Rating: 
Summary: Useful but not great
Review: I had heard about Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus years before I ever picked up a copy to read. But now that I have read this book, I can say that the same mixed feelings that made me put off reading it have become even stronger.
On the one hand, in many ways the book seems to be insightful and useful for improving a relationship. But at the same time, it also seems to make problems appear too simple. Author John Gray seems to describe solutions for everything, to every little problem that can interfere with the development of a relationship. But anyone who has ever been in a serious relationship knows that practice is always different from theory.
The central point in the book is that men and women "speak" different languages in regard to the way they perceive and value a relationship. Gray says that the secret of success consists of understanding the other's language, psychology, and perceptions. Most of the rest of the book is simply made up of specific examples of the way this main theory is applied.
Without a doubt, this book is worth reading. It will teach you interesting ways to interpret the actions of your partner, many of which you may not have thought of. But it is important to understand that this volume will not work miracles, and that the kind of help it offers will not make your relationship work perfectly by itself. The best way to look at this book as an interesting guide that will give you some interesting perspectives and worthwhile clues for improving communication. It is also a relaxing and fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Roll Your Eyes If You Must, But Jump In Anyway
Review: Finally after 12 years and fourteen worldwide very successful million copies, MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS comes out across the USA in the more affordable paperback. Rather than the typical "I liked it, but" format, my experience with the book was that I wound it liking it more and more as it went on, but the introductory chapters almost stopped me flat. In school we were warned not to write in "Glittering Generalities," yet Gray does his best to make a virtue of that. Who but a stand-up comedian would dare say "Canadians love Good Government, Americans love Liberty"? Or: "Californians crave B vitamins, Midwesterners crave protein"? Gray's whole thesis sounds just as simplistic at first. (In general, and with exceptions), Men are from Mars: Competitive, individualistic, not into "caring and sharing," wanting to be admired for their ability to hang tough and deliver the goods yet unwilling to communicate the fact they need admiration. And Women are from Venus: Craving respect from their men, looking for emotional bells and whistles and not so much material status symbols as their men might suppose, prone to cycles of emotional fatigue and dependent on their mates to cherish them. In the beginning it all sounded so like a 1950s Tupperware Party I almost gave up. But I didn't, and eventually the book works, in no small part because Gray writes patiently and simply but not simplistically, supported by a huge pool of real-life examples from his own therapy sessions (and apparently lots of "plugs" from earlier editions of his books at its successors). It's hard to argue with people who tell you their marriage was saved by this book. Gray deals with language a lot in this book, because "Martians" and "Venusians" speak different languages, and each is only remotely connected to English. (He even uses phrasebook-translation techniques at times!) If a man comes home mulling over something and seems withdrawn, his wife may ask him, "What's wrong"? He might say, "It's okay." This is Martian for, roughly paraphrasing, "I need to withdraw into myself (his "cave," Gray says), and mull over a situation. It may be a small technical matter or something more significant. I first have to isolate the matter, then chew on it, determine its scope, and try to solve it on my own. Trust me to have enough sense to try to solve it rationally, and trust me to have enough sense to seek advice from the right source if it's something I can't handle on my own. Please DO NOT keep offering help. That's a waste of your time and mine; and it's a double insult to imply that I can't solve most of my own problems and that you somehow would be better at solving my own problems that I am." So the woman cannot interpret "It's OK" into Venusian ("Please help me") or even literal English ("Everything's fine; I'm going to relate to you normally"). On the other hand, suppose Mars and Venus are in the car, getting ready to leave the house for a long-planned camping trip. Mars turns the ignition key; Venus suddenly sighs and says, "I feel all the life is being squeezed out of me. You NEVER do anything with me anymore." Mars should not, SHOULD NOT, respond to the challenge of "never" by saying "If I 'never' do anything with you, what the Hell do you call this trip?" Which would lead to hurt feelings, bickering, perhaps an all-out fight. And Mars probably has no clue his spouse is uttering Venusian dialect meaning something along the lines of "I'm at an emotional low. All the planning and packing has drained me. I need love and sympathy. Please show how much you care for me so that I can start re-investing my trust in you." His best response might be . . . no response at all. Or maybe something like "mmmm." (Gray is very big on non-verbal verbal communication.) Martians have to listen beneath the words, beneath the contract, and learn to hear the tone ringing through the context. Sound difficult? It is. That's why it takes a medium-sized book to broach the subject; and my paraphrases, however glib, have been worked as much as possible to be accurate. Gray's theories are convincing in structure, attitude and -- as I've said above -- outcome. Not for everyone and not all the time, but maybe for eighty percent of American couples who aren't "newlywed or nearly dead." The mass of people who haven't given up -- who care about keeping their relationships intact -- especially those who come out of an argument truly puzzled as to why mere misunderstandings escalate into wars of words, or why their problem-solving seems to ground-out at the level of "S/he's always got to WIN an argument." This book is not just for stereotype Alan Aldas or Stepford Wives; to borrow a phrase it has worked for a lot of people who worked it and will continue to do so. Just don't confuse John Gray with Moses, lest the "Commandment-like" tone of his opening chapters put you off this very good and useful book. ;)
Rating: 
Summary: I think my girlfriend is from Uranus!
