The Pathway to Love: Create Intimacy and Transform Your Relationships through Self-Discovery by Julie Orlov, MAOL, MSW. (Larimar Publishing, $16.95, Paperback.)

    More than fifty percent of all marriages in America end in divorce. Why do so many couples fail at staying together? Social forces and moral factors aside, the answer comes down to a simple fact: relationships are complicated. Couples muddle through them without much guidance, then feel dismayed and betrayed when they disappoint. Imagine how much more successful and satisfying relationships would be if couples had a road map to follow, with detours on resolving differences and strengthening common bonds. Imagine how much happier countless people would be if they had clear warning signs to help them avoid getting into a bad relationship in the first place.

    In The Pathway to Love, Julie Orlov explores how relationships grow and evolve from a spark of attraction between two strangers to a loving, intimate, long-term commitment between two life partners. Drawing on decades of experience as a relationship psychotherapist and consultant, she outlines the four phases of development in a relationship and reveals the challenges and opportunities that accompany each.