Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

The metaphor Dr. Gray uses to describe the psychological separation between the sexes--that men and women are originally from different planets--is clever but oversimplified. Dr. Gray's presentation is upbeat and humorous, and it makes the nearly ten-hour audio production easy to listen to...at first. Many of his points are stressed and restressed--a device this audiobook really doesn't require, considering Gray's preponderance of examples and supporting arguments for each concept. The result is a feeling that the point has been pounded into one's brain. (For some of us, that might be a good thing!) This audiobook may not change your romantic life, but it's a positive step toward trying to unravel the mystery of the sexes. R.A.P. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

April 26, 1993
Psychotherapist Gray ( What You Feel You Can Heal ) adds to the growing number of self-help books that assess marital and relationship problems in terms of distinct and pervasive gender differences. Unfortunately, his overuse of gimmicky, often silly analogies and metaphors makes his otherwise down-to-earth guide hard to take seriously. Here Martians (men) play Mr. Fix-It while Venusians (women) run the Home-Improvement Committee; when upset, Martians ``go to their caves'' (to sort things out alone) while Venusians ``go to the well'' (for emotional cleansing). While graphically illustrative, the hyperbolic, overextended comparisons, particularly in the chapters that refer to men as rubber bands and women as waves, significantly detract from Gray's realistic insights.