GW Curtin

Many relationship books focus on some kind of unreachable ideal of what a man or woman should be. This book explores more of the common flaws that even the best intentioned of us often encounter.

Starting with Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, my history of reading relationship books has always been more a journey to explore the psyche of humans in general and less about finding a compatible partner for myself. This book does a decent job at both. The foreward and the book being written from the two perspectives landed nicely.

Instead of putting love on a pedestal, I love the early Chekov quote making us think of being in love as the default and best form of human experience. Lacking this causes us a slew of problems that we, the readers, are too familiar with. Deeper dives into attraction and being able to see ourselves from our lover's perspective were fitting. Not controlling love but being in love is going to be one of the biggest takeaways for me on this one.

I liked the ambition of the story... tying in a London publisher to a pair of friends whose relationship has spoiled, set in Malaysia with a quirky Australian backstory steeped in poetry. But I felt the fantasy character that became real didn't inspire the reader to hate him, and instead saw the main characters as the detestable ones. I found myself routing for the other guys and didn't have enough information to give credit for the poetry where it was needed.

A much needed guide through all of mankind's time on Earth. If you're willing to look close enough, you'll find many answers to pesky problems we still face today. Just being human comes with tons of baggage and this book helps us unpack all of that.

A nice back and forth between the coming glory and the coming evil during one of Chicago's most exciting times. If you enjoy American history and seeing how the good and bad people have to live together and progress no matter what time they are from, this book will keep you engaged.