With humour and honesty it deals with issues that are relevant to every marriage, including; communicating more effectively, over coming financial pressure, why interest in sex sometimes dies, the affair, and dealing with conflict."
First off, ignore that first line from the back of the book cover. This is not a book for all couples. A good third of the book is written solely for those who are already married, and whilst it's useful it's by no means comprehensively so.
I started off enjoying this rather more than I thought I would, but by the final half was lagging. 3 chapters on adultery, 2 on debt and constant reminders of how hard marriage is and what a struggle it will be hardly rouse the passions for anyone considering engagement or marriage.
As someone who works with struggling and dysfunctional couples it's obvious that Parsons sees a lot of heartache but he rarely speaks up as an advocate of marriage. This isn't full throated support, but a wet gasp of eyes-down Eeyoreishness. Sure, I get that people can approach marriage with expectations can demands that can't be met by their spouse, but my goodness, this presents marriage as a chore, a daily battle to maintain a construct that Parsons gives little reason to keep alive.
It's not helped by an approach to the bible that places it roughly on a level with anecdotes, letters and (at one point) his own poetry. Far from invigorating his text with a scriptural meat, it creates yet more gristle that's indistinguishable from the rest. And with that the truly helpful and entertaining sections are swallowed up.
So whilst Jalyss and I have found use of it, she skipped half a dozen chapters to get the most from it, and I just wished I did.
Also Try:
Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage
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