Review: Come on, the guy came up with a cute title and the world thinks he is a profound genius. Just goes to show that the reading public (if they can really read) is made up of a bunch of gullible morons. Like the classic bumbersticker states: Men are from Earth, Women are from Earth: live with it!
Rating:
Summary: helps sort out confusion in relationships
Review: I think the book is great. In the past I have heard some people complain that it makes too many generalizations and makes women doormats, but really it helps explain how to avoid being treated badly by men. The so-called Dragon who burns you if you come too far into a "Martian's cave" is a reality. Women who try to change their men and intrude on the time they may need to sort things out only end up getting burned. The book does acknowledge that it is possible to elicit changes, but also that there are times when it's more appropriate to attempt this..................... As for the advice for men regarding women, it is quite good. There are so many misunderstandings because most men do not realize what women are really saying. Things are taken literally, resulting in frustration on the woman's part because she is not being understood, and on the man's part because his inappropriate responses only cause further upset for the woman. Helping people to understand this can greatly improve communication between the sexes................... I think everyone should read this book. It can help in all sorts of relationships, not only the romantic ones. It is acknowledged in the book that some people may see in themselves parts that are like what's usually seen in the opposite sex, which is perfectly normal. Understanding this, we can better communicate and have relationships with all of the people in our lives, by realizing where they stand and coming up with appropriate responses........................................ I loved the book and I highly recommend it to everyone!
Rating:
Summary: A useful book, a self-promoting author.
Review: Some time ago my wife and I were had a big fight. It left each one of us feeling as the offended party, and waiting for the other to apologize: I thought she kept complaining about everything I did, she felt I did not care about her. Really angry, I bought the book, and after reading a few pages I was able to understand her point of view. As soon as I tried to explain how she felt (not why), we got out of the cycle. The book has very helpful insights. The author mentions that differences get stronger when people are in a close relationship, and almost disappear when people have been single for a while. I agree: I'd recommend the book to newlyweds after they start disagreeing about trivial stuff, but not during their honeymoon. Why, then, four stars only? Because the first few chapters are much more useful than the last ones; I don't agree completely with the book; the Mars-Venus analogy gets tiresome: I'd rather read: "Men do this, Women do that" instead of "Martians do this, Venusians do that"; and finally, the author incesantly promotes his other books and products throughout the book. In spite of those issues that made it a little less enjoyable, the book has really helped me improve my marriage, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile book, despite a few flaws
Review: I have to admit that after hearing so much about this book for so many years, I had rather high expectations when I started reading it. While I would not say that I was completely blown away, it turned out to be a very worthwhile read. The main objective of the book is to help men and women communicate better in relationships. The book is built on the premise that women and men speak in essence "different languages." While the Mars/Venus metaphor gets redundant rather quickly, the message it conveys is valid and thought-provoking. Men and women do tend to express themselves differently, which often causes breakdowns in communication between them. This book teaches us to be more sensitive to these differences, understand each other better, and be able to express our needs in a manner that the other person can understand. Above all, the book teaches us to respect each other, really listen to the other person, and be a better partner to them. In addition to raising our awareness about the different styles of communication, the book also gives many practical solutions to common problems, down to the exact words that one should say to achieve the desired result. While this may seem simplistic, it gives very useful illustration of these principles in action. I do have some reservations about the book. First, the author takes a very stereotypical approach to both genders and their relationship. For example, most women in his examples are meek housewives who wait for their tired husbands to come home from work at the end of the day, and whose greatest joy in life is going shopping with their husband's money. While sometimes generalization may be necessary to make a point, such an old-fashioned idea of marriage made it difficult to apply the learnings wholeheartedly to my own situation. The second problem is that the major learning takes place in the first four chapters; the rest seem redundant and contain more filler material, reinforcing the points made in earlier chapters. Such repetition may be helpful to drive the points home, but it also makes for less-than-inspiring reading. Despite some of the problems with the book, I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. It contains a lot of very insightful information that can help anyone make immediate and lasting positive changes in their relationship with the opposite sex. The book is all the more valuable if both people in a couple read this book in order to gain a better understanding of each other and build a stronger foundation for their relationship together.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Practical Wisdom!
