has this guy ever heard of AIDS? Honestly, how many women are going to have sex with a guy whose main goal is to use them to help "recover". The reason why the man is divorced probably has everything to do with his inability to deal with emotional issues,............................ Furthermore, it places the responsibility for sex in the woman's lap, like always, and promotes objectification. What a bunch of garbage. What is the name of his next book going to be after he gets divorced again? Mars and Venus Starting Over, and Over, and Over.
Rating:
Summary: Not helpful
Review: If I could give less than 1 star I would. The book is repetitive and written in a simple minded fashion to a point that comes across as insulting. John Gray appears to inentionally fill pages by "bold typing and underlining" repeat phrases on almost every page. This book could not possibly bring help to anyone. You can learn more from watching daytime TV than you can from this book. A total waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT - NO MORE STARS?
Review: Life would be so much easier if everyone had a John Gray looking over their shoulder! As a counsellor, I have unending respect for Gray's expertise and success, As a reader, I find his books are a learning experience based on fact and mind-absorbing, leaving much food for thought. Based on my studies in psychology as well as one who did, in fact, start over many years ago, I can honestly say the information this author delivers may well be a lifeline in a turbulent sea of emotion. Considering the high divorce rate, the overwhelming number of relationships ending with the slamming of the door, and the vast number of individuals who experience the death of a partner, Gray's book gives hope and inspires. Grey's advice on focusing on love rather than loss is a first critical step. Denial is not a wonderful thing; acceptance is. With the closing of each door, the opportunity to open another follows. Accept the relationship for however beautiful it was, or wasn't, and move on. Take strength and knowledge from what you have learned and the time you shared together (no matter how long or short,)and use what you have learned to grow. Gray also looks at the differences between a man's reaction and a woman's reaction to starting over. Often, it is difficult for both men and women to trust again, or to simply pur the energy into starting over. By clinging to the past, you could be missing out on a life of happiness. When marriages end (legal or common-law) men often deal with this by attempting to recapture lost youth (depending on age) or by playing the carefree, no-strings-attached guy. Woman, on the other hand, often have a mental list of so many traits they do, or do not, want any future man to have (if indeed they ever want one at all, at this point) that they eliminate 99% of the men on Earth! Much of the frustration stems from our youthful days, of falling in love with an "image" of what we THINK a man or woman should be. Alas, in the real world, there are no perfect people; we all have imperfections and possess both strengths and weaknesses. Nothing in this life lasts forever, and life does not come with a guarantee we will always be happy. Gray's principles can also be applied to those who have lost a partner to death, many are afraid that no matter who they find in the future, they will never measure up to what they had. It is unfair to yourself, to deny yourself happiness in the future. Rest assured, your departed partner would want you to choose happiness over sorrow. Personally, and as a counsellor, if I was asked to recommend a book on starting over that is straight forward and written in plain, simple English everyone can understand, this would definitely be at the top of the list. I simply cannot say enough good words about "Mars and Venus Starting Over" or the author, John Grey; all his books are absolutely priceless. If your relationship is coming to an end, or has already ended, and regardless of gender or age, I highly recommend this valuable, insightful book. It will not only help you to better understand yourself, but will give you a clearer understanding of others.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT - NO MORE STARS?
Review: Life would be so much easier if everyone had a John Gray looking over their shoulder! As a counsellor, I have unending respect for Gray's expertise and success, As a reader, I find his books are a learning experience based on fact and mind-absorbing, leaving much food for thought. Based on my studies in psychology as well as one who did, in fact, start over many years ago, I can honestly say the information this author delivers may well be a lifeline in a turbulent sea of emotion. Considering the high divorce rate, the overwhelming number of relationships ending with the slamming of the door, and the vast number of individuals who experience the death of a partner, Gray's book gives hope and inspires. Grey's advice on focusing on love rather than loss is a first critical step. Denial is not a wonderful thing; acceptance is. With the closing of each door, the opportunity to open another follows. Accept the relationship for however beautiful it was, or wasn't, and move on. Take strength and knowledge from what you have learned and the time you shared together (no matter how long or short,)and use what you have learned to grow. Gray also looks at the differences between a man's reaction and a woman's reaction to starting over. Often, it is difficult for both men and women to trust again, or to simply pur the energy into starting over. By clinging to the past, you could be missing out on a life of happiness. When marriages end (legal or common-law) men often deal with this by attempting to recapture lost youth (depending on age) or by playing the carefree, no-strings-attached guy. Woman, on the other hand, often have a mental list of so many traits they do, or do not, want any future man to have (if indeed they ever want one at all, at this point) that they eliminate 99% of the men on Earth! Much of the frustration stems from our youthful days, of falling in love with an "image" of what we THINK a man or woman should be. Alas, in the real world, there are no perfect people; we all have imperfections and possess both strengths and weaknesses. Nothing in this life lasts forever, and life does not come with a guarantee we will always be happy. Gray's principles can also be applied to those who have lost a partner to death, many are afraid that no matter who they find in the future, they will never measure up to what they had. It is unfair to yourself, to deny yourself happiness in the future. Rest assured, your departed partner would want you to choose happiness over sorrow. Personally, and as a counsellor, if I was asked to recommend a book on starting over that is straight forward and written in plain, simple English everyone can understand, this would definitely be at the top of the list. I simply cannot say enough good words about "Mars and Venus Starting Over" or the author, John Grey; all his books are absolutely priceless. If your relationship is coming to an end, or has already ended, and regardless of gender or age, I highly recommend this valuable, insightful book. It will not only help you to better understand yourself, but will give you a clearer understanding of others.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful guide, worth reading and rereading
Review: Many books about divorce get as far as "this is a trauma" and "don't hurt the kids," and maybe give you the standard "positive thinking" advice -
but this book goes into emotional machinery, and how to really grow and not just cope. There is much more to this book than a quick blurb can suggest, but one main point is: There are four negative emotions which need to be recognized in dealing with a major loss. These are fear, anger, sadness, and sorrow (grieving for hopes that are now impossible). It is easy to get stuck in one or two of these four, but the one of these we are not aware of is likely to be the hidden hook which is holding us back. He also has a great many practical observations about ways rebounding men and women injure ourselves and others - the first one is that men tend to get involved too soon, and women too late. This is a pop-psychology/self-help book, but don't underrate it - it's got enough to say (at least for divorced people) that I've reread it three times in the last month.
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