Product Description

A book that deals with that most crucial of decisions - should you stay with your present partner or should you go? Brilliantly incisive, witty and extremely informative.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39554 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Mira Kirshenbaum is an individual and family psychotherapist in private practice and the clinical director of the Chestnut Hill Institute in Massachusetts. She is the author of four books, including the phenomenally successful Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay (available from Plume), and has appeared on many national television shows, including The Today Show, Maury Povich, Geraldo, Sally Jessy Raphael, and an ABC News special with John Stossel. She is married, has two grown children, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

This book destroys Marriages.
Should I stay or should I leave is a difficult question to answer, especially if you've been married for a long time, over 20 years in my case. I answered the questions in the book with as much honesty as I could, as someone who felt they existed in marriage hell is able to that is. The benefit of the book for me was that it helped me clarify the things in my own mind that were wrong and what the real issues were. However this is where I part company with the author, the book advocates that if there is a negative response for any question then its better to leave - I had several genuine negative responses. No question according to the book I should leave, which as it turned out confirmed that the action I had taken one week previously was correct. Leaving my wife, as far as I was concerned, was an action that needed much courage and was a necessary move in order for me to reclaim and build a decent life again. However what I did not anticipate was that my wife who had previously failed to recognise my unhappiness and chose to avoid any discussion completely repented her behaviour. She told me that my leaving was a shock and she accepted that she was to blame and desperately wanted to put things right, we suddenly started talking. At this point I am optimistic that reconciliation is possible and will work as best we can to make it possible. And this is my criticism of the book, no where does the book offer the possibility of change and appears not to offer any other solution apart from stay or leave. In which case this is a book that could finish a viable marriage - so be careful!

A concise diagnostic of relationship issues
This text provides a clear question and answer format allowing the reader to "score" their current relationship.

Unlike other reviewers, I did not find it 'too wordy'. I believe understanding our personal relationships deserve more than a soundbite editorial. The Author manages to be pragmatic while taking into account the complexity of the inner struggles the being dealt with by the reader. I have recommended it to many friends in need. Staying & leaving equally distributed among those who used the book, but all felt more capable of understanding & explaining the reasons for their decisions.

Good information even if there are no mariatial problems
The information in this book was very informative and will apply to anyone in an ill fated marriage or not. Did not like the way she kept referring to "She". Sometimes it was distracting. It covered most everything anyone wants to know that may be confused looking for some kind of an answer but yet informative enough to be read by a marriage that looks good. I read the whole book in about 10.5 hrs and will read it again, after I pass it to my soon to be ex-wife. Not that this book made my decision but helped me answer a few lost questions.