cover image The Real Thing: Lessons for Love and Life

The Real Thing: Lessons for Love and Life

Ellen McCarthy. Ballantine, $22 (288p) ISBN 978-0-345-54969-3

In this charming compilation of essays, Washington Post weddings reporter McCarthy examines the many paths to finding, or failing to find, true love. Using her own experiences in the dating minefield, as well as those of the hundreds of couples she’s interviewed, McCarthy divides her work into five general topics: dating, commitment, breakups, weddings, and “making it last.” She does not romanticize love, but instead eyes it through a realistic lens, in essays with such titles as “Screw Meeting Cute,” “Good on Paper (But Not Good Enough For You),” and “Love Is Not All You Need.” At the same time, she balances her cautions with reminders that some people do manage to find their forever partners, in essays such as “The Good Stuff,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and “What Makes It Last.” McCarthy, unmarried when she began the column, credits those she met along the way with helping her find her own soulmate and husband, Aaron. This book will not only charm those in decades-old marriages, but also inspire those afraid love will never arrive for them. A comforting, realistic, and endearing portrait of modern relationships. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Apr.)