Review: Men are from Mars and Women from Venus is a practical guide to improve communication and getting along better in relationship. Men and women are born with differences and the very fact that Eve's desire right from the Temptation garden of Eden made men and women explore the relationship endlessly. Couples need to accept the differences, tune in for better relationship by improving communication, caring and understanding. The author focus on the ego, pride and hurt issues arised from negative thinking of the partners. He explains various situations, examples and solutions for effective communication, action role and adjustments when a couple encounters anger, insults, fights, bickerings, humiliation or the sort. When a woman offers unsolicited advice, she has no idea of how critical and unloving she may sound to him. Her criticism ways do offend and hurt and these are the times men needs her loving acceptance. When a woman tries to improve a man, he feels she is trying to fix him! He thinks he's broken. He is humiliated! She thinks she is helping him to grow or showing her territory ways. Women tend to have mood swings, high jinxed sometimes and its when Life really stings! Men rule his power, often unperturbed to the emotions of women, sometimes bad communicators as John says, the differences between the two calls for a resolve to misunderstandings arisen which leads to broken hearts in an affair if not practically taken care. John's book is indeed a practical guide to accept the differences and walk hand in hand to chase the blues away in life. Its afterall, wavelengths that need to match!
Rating: 
Summary: Not Just Pop Psychology- this is insightful!
Review: I was really skeptical when a friend told me this book was fantastic. Especially when I realized it was written by a guy who was writing relationship books even before he got a divorce (he has since remarried successfully). I figured it was a trendy book that was going to stereotype men and women and say a few facts about the obvious differences- but I figured, it was worth looking at, couldn't possibly hurt anything. Boy, were we surprised! First my husband and I tried so hard to convince each other we were not like the average Martian and Venutian, but really much as the motivations were oversimplified it really did describe incredibly well exactly how we behaved under certain circumstances. And gave really concrete tips on what to do differently to avoid communication gaps. Now when we start getting frustrated we can take a step back and say "oh, we're having a Mars-Venus moment here" and we find our communication, honestly, is greatly improved, and we're happier. Once we'd gotten the first few points down we found the book somewhat repetitive and overly simplistic- applying the same concepts to every possible situation, even when obvious- but then every now and again we'd start a new chapter and walk away saying "wow, I never realized that. you really think that way about things?" Overall, every relationship could use a few communication tips, and I certainly learned a lot more than I thought I would from this book. It's fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Required by all humans!
Review: This will not be a professional critique, simply my opinion. I am almost done with the book and I love it and have learned SO much. As a woman, I was surprised to learn some things about men that seem so plain when spelled out in the way they were. Now I feel like "I get it" in a general way. As I read, I thought "OH! so THAT'S why he did that...". It has improved my confidence and "validated" my behaviour in my own relationship. Yes, I have been doing the right thing, as unsure as I was at the time. As for the non-supporters of this book, if you are not willing to give in a relationship then this book, and possibly a healthy relationship just isn't for you! We need to cooperate and accept each other and if you are dead set on things being on your terms all the time, you will certainly not benefit from this book. This book should be required reading for all, in my opinion. It's not the answer, but boy does it help unlock some mysteries and help us to realize the differences. Stereotypical as they may be at times, there is a reason for it. We came from a time when what we now refer to as sterotypes was the norm and we are still the same people just trying to grow and successfully cross those lines. We can't fight our own biology and chemicals, so embrace it and do your best to understand the basic nature of it. We ARE different, and much more than I had realized before opening this book. Give the love that you feel you deserve. Compromise and understanding are two words that can help sum this book up. Unfortunately I do not think very many single men will be reading this book on their own and I am certainly not about to suggest it to my boyfriend (because of many reasons explained in the book!) but maybe I can put my newfound knowledge of men to work and convey some of what I have learned to him in a way that will help him to understand me as I have learned to understand him better. If you are a single man who has taken it upon himself to read this book, then GOOD JOB from this Venusian! Thanks for reading my opinion!
Rating:
Summary: Guide for understanding Opposite sex Better..........
Review: -
I knew Men & Women are different But only physically but I came to know that men are from mars & women are from venus only after reading this book. Men feel he is doing right thing with his born Mr.Fix It Attitude But most of the times women only want him to listen. Men go to his Cave when he is trying to find out solution to his problem But women dont understand this.They do what they do on Venus.They try to talk & men think she is annoying him.He pushes her out of his Cave & she thinks it was very Rude of him(It is Rude On Venus). This was Just an Example.Book is full of Such Things.It gives complete Ideaof How Martian & Venusians Think Differently.They are made for Each Other But they should know what other want or Expect from them. Some people laughed at me (Even Girls) that I am reading this kind of Book.My answer is Whether its men Or Women,This book is 'Must' for Everyone if they want their relationship work better,to communicate well because Men are from Mars women are from Venus. This Book is like a Translator for Martian & Venusians.
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