Customer Reviews

Couch

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only is this a stylistically fabulous book, it is also by turns hilarious, poignant, tender and energizing. It's a classic hero-quest novel -- and it's an edgy, modern take on magic realism. Its hero is a stereotypical geek -- who sports complexity and hidden depths, and who does some actual and believable growth through the course of the novel. The plot is compelling (I read it in a day because I couldn't stand to stop), the characters are delightful, the writing style is addictive, and beyond all that, the book has something to say that you'll want to hear -- about life, about love, about cooking and couches and camping. Yes, it's a book that any computer geek worth his or her salt will enjoy, but it's also a book for your father, your best friend, your teacher, your daughter. I recommend you buy 10 copies and just hand 'em out.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm the type of reader who will either be immediately attached to a book upon the first few pages, or immediately repelled. Thankfully, "Couch" was definitely in the former category.

"Couch" is about three roommates who move their couch after their apartment is flooded. While carrying their couch, they notice that, strangely, the couch either grows lighter or heavier depending on which way they carry it. Soon after this discovery, weirder and weirder things begin to happen...

This is an AMAZINGLY funny book. I swear, I scared my neighbors several times by cracking up in the middle of the night while reading the book. The three main characters, Thom, Tree, and Erik, are by far extremely original, sympathetic, and hilarious. The plot is original, the writing is excellently done, and it is extremely easy to enjoy.

I can't understand why there aren't more reviews on here. This book is worth it. Seriously. Give it a try, at least. If you like comedy, fantasy, magical realism, or just a stories about extremely durable furniture, this is the book for you.

(Read it. It's worth your time.)

In Parzybok's first work, he introduces characters whose internal struggles are delightfully complex. Honing in on three youthful samples of angsty internal struggle, he raises the stakes one notch at a time as the impossible, the supernatural, and the miraculous drop layers over a twisted slacker scenario. The characters' quest, their struggles to believe, and their resulting commitment to a life-threatening, though life-affirming, adventure comes across as believable and intensely suspenseful as the novel-turned-travelogue paints scenes of otherworldly natural splendor and makes frightening but insightful forays into historical spiritualism. In the end I am left with one handful of early Stephen King and another of seminal Douglas Coupland. (Raising the slacker flag high in the name of eerie ancient symbolic stuff)

I don't usually read magic realism or fantasy books and hesitate to call this one of them- but when I saw it in the book store my curiosity got the better of me. Three guys carry a magic couch?? What?

It was sometimes weird, true. But, I loved it. I laughed out loud. It was intellectual, it was ironic, but it was also literary. As I see more super hero stories becoming good movies, the Lord of the Rings becoming an Oscar winner, and TV shows like LOST and Heroes on prime-time, I wonder if this book isn't bridging a gap between the "nerdy" sci-fi fantasy world and the "hipster" literary world.

It is potentially ground-breaking because although the story has magic in it, the characters are modern American dudes. They are skeptical and gritty. They are not guileless like Frodo and they're not ethereal like Garcia Marquez' characters. They are flawed, contemporary epic heroes- a refreshing idea.

Oh man, was this a good novel: fresh, original, funny, smart, quirky, cool, philosophical, and whimsical. Couch begins with a simple premise: three roommates attempt to get rid of a couch; however, this seemingly mundane task soon spirals into an epic quest in which . . .

. . . I can't tell you more here; I wouldn't want to give anything away. But trust me when I say that Parzybok has produced a wondrous debut here. It ponders big questions without being ponderous. It's intellectual without taking itself too seriously, and it's irreverent without being sarcastic. Plus, part of it takes place in Portland, Oregon and that's always a good thing.

Bottom line: You need to check this one out.

I loved this book and it is one of my favorites now. Great original story with a lot of philosophy thrown in. Highly recommended :)

Magical, memorable, whimsical. These are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind, but hardly do Couch justice.

Couch is quite a mundane title for such an outlandish book. Three guys move a couch, save the world. That is the tag line and it is quite apt. It drew me in immediately and from the moment I started I knew this would be a truly special read. Couch is quite unlike any book I've read before. Its aim is to tell a modern day quest through very unconventional and seemingly meandering means yet it never falls off track.

Couch is the kind of book where the less you know about the story before you start the better it will be. It is very intimate with its telling. A low-level con man, a hacker, and a prophetic dreamer share an apartment and a comfortable couch and it goes from there. I identified with hacker more than I have with any character in a very long time. The dialogue is perfect for who the characters are as lazy, but intelligent twenty-something's with little to no prospects in life. But each has their role to play in the quest and fulfills it to the utmost. Giving all that they have to something they don't understand all the while trusting destiny and serendipity.

Couch is a truly magical read in more ways than I can say. It was just the right book at the right time for me and hit every mark nearly perfectly. Couch did have its dark and sardonic moments, but they were handled deftly through humor or well-done characterization which shows the growth of the main players. Is it Fantasy? Well, yes, but not really at the same time. Couch is about the magic that could and should exist in the real world. About what could be.

I did have a little issue with the ending, but hey this is a quest book. It is about the journey to get there more than anything. Also, there is a mysterious group that kind of got dropped halfway through and was never given what I feel is a sufficient explanation. But even these quibbles aren't enough to downgrade. Do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy. You won't regret it. I would buy anything Parzybok writes in the future.

This book is the perfect summer read; funny and light, yet very well written with an original story.

This book is a new addition to my top 10 ever. A perfect mix of the modern and the magical. Funny, insightful, and powerful.

What happens when a great joke (three young slackers carrying an orange couch down NW 23rd Avenue) turns into a spiritual quest? This book happens, and it's a wacky, thought-provoking read, studded with philosophy, magic, battle, sickness and love. Thom, Erik and Tree remain throughout three young Portland dudes; the software guy, the ladies' man, and the fey artist with the mysterious money sources. But they accept that they've been chosen by the couch to cross continents and oceans in search of fundamental truth. If you can buy this premise and just...relax, you'll greatly enjoy this book.