Rating: 
Summary: Love Found in the Glove Department
Review: This is the first book I've read by Steve Martin but certainly won't be the last. I'm happy to say that Mr. Martin's first fiction novella resonates with the same appeal we also find captivating in his performances both in the movies and onstage. Because Mr. Martin has proved to be so multi-talented in the last number of years, perhaps we can only do him justice by dubbing him our 20th/21st century Renaissance man!Shopgirl, which is set in Southern California, tells the story of one 28 year old Mirabelle who sells gloves and weaves tales of what she would be rather be doing as time passes by without any shoppers. One has only to work for Neiman Marcus,which I did to know what one can think about during down time as shopgirls arrange and rearrange the stock. Then one day an older gentleman makes a purchase from Mirabelle setting off a chain of events which allow the reader to experience not only Mirabelles affair but life in LA among the single set. And all the while we experience this through the written word of Mr. Martin which is alternately witty, satirical, humorous and sarcastic. Not only does Mr. Martin provide us with the geography of LA as we ride down a fwe blocks but we also sense the subtle nuances of what its like to live and work there. Shopgirl is a well written novel with wonderful characters and although it isn't exciting in the sense that you will go wow!, it does have soem great passages filled with analogies that are ost appropriate. While this is a fast read with a predicatble outcome, it is well worth the trip getting there.
Rating: 
Summary: In-depth Portrait
Review: I found Shopgirl remarkable for it's in-depth portrait of relationships. Steve Martin does an admirable job offering valuable insight into male-female, female-female and family relationships in the short form of the novella. Plus, Shopgirl is an entertaining and engaging read. The reader is immediately captured by the terrific character portrayals. The author manages to develop the characters with a brevity of words and without relying on caricatures. All in all, I was very impressed with Shopgirl and it's portrayal of relationships (in that regard I would rank Shopgirl favorably with "Fried Calamari" which offered a very insightful look into relationships).
Rating:
Summary: Fast Read
Review: I just loved this book! Steve Martin has taken novella writing to a higher form. His sentences are smooth, memorable. His characters believable. Just read it and see.
Rating: 
Summary: Not too bad
Review: I find the explicit language a bit offensive, but the story line was good enough to keep going to the end. I liked the insight into the male/female relationship, but somehow, I knew what was coming. I borrowed it from the library, definitely not a keeper for my bookshelves.
Rating:
Summary: "...that's life..."
Review: I became engrossed in this book from the moment I picked it up. While it is set in Los Angeles, I think that anyone living anywhere can relate to some part of Mirabelles's situation. I almost always find what Steve Martin does funny, but not always moving or interesting. This book took me through laughter and sadness. I compared it to my own life and I could relate on many levels. I have read reviews of this book criticizing its length, I think had it been any longer I would have lost interest. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read a book about finding ones self.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's MY book deal?
Review: All those reviewers giving Shop Girl five stars should get off their knees and read a real book. This isn't a novel, it's a synopsis of a novel. If I changed the title and names of the "characters" in this book, and submitted it to Hyperion, do you think they'd publish it? Not a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and real
Review: Being a 25-year old woman in today's world I could totally identify with Shopgirl's heroine, Mirabelle. She is achingly real, funny and touching. I recommend it as a definite read for all women because I am sure that every one of them could identify with Mirabelle's cynicism and comments on thankless jobs, relationships and life in general. Steve Martin does a brilliant job in fleshing out the characters and never hesitates to linger on their flaws. He gives a first-hand "insider's" view of Los Angeles and the art scene. Kudos to Martin and I hope he continues to grace us with his writing!!
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: I loved this novella. The story is very rich for so few pages. I was not sure about a serious book coming from a comedian, but I am extremely impressed with his unique style of writing.
Rating:
Summary: best part is the title
Review: I admit I bought Shopgirl on the basis of Steve Martin's celebrity, because of the brilliance he's shown in some of his comedy. But I started to get restless about ten pages in, then forced myself to read it in one sitting. This book is all description, no plot. It suffers from LA hipness (the plunking down of the "f" word often enough to remind those of us who are not from Hollywood that we must read this word and read it often in order to be cool) and it never rises above a one-dimensional treatment of any of its dull, flat characters. This is an "Emperor's New Clothes" book: lots of praise because of who the author is, not because of what he's really accomplished here.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: I just read this book here in the UK and found it to be thought provoking, funny, full of pathos and extremely well written. It is the kind of book that has the reader asking questions about the lives of the characters. Why did Mirabelle, as naive and un-cynical as she is, move to LA? What did she ever hope to find there? How did Mr Ray Porter get to be in his mid-fifties and be so successful yet be so unaware of the effects of his own actions on other people? I finished the book having strong feelings towards all of the characters, glad that they had found the happiness and contentment that they had been searching for. I look forward to Mr Martins other novels!
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