Shopgirl

Rating:
Summary: A mild and lazy book
Review: When Steve Martin first burst upon the comedy scene, he was billed as a "wild and crazy guy." Of course, this moniker was ironic, absurdist, and a "zany" put-down. In his conservative white suits, prematurely gray hair, and wholesome facial demeanor, Martin was anything but out of control.

His new novella harkens back to that same contradictory labeling. Not for a minute does the main character Mirabelle ever come off as a shopgirl. She is portrayed (unevenly) at page one as a shy, retiring, closeted anachronism--a girl who prefers to read about life rather than experience it. Suddenly, though, her character shifts dramatically and we discover that she is an aloof, medicated, formerly promiscuous artist who is merely whiling away her days at an upscale department store. Neither Mirabelle--cloistered wallflower or Prozac Nation hipster--rings true.

Mirabelle, who is alternately described as an Olive Oyl doppelganger and a pillowy, sexy babe, has two male admirers in the book: a fifty-plus-year-old millionaire and a twentysomething slacker. The older man, Mr. Ray Porter, seems to be a surrogate for Mr. Martin. In fact, as the book rambles on, Mirabelle seems to be the walking embodiment of Steve Martin's own dream girl. The author himself is Mirabelle's most adamant and lovestruck suitor.

This is an interesting glimpse into the sexual druthers of a wildly successful comic. Apparently, Steve is pining for a quiet woman with clean hair and unblemished skin, who has a passion for art and a good sense of fashion; a woman who can turn heads while turning pages of Victorian novels.

Most people place personal ads when they are searching for Mr. or Ms. Right. Luckily for Steve Martin, he was paid, published, and indulged in his quest for a perfect mate.

If this book hadn't been penned by a well-known public figure, I doubt it would have seen the light of day. The packaging of the book is high quality and a lot of money has obviously been spent in making this tome an appealing, eye-grabbing purchase. It's fitting that the novella's window dressing is the best thing about it. With its fine paper, efficient layout, and crisp design, it mirrors the physical description of its heroine, Mirabelle. Inside, though, its story line is pretty empty and unsatisfying, much like Mirabelle, too.

Steve Martin has a quirky way with words and a comedic/realistic understanding of how men and women are not always on the same page. Too bad he decided to fill these pages and this novel with an unconvincing love story and shallow resolution.

Rating:
Summary: At least it's short.
Review: I love Steve Martin, but I was thoroughly disappointed with this recent work. I would have put the book down shortly after I began reading it, but I was avoiding writing a long academic paper. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure that my choice to continue reading the book was the least painful one. Still, I gave this book an extra star for being short (it's a one-day read).

Perhaps my criticism is due to a deep hatred of romance-type novels. Additionally, I expected a bit more comedy from Steve. Regardless of the reasons, though, it stunk.

Rating:
Summary: Sheer perfection.
Review: I've been a huge fan of Steve Martin's work for decades, but I honestly believe that hasn't prejudiced my review of "Shopgirl." I would have considered this one of the best pieces of literature I've read all year if it were written by a total unknown. "Shopgirl" is the charming story of a young woman who works as in the glove department at Neimans. Her job and her life are a study in stillness. Martin tells her story with complete honesty and beautifully nuanced prose. A description of a Saturday night: "...Mirabella in not afraid to go to a local bar alone, which this night she does, where she might run into someone she knows or nurse a drink and listen to the local band. As she sits in the booth...it never occurs to Mirabella to observe herself, and thus is spared the image of a shy girl alone in a bar on a Saturday night." He also perfectly captures LA at the turn of the millenium. His description of a gallery showing: "The party needs a volume control but there isn't one, and everyone would be straining to hear each other except they are all talking simultaneously." Even though their themes are ultimately very different, Martin's writing style and eye for detail kept reminding me of Fitzgerald in "The Great Gatsby". Obviously, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: fun read
Review: I enjoyed this book. I read it this past weekend and I was very impressed. I have always liked Steve Martin in movies, but I never knew he was such a good writer! I especially enjoyed the way he wrote the different perspectives on the same conversation between a man and a woman discussing their relationship. He really seemed to understand the root of many common misunderstandings between men and women!

Rating:
Summary: East Coast Book Club
Review: Steve Martin did an amazing job telling this story from the perspective of a woman. It was endearing and warm and fun to read. He has a wonderful way of creating this whole world around the simple life of a sales girl from Neiman's.

Rating:
Summary: Fun quick read!
Review: Sex. Immaturity. Shallowness. Vulnerability. Fear. Betrayal. Committment. Shopgirl is a fun, quick read that covers all these aspects of relationships.

You'll enjoy this book because you'll either see a little bit of your love life or certainly someone else's.

You'll never walk into a store like Neiman Marcus without thinking about gloves and the Mirabelle's, Ray's, Jeremy's and Lisa's of the world!

Enjoy 8^)

Rating:
Summary: I wish it was better!
Review: I am a big fan of Steve Martin, the actor, though found this book very disappointing. I expected something clever and somewhat interesting, but it was neither. I found the story to be extremely generic with very little to offer. The characters were so simple that I pictured cartoon characters in my mind's eye. If your looking for strong character development or even a good story, go elsewhere. I wish it was better.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a Steve Martin fan
Review: I am a steve martin fan so i am a little biased, but i really enjoyed this book. It was an extremely short and quick read, but i felt that Martin does a good job with the writing. It was quirky and oddly written at times, but i could definitely hear martin speaking it while i read. I like the idea that steve martin wrote from a young woman's perspective

Rating:
Summary: Wish it was as good as the cover
Review: I have to admit I bought this book because it was red and shiny and because the first paragraph reminded me of the writing style of Frederick Barthelme, on the a short story of almost the same name-'Shopgirls' (Law of Averages), plural is the difference. After the first paragraph I found out it was'nt and I got confuse on who's point of view I am on. First or third? Anyway, I did finish the book and was hoping to be enlightened. But I was sort of disappointed, 'sort of since' I already had a feeling that the ending was flat.

I'm not a big fan of Steve Martin and was hoping that reading this book would change my view of him since it was highly rated, but it didn't. His style of writing is not intriguing enough for me. Needs to let his readers think a little bit, and not flat out over explain things. He uses "which means" which means... that he's telling the story instead of showing and having the audience be part of it. You know how it goes when theres a middle man in any situation, theres always something left out or exagerated or misinterpreted... That's how I felt reading this book. Steve Martin himself was the middle man and that there was something left out. Which means (hehe).

Rating:
Summary: It was really good!
Review: I am shocked by how much I really, really enjoyed this brief little work of fiction. We already knew Steve Martin could write a good joke, but who knew this literary talent was hidden under the surface? The brief story centers around Mirabelle, a sad young woman trying to eek out a living selling gloves at Nieman Marcus. We see roughly a year in her life which see dates and falls in love with an older man who has taken pains to let her know their's is a relationship that will not end in commitment. We see how his wealth helps to change her but in the end what we see is how she really comes to change herself. This is quite a lovely comming of age story. Hats off to Mr. Martin.