Rating: 
Summary: Hard to put down once you've started...
Review: I'm a psychiatrist-psychoanalyst too, and probably a contemporary of Yalom's, and I declare the hero could have been me, a psychoanalytic maverick. Therefore I can say that without a doubt, if you have ever been a psychotherapist or a patient, the story will resonate. There are many fascinating sub-plots, and an element of suspense, and a magnificent, ironic ending, but the central theme is the contrast between an older, traditional Freudian, who is 'supervisor' and a younger, maverick eclectic, born-therapist, whose character grows and evolves as he performs a therapeutic miracle on a very unlikely patient.
Rating:
Summary: THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
Review: I'm not particularly interested in psychotherapy, so I wasn't thrilled when my book club picked this to read. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it immensely.Therapist Ernest Lash decides to try an experiment: having a completely open and honest relationship with a new patient. Little does he know what effect this will have on him, his patient, and the people who know them. The chain-reaction that follows is amazing and entertaining. This book is great testimony to the power of honesty and integrity.
Rating:
Summary: I donot want you to publýsh thýs
Review: Iam really sorry,I havenot had a chance to read what ý wrote about the novel so I realýze my mýstake.Iam the one who wrote wýth the abrevýatýon of cct last summer.Iwrote 'look after ' whýle Iwas thýnkýng of wrýtýng 'look forward'.Iam really sorry about it and Iwant you to correct thýs properly.THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.
Rating: 
Summary: For insiders only
Review: In the middle of the novel, a shrink named Marshall realizes that one of the great frustrations of being a shrink is that one does all ones genius without an audience. Except, of course, for the patient, who is not an impartial one. I have to wonder whether Yalom wrote this book to satisfy that very problem-- the result is that the novel moves too slowly through its (fairly interesting) plot. Perhaps if the author were more focused on suspense and less on displaying his very real analytic skill, we would have a better book all around.
Rating: 
Summary: a fun page-turner
Review: It's neat to think a real psychiatrist wrote this. Is this what it's really like? The selfish and ambivalent thoughts ring true. It's a little fairy tale-ish, in that everyone gets better through analysis. And Carolyn, the evil witch of a lawyer, is painted as such a feminist joke that her transformation into a real person felt false. But, hey, I woke up in the middle of the night to spend 2-1/2 hours polishing it off.
Rating:
Summary: Yalom's best
Review: It's one of the most enjoyable, questioning, stunning books I've recently read. It's superb. The characters are so vivid and the plot is so compelling. You never want your book to end. If you are interested in what is "human, all too human", stories of life, this book is for you. But you should be aware that the book is not an easy-read one. It's not an "on the beach" book.
Rating:
Summary: Objective Truth
Review: Lying on the Couch is very well crafted in its weaving of the characters lives and situations. At first, I felt there were too many plot lines running throughout the story, but as it progressed, everything fell into place. I love that the central theme is about truth and what it means to different people, in varied circumstances, and on a grander scale. The book itself is intriguing -- though it might at times bog down a reader who is not familiar with therapy, as it utilizes snippets of technical jargon and theory. However, I felt like I was able to get an interesting and accurate portrayl of "the other side of the couch" so-to-speak. The character development is excellent, save for a few of them tend to drop off and then reappear at the end, as if Yalom wanted to tie up the loose ends within a few pages at the conclusion. What happened to Justin? He never appears again after about halfway through the book. Overall, I loved the story, loved the dialog (very true-to-life) and felt that this is an imaginative work of fiction that blends Yalom's own experience in the psychiatric field with his developed skill as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Objective Truth
Review: Lying on the Couch is very well crafted in its weaving of the characters lives and situations. At first, I felt there were too many plot lines running throughout the story, but as it progressed, everything fell into place. I love that the central theme is about truth and what it means to different people, in varied circumstances, and on a grander scale. The book itself is intriguing -- though it might at times bog down a reader who is not familiar with therapy, as it utilizes snippets of technical jargon and theory. However, I felt like I was able to get an interesting and accurate portrayl of "the other side of the couch" so-to-speak. The character development is excellent, save for a few of them tend to drop off and then reappear at the end, as if Yalom wanted to tie up the loose ends within a few pages at the conclusion. What happened to Justin? He never appears again after about halfway through the book. Overall, I loved the story, loved the dialog (very true-to-life) and felt that this is an imaginative work of fiction that blends Yalom's own experience in the psychiatric field with his developed skill as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: A nuanced and analytical look at interpersonal relations
Review: Our book club gave this novel mixed reviews. Those who didn't like it were turned off by the mass of detail depicting the psychoanalytic process. A reader needs a lot of patience to wade through it all and to see the subtle ways the characters continually change as a result of their therapies. However, I myself appreciated the fact that the novel is like a journey, where the reader's point of view and insights reflect those of the central characters. Not since Henry James have I come across a writer so attuned to nuances--although Yalom lacks his literary distinction. At the beginning, these nuances serve to ridicule the various therapists for their naivete, arrogance, pride, lust, hyprocrisy, etc. and the satire bites and amuses. However, as the characters begin to change, the book takes on serious overtones, exploring the method by which authenticity in human relations can be found. Carol and Ernest truly learn from each other and show how real "give and take" works. In the final analysis, the book is moving in a non-simplistic way. Yalom should be congratulated for presenting answers in a cynical time.
Rating:
Summary: A psychotherapy of psychotherapy
Review: Serious yet funny surprises at each page. In hebrew language, yalom means diamond. So it is.
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