Vows
Vows by Cheryl Mendelson is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Wall Street Journal, for a Consensus Score of 14 out of 100.
Appears on these lists
Our take
AI-draftedMendelson, a lawyer and novelist, treats marital vows as a serious social technology rather than sentimental boilerplate, tracing their history from Ovid through the Oneida community's experiments in communal marriage. Where the book is most persuasive is in dismantling the idea that vows are quaint leftovers of a pre-modern institution, arguing instead that the act of public commitment does measurable work in sustaining relationships.
In the press
“illuminating meditation on marriage itself”
Publishers Weekly
How the Consensus Score is calculated
Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.
| Source | Authority | Recency | Award | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wall Street Journal | 0.92 | 0.70 | 1.00× | 0.64 |
| Weighted sum → Score | 0.64 → 14 | |||
Similar consensus books
Because they appear on some of the same lists.
Frequently asked
What lists is Vows on?
Vows appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Wall Street Journal.
What is its Consensus Score?
Vows has a Consensus Score of 14 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.