Reviews

Building on her Atlantic article, 40-something single mom Gottlieb (Stick Figure) sought the advice of matchmakers, dating coaches, clergy, economists, and psychologists in her quest for a husband. She learned that women today bring a dangerous sense of entitlement to dating. Instead, Gottlieb says, women need to be more open-minded and realistic, and just choose the best available option when it comes to a mate and appreciate him. Although familiar, the advice doled out also makes good sense, and Gottlieb is personable and appealing. (Feb.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

After writing an article for the Atlantic Monthly urging single women seeking husbands to settle for Mr. Good Enough rather than wait for Prince Charming, fortysomething single mother and journalist Gottlieb takes the next step. Offering herself as a guinea pig, she consults behavioral and social researchers, counselors, clergy, and other advisers on marriage, matchmaking, and divorce. As she searches for a husband, Gottlieb reexamines her strategies for selecting dates on online dating sites, reevaluates her criteria for an ideal husband, and grudgingly realizes that, as a woman over 30, she is competing with younger women for men her own age. Furthermore, she learns that, as a woman ages, the pool of eligible men decreases. Gottlieb is repeatedly challenged to discount initial impressions and examine assumptions, including the role of sexual attraction in a successful marriage. Throughout, she interviews friends and former dates, people who found mates through arranged marriages, and others who settled for Mr. Good Enough as Mr. Right. Verdict A funny, if somewhat repetitive, cautionary tale of one woman's midlife journey through the modern landscape of dating and matchmaking. The best advice: look for men who are looking for women like you. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/09.]-Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.