Living Happily Ever After: Couples Talk about Lasting Love

by Laurie Wagner, David Collier, Stephanie Rausser (Photographs)

Following on the success of Chronicle Books' Mothers and Sons, Living Happily Ever After explores the lives of 30 American couples who have been together for 30 years or longer. In personal, intimate interviews and charming vintage and contemporary photographs, these pairs reveal their private experiences of couplehood. From Helma and Benno Schneider, who came together in a concentration camp and survived to marry and raise a family, to Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, women who met in the 1950s and have stayed together for over 40 years, these couples have lived extraordinary lives. Yet their experiences consecrate the ordinary, as they discuss buying a house, raising children, surviving affairs, aging, and the ups and downs of everyday life. A perfect gift for weddings, anniversaries, or any loving occasion, Living Happily Ever After is a thoughtful, beautiful look at real-life commitment.

Genres: Marriage

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1996

Reviews

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bargain-bin find, coffee table book about long-term relationships. Interviews with people who have been together forever, about how they do it. And while most of them agree, the way they have done things is sometimes rather unique. A pleasant read, a little educational.

[Kricket · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love humans of new york and hearing the stories of ordinary people. i especially love hearing love stories, so this book was a pleasure to read. i stumbled on it randomly while helping a patron find relationship self-help books, and i daresay anyone looking for a dr. laura book would be way better off checking this one out.

there's a good range of couples here- gay, straight, immigrants, holocaust survivors, dancers, married, not married, some that divorced each other and then remarried, but all of them have been together several decades. some are super traditional and straight-laced "women in my family cannot work outside the home!" and some are downright ridiculous "i can cheat on my wife but she may not cheat on me!" but all of them have found a way to stay together and love each other. the photos are beautiful, and also included are photos of the couple when they first met. i got a little verklempt because some halves of the partnerships died after the interviews but before the book was published, and it made me sad to think about their partners missing them. overall a sweet and inspiring read, highly recommended.

[Annie Garvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

From reading the stories you learn that there is no sure-fire way to ensure happiness as a couple. The pictures are wonderful, especially the cover photo.