Paul Reiser's a riot. If you're looking for a Bible of Coupledom, the search is over. It's amazing that I can relate to nearly every point he brings up. It's also amazing that I can hear his voice reading the book in my head. I'm not sure if that's because I watch too much "Mad About You" or because of Reiser's conversational writing style, but either way it's almost creepy.The only gripe I have with Couplehood is Reier's excessive use of random capitalization. The copy editor in me screams at the many, many needlessly capitalized terms, phrases, and exclamations throughout the 348 pages (it's really a short book -- it starts on page 145. Don't worry, all is explained in the "Author's Warning."). If it were used sparingly, the capitalization would emphasize his points better.But this is about laughs, not punctuation, and Couplehood definitely supplies plenty. It should be required reading for all newlyweds.My favorite part (a friend of mine always is saying this):"These are the two authorities running the whole show -- They and The Guy. The Guy, I believe, is president of They."
He's pretty much a stand up comedian in a book. He talks about the ups and downs you get in a relationship, particularly marriage. Almost all the reviews said this book would be laugh out loud funny. Sure it was funny, but it didn't live up to the hype for me. He definitely has the kind of humor most stand up comedians have, where they have to embellish their story with obviously unbelievable points just for the sake of being funny. I find that kind of humor to be tiring and somewhat desperate. There's no real story to the book; it's just a series of mini stories--just like in stand up comedy. Which is fine, but it doesn't keep me coming back for more. I can drop the book whenever I want, and if I feel like a chuckle or two, I'll pick it up again. All in all, I did feel the need to analyze my own relationship in the end, and so I guess the book did have some impact on me.
What do You think about Couplehood (1995)?
Tenang aja, meski tercatat buku ini berakhir pada halaman 348, tapi buku ini dimulai pada halaman 145!!!Jadi sebenarnya buku ini terdiri dari... halaman *males cari kalkulator*Anyway, Paul Reiser cuma mau memotivasi orang yang tidak hobi baca, biar baru baca halaman pertama aja serasa udah berhasil baca setengah buku, hehehe...Buku ini seperti kumpulan monolog stand up comedian yang menelanjangi kebiasaan2 buruk kita (dan pasangan kita). Sangat universal, berlaku untuk semua ras dan gender, dan sangat menohok, hok, hok...
—Indah Threez Lestari
GUFFAW-out-loud hilarious! A few times I couldn't catch my breath (might have been the asthma). Paul Reiser is a master at seeing the quirks in relationships..how things REALLY are...and seeing the funny in them. This is a very quick read (especially because the book starts out on page 145. "Don't be alarmed, this is not a mistake. Don't try to get your money back. You didn't miss anything. It's just that I know when I'm reading, I love being smack in the middle of the book. Pages behind me, pages ahead of me. It's too overwhelming to know there's so much left and you're only on page 8. This way, you can read the book for two minutes, and if anybody asks you how far along you are you can say, I'm on 151--and it's really flying. It just sails, baby!")
—Leah
This book was in the bathroom of Eric's parents' house and I read it each night when I brushed my teeth, over the three weeks that I stayed with them. Ug. Paul Reiser is so unfunny and nineties. And then, when he did make me laugh, I felt very nineties, and sort of like I had a yuppie sense of humor. A terrible experience all around. I will say that it did sound very much like him--I even sort of heard his voice in my head while I read it--which I guess is an accomplishment of some sort. Hence, the two stars.
—Molly
