The Remarriage Blueprint

"As a couple and family therapist, I've often wondered how the unresolved issues that couples bring to second marriages get played out. Through her thought-provoking interviews, Maggie Scarf sheds new light on these processes, as well as the ways in which second marriages create entirely new issues for such couples to tackle."--Hannah Fox, Director of the Met Center for Object-Relations Theory and Practice and Professor at NYU Graduate School of Social Work "Publishers Weekly"
"Ever since its medieval debut in The Book of Common Prayer, the wedding vow has warned couples what marriage can bring - poverty, illness, and a bucket list of what turns out worse instead of better. Does hard-won experience make a second, or a third, attempt at wedlock more successful? Articulate, compassionate, and wise, Maggie Scarf has placed herself between fresh hopes and, sometimes, new disappointments, to come back with a guide for the perplexed."--Kathryn Harrison "Publishers Weekly"
"For people ready to try it again, this time with their eyes open, Maggie Scarf's thoughtful book is a sober and sobering exploration of the pitfalls as well as the satisfactions of remarriage."--Alix Kates Shulman, author of A Marriage Agreement and Other Essays "Publishers Weekly"
"Maggie Scarf brings laser-like powers of perception to bear in The Remarriage Blueprint, and the result is a compelling survey of how different couples handle the challenges--and opportunities-- that come with second (or third) marriages. The combination of riveting personal stories and practical knowledge makes this book a must read."--Letty Cottin Pogrebin, founding editor of Ms.magazine and author of How To Be a Friend To a Friend Who's Sick "Publishers Weekly"
"The dilemmas of remarriage have received little attention compared with the abundance of literature on divorce and separation. This lucid, well-researched book will correct that deficiency. It should be required reading for those contemplating remarriage and for therapists, lawyers, judges and extended families who are the advisers, supporters and decision makers for these families. "--Carol C. Nadelson, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "Publishers Weekly"
I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. This is the perfect subject for the wise, engaging Maggie Scarf. I was riveted because Scarf writes about the issues that wrecked my own remarriages. I didn't understand the problems until I read this book. Scarf has done a dazzling job. Brava!--Susan Cheever "Publishers Weekly"
Invaluable insight for anyone contemplating or struggling with remarriage. Scarf helps readers face the illusions, secrets, conflicting cultures, money problems, and (especially) difficulties of step-parenting that can distort the structure of family life. An extremely helpful book on a topic that receives too little attention.--Peter D. Kramer, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University and author of Listening to Prozac "Publishers Weekly"
Maggie Scarf brings greatinsight to this important and fascinating subject. And who knew that good sensecould be so entertaining!?--Betty Rollin, author of First You Cry and Last Wish "Publishers Weekly"
Maggie Scarf tells the stories of seven very different remarried couples and masterfully captures the details of each family's triumphs and struggles. This is a rich, thoughtful book, written with clarity and compassion.--Dr. Patricia L. Papernow, author of Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn't, and Becoming a Stepfamily "Publishers Weekly"
Scarf's writing is technical but accessible...the eight extended case studies featured in the book offer intimate and candid glimpses of the struggles faced by remarried couples and their families.-- "Publishers Weekly"
The Remarriage Blueprint is a thriller, a total page-turner. In eloquent prose and vital interviews Maggie Scarf discusses questions many of us did not even realize we needed answered before remarriage. Scarf can help you make remarriage the pleasure and the joy it should be. Love this book!!--Judy Collins, author, singer, song-writer and activist "Publishers Weekly"