Shopgirl: A Novella by Steve Martin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Shopgirl: A Novella
Book Review: How did he do it?
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was reading this book, it was difficult to believe that it was written by Steve Martin, comedian and star of SNL. It is just so different from his comedy books (although those are great as well). I read this when I was the same age as the character and I just kept wondering how Steve Martin could know exactly how it feels to be a twenty-something girl looking for her place in the world. Pretty amazing! It is now one of my favorite books. The movie was nothing in comparison, so don't be deterred if you didn't like the film. The book is completely different and a million times better.Book Review: It's definitely no, "The Jerk"
Summary: 5 Stars
I accidentally saw the film before, but when I did read the novella, it didn't feel spoiled. I wasn't a big Steve Martin fan but his literature is so much more beautiful than one might expect. The story is touching without ever feeling the slightest bit cheesy. Martin is such a clever guy. Shopgirl is beautiful, sad, and humorous and I doubt you'll only read it once.Book Review: Light, airy, though surprisingly satisfying
Summary: 4 Stars
I've long been a Steve Martin fan. So when I saw this wisp of a story in the CD audio collection at the local library, I knew it would be a pleasant respite during my morning commute. I had enough of Iraq and the bailouts. I wasn't disappointed. Now I'm still creeped out with older men preying upon young, clueless girls, but I guess many girls without strong fathers want a father figure. She wants a father and he just wants to give her an allowance and make love as much as possible. I say make love, but that's putting it mildly. I'm trying to keep this PG. The language and the details can be a bit graphic (which of course I didn't mind, but it was odd listening to the CD while pulling into my school to teach - like I was watching prono with kids around). The ending was sweet, if not somewhat contrived. But isn't every novel? Worth the few hours. There's also a bit of the Mean Girl scenario here too at the department store which makes for a funny situation.Book Review: Lost in Neiman Marcus (3.25 *s)
Summary: 3 Stars
This short book is a reasonable attempt by the author to offer commentary on the disaffections of modernity through stereotypical characters: the cute and pleasant, underemployed retail girl who has to operate on anti-depressants to handle her dead-end job and life; the wealthy middle-aged man who can only buy pseudo-relationships; the cynical, yet desperate, girl who is in a race with the years to remake and sell herself; and the self-absorbed, clueless techie.
The author's focus is on Mirabelle, a 28 year old from Vermont, who is totally bored in her job at the glove counter in the Neiman Marcus store in Beverly Hills. She has a Masters in fine arts, but finds it to be an immense struggle to find a way to utilize her artistic talents or to meet desirable guys. The low point in her life has to be the inept, unappreciated relationship she has with the techie Jeremy who she meets in a laundromat.
Enter Ray Porter, a wealthy entrepreneur, who just happens to notice Mirabelle one day in her store. Despite the immediate improvement of Mirabelle's economic condition due to the largesse of Ray and of her love life, neither wants to dig beyond the surface and admit that the other one cannot be or give what is wanted.
The book is not comedic with one exception. Lisa, a co-worker of Mirabelle and intent on using her physical assets to attract men, mistakenly gives Jeremy the time of his life after mistakenly thinking that he is Ray, who she is trying to steal from Mirabelle.
As said, the characters are rather stereotypical, yet the author does share some of their thinking. The focus is kept on the personal level with wider ramifications mostly implied. Even though the characters are recognizable types, the story itself is a bit contrived with a predictable ending. Nonetheless, the book is a quick and enjoyable read.
Book Review: Love Steve Martin as an author
Summary: 5 Stars
I am generally leery of any book written by an actor or singer. Actually, I am leery of any medium made by an artist that usually does something else. I admit that I saw the movie first. I didn't think that I would like it, but the synopsis seemed interesting and I had recently realized that I liked Steve Martin and I love most of what Claire Danes does. I loved the movie, and I was blown away that Steve Martin could write such a gem.
I didn't rush out and by the book despite my appreciation for the movie . Whenever I was at a bookstore, I would pick it up and look at. I would flip through it and then put it down. Books seem to get more expensive, so I tend to be more selective of what I buy, and I didn't think that Shopgirl would be a wise investment. It's a short book, only 144 pages or so. I can rip through that many pages in a couple of hours. Eventually, I gave into the urge and picked it up and took it home. I didn't regret the purchase, like countless others that I have made in the heat of the moment.
Steve Martin can write. I grew to love all the characters in a matter of a few pages. Mirabelle is lonely and depressed and spends her days at Neiman Marcus selling gloves. She does little more than lean against the glass counter all day. She understands that she should be doing more in life, but she seems to have accepted a life where she is merely a bystander. She spends her nights drawing dead things and talking to her cats as she waits for her life to start. She dates Jeremy, who at first glance is the epitome of a loser, and then Ray Porter, a successful man who wants to possess her with no strings attached. Each interaction between the characters adds layers of dimension to all of them and at the end of the book, you are left with three very real people. Steve Martin truly has a talent with characterization, and his word choice and phrasing is wonderful. With such insight, it makes you want to crawl into Steve Martin's head and live in there for a while. The end of the book comes much too soon, but the ending leaves you "mostly" content with the future that seems to be laid out for the characters. It is a beautiful and well written little book. It's like a small bite of something delicious. It's worth it.