How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Surviving My First (Really Hard) Year of Marriage

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How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Surviving My First (Really Hard) Year of Marriage Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jo Piazza (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)

4.4 376 ratings

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Everyone tells you marriage is hard, but no one tells you what to do about it.

At age 34 Jo Piazza got her romantic-comedy ending when she met the man of her dreams on a boat in the Galápagos Islands and was engaged three months later. But before long Jo found herself riddled with questions. How do you make a marriage work in a world where you no longer need to be married? How does an independent, strong-willed feminist become someone's partner - all the time?

In the tradition of writers such as Nora Ephron and Elizabeth Gilbert, award-winning journalist and nationally best-selling author Jo Piazza writes a provocative memoir of a real first year of marriage that will forever change the way we look at matrimony.

A travel editor constantly on the move, Jo journeys to 20 countries on five continents to figure out what modern marriage means. Throughout this stunning, funny, warm, and wise personal narrative, she gleans wisdom from matrilineal tribeswomen, French ladies who lunch, Orthodox Jewish moms, Swedish stay-at-home dads, polygamous warriors, and Dutch prostitutes.

Written with refreshing candor, elegant prose, astute reporting, and hilarious insight into the human psyche, How to Be Married offers an honest portrait of an utterly charming couple. When life throws more at them than they ever expected - a terrifying health diagnosis, sick parents to care for, unemployment - they ultimately create a fresh understanding of what it means to be equal partners during the good and bad times. Through their journey, they reveal a framework that will help the rest of us keep our marriages strong, from engagement into the newlywed years and beyond.

Listening Length

9 hours and 44 minutes
Author

Jo Piazza
Narrator

Jo Piazza
Audible release date

April 18, 2017
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Audio
ASIN

B06XWJ5NTJ
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 44 minutes
Author	Jo Piazza
Narrator	Jo Piazza
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	April 18, 2017
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B06XWJ5NTJ
Best Sellers Rank	#80,236 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #224 in Travel Writing & Commentary #264 in Sociology of Marriage & Family (Books) #537 in Sociology (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

376 global ratings

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Chillbo Baggins - Customer Happiness Guru

If you want a happy marriage, read this book! Seriously!

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great, super fun book that had my wife trying to drop knowledge bombs on me about what makes a great marriage while we were recently holidaying in Mexico! As a newly married person it's helpful to get all the marriage advice you can. The book delivers but also challenges you to think about a lot of factors you might not have considered which makes it great not only for you, but for a more healthy relationship and success in marriage - however you define it! My wife really liked how the author drew on her personal experiences, but also searched high and low across countries and cultures for what builds a winning partnership..... I'm not allowed to keep score with domestic duties anymore.... but maybe that's a good thing. Highly recommend!!

3 people found this helpful

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C.J.

I enjoyed this book

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017

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I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about what it means to be married according to different places and cultures. The author is insightful and witty. I also felt for her struggling with her health issues. The only part I took issue with and why I did not give the book five stars, is because she describes the practice of genital mutilation of girls and women as having two sides. She describes it as being up for debate and that some see it as a cultural issue. Yet, really there should be no debate or question that genital mutilation is a human rights issue, not a cultural issue, and is simply wrong. Genital mutilation can cause infections, menstrual problems, excessive bleeding, painful urination, painful sex, problems in childbirth, childbirth death, and even death of the girl or woman. ( World Health Organization). It is important to see genital mutilation as a violation of human rights and of women's rights. This dangerous and painful practice needs to stop.

11 people found this helpful

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EKnitter

amazing read, incredible perspectives

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2018

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I read this book about 5 months ago, and I STILL find myself reminded of and sometimes even quoting things I learned while reading it! The author does an incredible job of passing on the knowledge she learned on her incredible journey for what it is, without completely making it about herself, while still also relating it back to her own journey in a way that makes it even more relatable for the reader. I'm not even sure if that makes sense, but you'll understand when you read the book yourself!
If you're married, in a relationship, or just curious about learning more about relating to others, this book is so worth it!

One person found this helpful

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Kaylie Morgan

Amusing and Vulnerable

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2017

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This was an engaging, comedic yet vulnerable read. I'm a stand-up comic, married with 2 kids, and I related to a lot of what I read even though I've been married longer than Jo has. This book takes you through many cultures while taking you through the adaptation a person goes through when adjusting to what it means to be in a committed couple. It reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed, but it has more of Nick, Jo's partner's presence. In that way, it is not only the woman's journey to accepting the constraints and possibilities of marriage but it is the couple's journey together. A funny and thoroughly enjoyable book.

One person found this helpful

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Kristina Haro

This took me a lot longer to read than it should have

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2021

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This has been on my tbr list for years. While the author did have some hilarious one liners, at times I found the memoir just a little bit annoying. It got on my nerves how her husband called her “baby girl” 🤢. Also it got on my nerves how she would write things like “we were so broke we couldn’t afford a kitchen table, but off to Denmark we go.” Like I said, a lot of hilarious one liners I plan to post. But took me a long time to get through.

One person found this helpful

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PBarker77

A great read! Giving as gifts to future brides and married friends!

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Heard Jo being interviewed on NPR which prompted me to order this book. Loved every page, how she wove together a pseudo-journal of her marriage with interviews of people from various cultures and their perspectives on love, marriage and happiness. I am adding this to my gift list for every newly engaged couple and even some I know struggling with their current marriages. Wish I had been afforded Jo's wisdom 32 years ago - maybe I would still be married today! It's not just marriages that can benefit from these perspectives from around the globe...it's a great guide to living your best life. Period.

One person found this helpful

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msirinagonzalez

really thoroughly enjoyed this look into marriage and how to be married

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2018

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I really, really thoroughly enjoyed this look into marriage and how to be married. One of the things that I particularly enjoyed about this book is that the author is not only in her first year of marriage but she also gets to travel a lot, so there is tons of wisdom gleamed from other countries and nations. It was a fun look into how to make a marriage work but also, ultimately, how different cultures expect and explore different ways of staying in love , most importantly, and staying married. To be honest, this book also made me have a serious case of wanderlust as Jo and her husband visited Copenhagen, Paris, and pretty much all over... I kept telling my husband about various places, the marriage lessons learned, and also how much I wanted to go here or there. It's a fun read and there's definitely some good advice here about marriage.

7 people found this helpful

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Megan Morrice

Modern Relationship Triumphs Through a Cultural Lens

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2017

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How to Be Married is a multi-faceted book about the pleasures and pains of becoming a unit. Similar to Aziz Ansari's half comedy/half sociology take on Modern Romance, the book is not just the narrative of Jo Piazza's personal experience but weaves in cultural differences in marriage based on her travels. Her tone was witty and relatable to how I speak to my friends. Also, you don't have to be married to enjoy this book! I am single and still found many lessons from not only the tales of her single years, but from her personal changes in marriage that I could apply to my own life.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Susan Layng

A funny, sophisticated and thoroughly enjoyabe read!

Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2017

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This is a great read!! Very amusing and also poignant. Even though I have been with my spouse for 25 years, it is still relevant with some amazing insights into other cultures and understanding of what love, commitment and sharing is. I would highly recommend this book for anyone already married or just contemplating marriage. We can learn so much if we take the time to listen and be aware of others.

One person found this helpful