Customer Reviews

Monogamy

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Warning: This is not for the weak at heart. If you are afraid of being asked to question everything you have been taught was right and wrong, good and bad, and happy and sad, then don't buy this book. You will think the thing is evil and throw it away or something.
However, Mr. Phillips' aphorisms will make you a stronger person if you let them in. They are food for thought, though I hate to use that cliche. This man will make you reevaluate all of your ideals. And sometimes, in doing so, they become enforced. "Monogamy" makes you think, instead of telling you what you want to hear! Be shocked, and, if you're lucky, gain new meaning in your relationships with yourself and others.

Written as 121 aphorisms this book is a constant source of amusement, enlightenment and decadence. It has appealled to both male and female friends of mine and stands as essential reading for anyone who has ever doubted the merits of coupledom, and that must be everyone! Phillips comes up with thoughts and interpretations that stand alongside the greatest thinkers of the past two centuries. Always challenging and provactive the text literally moves you into a state of mind you never imagined you could feel so comfortable with. I recommend this book should be read by everyone, and the younger the better. It is a revolutionary book that's impact stands alongside writers like J.P.Sartre, J.S.Mill, Franz Fanon, Nietzsche and Karl Marx. This book makes couples nervous and single people smile.It is a delight and a work of art. Many friends of mine have bought extra copies for friends and frankly anyone criticising this book may simply be fearful of freedom itself.

An interesting set of thoughts on the nature of fidelity and expectation. they seem as much a question to the reader as they are assertions of truth. Deep, funny, outrageous and revealing thoughts for those who like to ponder being.

How could he do it? Phillips is a wonderful essayist and biographer (of Winnicott), and thinks energetically, creatively, and deeply about many topics in psychology, culture, philosophy, and literature. With apologies to Chas.Shultz, this book reminds me of an updated, even nerdier version of "Love is Walking Hand in Hand, " and it's a puzzling disappointment. Admirers of the work of Adam Phillips will likely be less than satisfied with this little book of aphorisms -- really, most are highbrow one-liners -- by such a (usually) creative, provocative, and satisfying writer.