Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-333) and index.

The rough patch: an introduction -- A brief history of the midlife crisis -- Feeling close, in love and sex -- Marriage as a story -- Affairs, flirting, and fantasy: they're never about nothing -- Alcohol and other attempted escapes -- Money: the knife in the drawer -- Lovesickness and longing: putting them to use -- Body, health, and age: the stakes only get higher -- The empty nest: children, parents, and the turning of the generations -- Staying or leaving -- Love is a conversation.

"A wise, radical, and optimistic approach to marriage that promises compatibility between an individual's development and the often relentless demands of a relationship. People today are trying to make their marriages work over longer lives than ever before - for their children's health and well-being, and for their own. Indeed, among the college-educated, divorce rates have declined. But staying married isn't always easy. Clinical psychologist Daphne de Marneffe explores the extraordinary pushes and pulls of midlife marriage, where our need to develop as individuals can crash headlong into the demands of our relationships. Key problems that challenge marriages: money, alcohol and drugs, the stresses of parenthood, sex, extramarital affairs, lovesickness, health, aging, children leaving home, and dealing with elderly parents. De Marneffe offers readers seasoned wisdom on these difficulties, addressing the psychological, emotional, and relational capacities we must cultivate to overcome them as individuals and as couples. Blending research, interviews, and clinical experience, and writing with uncommon insight into the daily behaviors of men and women, de Marneffe dives deep into the workings of love and the structures of relationships. An essential, compassionate resource for people trying to understand "where they are" on the continuum of marriage. Daphne de Marneffe is the author of Maternal Desire"--Provided by publisher.