Unmarried to Each Other: The Essential Guide to Living Together as an Unmarried Couple

Rating:
Summary: Great Purchase
Review: As a person in a committed alternative relationship, I looked forward to the publication of this book by the founders of the Alternatives to Marriage Project for a long time. I hoped that it would get to the heart of what it means to be in a partnership, and how to create one. I have looked at books on marriage, but didn't find what I needed in them. Even though I plan to marry someday, I felt too alienated by the assumptions that things like monogamy and lifetime commitment were necessary ingredients to partnership success to get much out of them.

My chief hope for this book was that it would live up to its premise, being a practical guide to living with your partner. It definitely succeeded there. It contains very useful suggestions about things that you should work out with your partner before moving in together. I'm sure my transition to cohabitation would have been a lot smoother if I had read this book first! I was very impressed with the chapter on tools for creating long-term relationships. I know I'll want to refer to it over and over again in the coming years. Miller and Solot also analyzed in depth the different forms that marriage and cohabitation have taken throughout history. That was very interesting, and definitely dispelled the idea that there's only one right way to do things. Discussions of what to tell your relatives and how you can protect yourself legally as an unmarried person were included as well.

_Unmarried to Each Other_ is very readable, and organized in a logical way. The ideas in it flowed naturally from one chapter to the next. I really liked the inclusion of margin notes and grey boxes that delved further into side topics, they kept things interesting.

One of the only things that disappointed me about the book was that some of the quotes from unmarried people they interviewed were used several times in the book, in different chapters. I'd hate to say the authors should have reduced the scope of the book, because the wide range of topics was one of my favorite things about it, but maybe it would've made sense to do enough interviews to cover most of the topics with different quotes?

I am urging my partner to read this book so that we can work together towards making our partnership even better. I would also strongly recommend it to anyone who is moving in with a partner for the first time. This book needed to be written.

Rating:
Summary: Great ideas and fun to read
Review: I really liked this book. The authors did a terrific job of combining all sorts of practical advice with lots of real life stories that kept me interested and even fascinated. As an unmarried person living with a partner, I found it filled with good ideas.

What I liked the best was all the fascinating anecdotes and stories. Not only were they interesting in themselves, but they brought home important points about the struggles and victories of unmarried partners trying to make a happy life together. And I like the way the text is filled with boxes and sidebars that keep it interesting. They add all sorts of extra information - from poems to statistics.

If you're in an unmarried relationship, whether you're thinking about living together, you've recently joined households, or you've been living together for years, this book will give you ways to enhance your relationship. Get a copy for yourself, and, while you're at it, get one for your parents!

Rating:
Summary: Everything you need to know...
Review: It is a good resource which discusses all kinds of reasons that people decide not to get married and includes all kinds of different relationships. It discusses financial and legal issues. It is a book that made me feel more confident about my ability to make this important change in my life, that the risk might be worth it.

I am so glad that I read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Part of a good combination
Review: Pair this with "Living Together- A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples" and you have a great resource. "Unmarried Together" is excellent in addressing the social and emotional aspects of living together, but is light on the legal angles. Considering the scope of the book, this is unavoidable. It's difficult to cover laws in all US states let alone other countries.

Rating:
Summary: Everything you need to know...
Review: This book really opened my eyes. My boyfriend and I have lived together for 3 years, and I couldn't understand why he didn't want to get married right away. I found this book, and it really helped me understand his perspective. The book is very helpful. Each chapter is very informative. The book includes how to answer questions about your relationship, important legal issues, and a guide that tells you how to do something whether you are married or unmarried (i.e., changing your name, custody of children, etc.) A good read for any couple - living together or not, considering marriage or not, same-sex or different-sex couples.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is an essential ready for anyone living with a domestic partner of either sex. It offers support for those who do not want to get married and those who can not.

That and its lots of fun to leave lying around when his mother comes over!