The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship

This is David Whyte at his best. He has written this book well, describing how we are constantly balancing ourselves between work, self and relationships. He points out that we have personal relationships to each component- to our sel, to our work, to our relationships. Whyte argues against trying to compartmentalise our lives too much. There is not time to divide our life into chunks, or to become different people in different settings.What he's basically arguing for is development of character and depth, so producing stable and effective relationships in whatever context we are. His argument is for presence in whatever we are doing now.Whyte is a fascinating writer who blends many themes into a helpful synthesis. This is a great book and ranks well alongside his earlier classic The Heart Aroused.

A phenomenal insight into integrating the different aspects of self, relationships and work (in whatever sense that may be).I was already a fan of David Whyte's insightful poetry, but this book is spectacularly practical, as well as inspiring. I don't mean practical in terms of worksheets or techniques for time prioritisation, but in terms of philosophical outlook and providing a framework within which to reconcile the conflicting, sometimes paradoxical demands of the different areas of our lives.Highly recommended for anybody wishing to reflect on themselves and their lives.

A gift of a book. Written with depth and compassion. David Whyte deftly weaves the lives of writers and thinkers with his personal reflections, poetry and philosophy. It is a generous, intelligent, humorous and reflective book. It had for me the quality of an unexpected and deeply rewarding conversation with a stranger, the sense of having encountered something that is not contained by the encounter, but takes on a life of its own and continues to enrich long after the last page is turned.

Overly wordy and anecdotal and not as revelatory as I had anticipated it might be. His main points could have been made in half the length. Perhaps aimed at younger readers who haven't yet had the experiences he has - and I have had - to put three aspects of life in perspective. Fits into the self-help category of books which I believe are more popular in the US than elsewhere.

Excellent

Wonderful book! I used David's concept of the 3 marriages (self, work and significant other) to facilitate a workshop with some 45 people, and it went really well. A great read.

Brilliant book which continues to emerge reflections on content long after it ends

I couldn’t get myself to finish this book. I mean it might be great but it’s very wordy and dragging. It couldn’t entice me to continue reading. It was such a struggle to get me to read page by page. I just didn’t feel any emotion while reading and failed to inspire me. But I’m sure the case might be different for others!