Real Marriage

The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together

By: Mark Driscoll, Grace Driscoll

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, William Dufris

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Inspirational Nonfiction, 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, talk about sex and marriage in down-to-earth terms, hitting issues other Christian books won't. While a wonderful wedding day is important, it's the last day of marriage that really counts. Will the last day of your marriage come prematurely through divorce? Will it be filled with regrets as you sit at the funeral of your spouse? Or, by God's grace, will the last day be a time to rejoice in the life you lived together? Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, want you to finish well on the last day. They share private and painful issues that damaged their own marriage - including his introduction to pornography in elementary school and her abuse as a teenager at the hands of a boyfriend - and how they overcame them to experience healing and joy with each other again. Together they tackle the tough issues, such as:

• Should I confess my pre-marital sexual sin to my spouse?
• Is it okay to have a "work husband/wife"
• Can I say no to sex when I really do have a headache?
• What does the Bible say about masturbation and oral sex?

From fun date night tips to the most tricky "can we do that?" sex questions, Mark and Grace share practical help and hope with people just like them - who entered marriage a complete mess - or who are planning to be married someday and want to avoid some sticky pitfalls.

©2012 eChristian, Inc. (P)2012 eChristian, Inc.

truth

no dancing around subjects here. straight to the point in the important things we all face.

Very brave and bruisingly honest recount.

Would you listen to Real Marriage again? Why?

I will be listening to it again (twice already)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Grace's bravery and her honesty are captivating.

Did Tavia Gilbert and William Dufris do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I don't like Dufis's voice! He sounds so 'up himself'. But to be fair you do get used to it by the end of the book, and my reaction is at least in part agravated by having listened to Mark D. on other books and podcasts and expected (hopeing?) to hear him again

Such a Guide

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would encourage any married couple more so Christian couples to listen because the mistakes/shortfalls discussed were and still is being made today and this is a good guide to not make the same mistakes

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like both parties, however I prefer Grace since I could identify with some of what she's been through as a Christian Wife and mother

What about Tavia Gilbert and William Dufris ’s performance did you like?

I would have enjoyed the book much more if all the female parts were narrated by Tavia. It caused a bit of confusion while listening some of the time.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Real Marriage?

Communication is at the heart of any sccessfull union.Be it spiritual or physical

transparency

the commitment to each topic and vulnerability that went into detail was what it should take to make it work for those who are genuinely willing to put in the work .

Better be religious

What disappointed you about Real Marriage?

I always give a book at leas 3 hours before judging whether or not to finish it...I couldn't get through 30 minutes of this. The narrator/author has a condescending tone, picture the Reverend from the Simpsons with a higher pitch. I would've dealt with that, but I couldn't stand how "preachy" the book is. I don't need to hear what is or is not considered a sin in his book. I want to hear concrete ideas to help me improve my marriage. Too bad they didn't even offer me a refund for my 1 star rating so I could get something useful instead...

What do you think your next listen will be?

A different relationship book.

How could the performance have been better?

No idea

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Real Marriage?

See above

Any additional comments?

They need to provide a better description of the book.

Only Read it for research purposes

The reading was fine. I didn’t get much out of the book. I didn’t think it was that helpful, and the author seemed to blame his wife for most of their marital issues.

Started off good but got way to judgmental

What disappointed you about Real Marriage?

It started out great until the only men chapter. In this chapter, Mark goes through things he says aren't sinful but

What do you think your next listen will be?

Never.

How could the performance have been better?

Stop calling things dumb that are opinion matters.

What character would you cut from Real Marriage?

The judgmental dude who called a bunch of things dumb that are opinion matters.Remeber the Scriptures that talk about not debating over opinion matters?

Any additional comments?

I really wish Mark didn't go that route, because I was enjoying the book and getting some stuff out of it. Specifically, I loved the part about Martin Luther's marriage. That was very interesting and helpful.

Can't finish

This book doesn't seem to apply well to standard relationships. I could not get past chapter 3.

Misleading title

Much too long and drawn out. I felt the authors attempted to generalize the marital issues discussed a bit much as if they were common to all marriages rather than provide useful guidance for all marriages.

Sorry I paid for this!

What didn’t you like about Tavia Gilbert and William Dufris ’s performance?

Wasn't expecting to have his Christianity shoved down my throat. Especially turned off by the kind of mind that would spend so much time supposing people would buy the book to pry into his personal sexuality and bedroom. I don't believe I've ever opened a book with the goal of having the author give me details of his personal intimate life!