Critic John Leonard, in a review in "The New York Times", described "The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five" as "a remarkable recovery" from "Shikasta", which he called a "disaster". He said "The Marriages" works for him because it comes across as a fable, like an instructive Sufi tale. Writing in "HuffPost Culture", University of Bristol academic Tom Sperlinger called the book "a legend" and listed it amongst his five recommended Lessing books that she has written since "The Golden Notebook" (1962). Pierson found the book "enjoyable", despite the "dry and bookish sounddialogue which felt like a translation. He added that readers familiar with Lessing's fortitude in "The Golden Notebook" may not appreciate her allegory in "The Marriages". While she is still "passionate, opinionated and outraged" here, Pierson said Lessing has withdrawn from writing about the real world and chosen to "soar unsteady currents of whimsy, dreams [and mysticism".