Opening Up

A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships

By: Tristan Taormino

Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Relationship expert and bestselling author Tristan Taormino offers a bold new strategy for creating loving, lasting relationships. Drawing on in-depth interviews with over a hundred women and men, Opening Up explores the real-life benefits and challenges of all styles of open relationships - from partnered non-monogamy to solo polyamory. With her refreshingly down-to-earth style and sharp wit, Taormino offers solutions for making an open relationship work, including tips on dealing with jealousy, negotiating boundaries, finding community, parenting and time management. Opening Up will change the way you think about intimacy.

Tristan Taormino is an authority in the field of erotica and sexuality. Along with working as a feminist author, columnist, activist, and educator, she has been featured as Out magazines 100 Gay Success Stories of the Year and The Advocate's Best and Brightest Gay & Lesbian People Under 30. In addition to all of this, Taormino recently appeared in the E! Special "The Real 50 Shades of Grey."

©2008 Tristan Taormino (P)2011 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"This is the book you want to read if you're looking for a voice that is balanced, sensitive and sensible when tackling the thorny question of sexual boundaries in love relationships. Opening Up is sure to open up your mind." (Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity)

Wonderful information for all relationships

Any additional comments?

I have never considered myself one for open relationships, but know so many people who do I gave it a try. The book was fantastic. The author talked about various emotions that come up, how to identify them, how to address them with yourself or partner(s) and this is wonderful information whether your in mono or poly relationship. I found myself taking notes that I refer back to with regularity. Great read for people wanting to communicate better in any relationship. Also available in audio book which is my preferred method of reading.

Best guide yet....

This book is assisting me in navigating Open Relationships. I wish I was aware, when I was younger, I could live this way. I will carry and pass the lessons I've learned in this book long into the future.

Outdated

While the material is well researched, the self selecting group that comprises the interviewed couples is heavily weighted towards BDSM, swingers, and PolyFidelity groups. As such, the book is heavily favored towards hierarchy, primary relationships, and unethical codependent behaviors such as hiring secondary partners through periodic returns to monogamy. PolyFidelity is an extremely tiny fraction of new Polyamorous people, and is evident by the ages of the people interviewed who are baby-boomers and generation x'rs. Many of the relationship styles in this book are considered unhealthy and unethical by current standards. The author replies heavily on outdated books and ideas from spiritualism books and texts from decades past. Polyamory has quickly evolved to mainly consist of SoloPoly and non-fidelity partnered Poly, with the later even losing favor. This book is now a very poor guide for modern nonmonogamists, with ideas of rules, 6 page written agreements, and lack of empathy for non-primary relationships. Coupled readers are better off reading "More Than Two" for a modern look at ethical partnered polyamory, and "The Ethical Slut" remains the top book for those interested in SoloPoly.

very helpful and insightful. a book to learn more

about polyamourous relationships. I would definitely recommend it. in fact I already have to my therapist

Good read for poly curious

Definetly good read for those curious about polyamory and different relationship types within this lifestyle.

Perfectly Informative

Such a perfectly informative book for people in all degrees of non-monogamous relating, or those just simply curious. Even as a fairly experienced poly person, I picked up a lot of nna information from this book and knowI will be referring to it for most of the rest of my life. Definitely on par with More Than Two.

Excellent

For a woman like me considering opening up after 15 years of marriage. Many new taking points with my husband. It has definitely helped to make this transition easier.

At least it was informative.

The narration was distracting, in that the narrator did "voices" to differentiate the various people's quotations. The voices were less bothersome than the characterizations - speaking slower or squeekier. The material is decidedly dry. I do not recommend it, nor will I listen to it again unless under duress.

Really Enjoyable

While it definitely is an educational book I really enjoyed the format. The many stories of real life people living and succeeding in their poly lifestyles was encouraging and realistic. This book didn’t sugar coat anything and did a good job of explaining the successes and pitfalls of living poly. I’ve learned a lot and feel better for it!

excellent

I really enjoyed this book as I begin on my journey into polyamory. it felt very text book, minus the profiles and personal stories, but icefall great learning experience for me. thank you.