Stop kissing frogs: how to avoid Mr Wrong and find Mr Right

177 Pages·2010·4.455 MB·English

by  Lowe, Madeleine

Well that’s just great isn’t it? Just when you think you’ve found Prince Charming
he emits a loud croak and hops back into the nearest pond… or even worse
into the arms of another princess.
Why is it that so many bright, savvy, attractive women seem to get stuck with
slimy frogs? You may have to kiss a few before you fi nally meet your prince, but
do you really have to go through a pond full before you fi nd happiness?
Don’t panic. Th ere are plenty of gorgeous, eligible and loving men out there
looking for a Miss Right, just like you. All you need to know is how to spot
a no-good frog, how to recognise Mr Right, and how to get the happily ever
after you’ve always wished for. And, having kissed more than her fair share of
frogs, Madeleine Lowe is just the girl to tell you how.
Discover: the ten types of guy you should avoid, how to enjoy yourself when
you’re single, the mistakes you might be making – without even knowing it –
and how to sail off into the sunset.
Th is funny, clever and insightful book is all you’ll need to stop kissing frogs and
fi nd the man you really deserve.
Design: redeyoff design
Illustration: Corbis
£9.99
RELATIONSHIPS/SELF-HELP
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STOP KISSING FROGS
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Prentice Hall LIFE
If life is what you make it, then making it better starts here.
What we learn today can change our lives tomorrow. It can
change our goals or change our minds; open up new
opportunities or simply inspire us to make a difference.
That's why we have created a new breed of books that do
more to help you make more of yourlife.
Whether you want more confidence or less stress, a new
skill or a different perspective, we've designed Prentice Hall
Lifebooks to help you to make a change for the better.
Together with our authors we share a commitment to bring
you the brightest ideas and best ways to manage your life,
work and wealth.
In these pages we hope you’ll find the ideas you need for the
life youwant. Go on, help yourself.
It’s what you make it
* * *
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Stop Kissing Frogs
Prentice Hall LIFE
If life is what you make it, then making it better starts here.
What we learn today can change our lives tomorrow. It can
change our goals or change our minds; open up new
How to avoid Mr Wrong and find
opportunities or simply inspire us to make a difference.
That's why we have created a new breed of books that do Mr Right
more to help you make more of yourlife.
Whether you want more confidence or less stress, a new
skill or a different perspective, we've designed Prentice Hall
Madeleine lowe
Lifebooks to help you to make a change for the better.
Together with our authors we share a commitment to bring
you the brightest ideas and best ways to manage your life,
work and wealth.
In these pages we hope you’ll find the ideas you need for the
life youwant. Go on, help yourself.
It’s what you make it
* * *
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PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: www.pearsoned.co.uk
First published in Great Britain in 2010
© Madeleine Lowe 2010
The right of Madeleine Lowe to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN: 978–0–273–73052–1
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowe, Madeleine.
Stop kissing frogs : how to avoid Mr Wrong and find Mr Right / Madeleine Lowe.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-273-73052-1 (pbk.)
1. Man-woman relationships. 2. Mate selection. I. Title.
HQ801.L677 2010
646.7'7–dc22
2009043563
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior written
permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the
United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House,
6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. This book may not be lent, resold, hired
out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the Publishers.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09
Text design by Julie Martin
Cartoons by Bill Piggins
Typeset in Ehrhardt MT Std 12/16pt by 3
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk
The Publisher’s policy is to use paper manufactured from sustainable forests.
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This book is dedicated to Rachel. Thanks for dragging me
out of more ponds than I care to remember.
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Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction ix
1
Chapter One
identifying a frog at fifty paCes 2
2
Chapter Two
onCe upon a time … 36
3
Chapter Three
the five worst mistakes women make 60
4 Chapter Four
prinCe Charming Can kiss my @***! 78
5 Chapter Five
five personality traits every prinCe
should have 96
6
Chapter Six
even prinCes and prinCesses have 112
their off-days
7
Chapter Seven
what makes prinCe Charming Commit? 128
8
Chapter Eight
living happily ever after . . . 144
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aCknowledgements
A huge thank you goes to my wonderful and very funny editor,
Ellie, who’s been a great source of support and frog stories – I
particularly enjoyed the tale about sewing the prawns into the
curtains. Many thanks also go to all the girls who were more
than willing to dish the dirt on their dating horrors – without
you there wouldn’t have been a book.
Extract from ‘This Be The Verse’ taken from Collected Poems
by Philip Larkin © The Estate of Philip Larkin and repro-
duced by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd.
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introduCtion
I just don’t get It.
Ih ad a faIrytale upbringing. My parents loved me. My
friends liked me. Even my brother tolerated me (apart from
the time I stabbed him with a picnic fork after he made Barbie
do unspeakable things to Action Man). Overall, I enjoyed a
childhood stuffed with love, encouragement and laughter. So
far, so good.
So how is it that I turned into an adult who made such
hideous choices about personal relationships? How can I
have been someone who felt blindingly confident about work
and friendships and yet ended up with such low expectations
about love?
And I’m not the only one. Why is it that so many bright,
attractive and sensible women seem to go for such utter
toads? There are thousands upon thousands of smashing,
eligible blokes out there and yet most of us seem to manage
to miss them. It may be true that you have to kiss a few frogs
before you find Prince Charming, but do we really have to go
through a pondful before finding happiness?
I have a daughter. She’s only very little at the moment, but
before I know it she’ll be bringing home boyfriends and
making tentative steps into the grown-up world of relation-
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