Having heard about “The Happy Wives Club,” and knowing Fawn Weaver’s reputation for championing the cause of happy, healthy marriages, I was extremely excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book “The Argument-Free Marriage” to review.

I hadn’t read much of Fawn’s writing before, but knew of her reputation for concise, understandable, direct, and beneficial writing on this topic.  I really wanted to love this book.  Sadly, I didn’t.  I mean no insult to Mrs. Weaver, whose success as an author is well established, and whose positive message has helped transform many relationships. But I picked up the book expecting it to address the issue of arguments in marriage; largely, it did not. Rather, the emphasis seemed to be on the marriage Fawn and Keith Weaver have, and Fawn’s idea of what keeps it running smoothly.

There were a few notes here and there about how to process conflict or handle arguments differently, but they represent a very small part of the book.  The majority of the book focuses on the marital habits of Fawn and Keith, which the reader is left to believe must add up to argument-free interaction.

I found it very difficult to connect with Fawn’s writing because of her nearly constant self-reference and self-congratulation.  It created an awkward reading experience for me.

The marital advice that comprises the book didn’t represent new material for me, but that might simply be because I’ve read so many marriage books in recent years.  I can’t help but feel that ideas like “don’t go to bed angry” are so common as to have almost become cliche’.  From an author of this caliber, I don’t expect a reinvention of the wheel, but I do expect a fresh angle or approach.  And, at a minimum, I expect an approach consistent with the title.  I expected a book about dealing with arguments within marriage; this book was not that.

The good news is this: strikingly original or not, and self-congratulatory or not, the content in this book is still positive material that can help your marriage improve.  It certainly won’t move you in the wrong direction.  And there’s another point to be made here… Fawn is doing in this book what she does with her website and her club… spreading positive messages about what marriage can be like.  If this is primarily what you expect from her, she delivers all the way with this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”