Shopgirl: A Novella by Steve Martin Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.10 You Save: $3.89 (65%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Shopgirl: A Novella
Book Review: Novella vs. movie
Summary: 4 Stars
This is one of those rare occasions where I actually saw the movie before reading the book. After seeing the movie, I could have written down a hundred issues I had with the film. And yet I really enjoyed it. Even thinking about the film now, I know I will rent Shopgirl on DVD. How could you go wrong with a cast that includes Steve Martin, Claire Danes, and Jason Schwartzman?
Today I read Shopgirl: A Novella by Steve Martin. With 130 pages in hardcover form, this would almost be considered a full novel. I find that the novella is much stronger than the movie. One of my biggest complaints about the movie was character development. I never felt sympathetic toward Mirabelle or Ray. However, the novella depicts Mirabelle with layers of emotion and complexity that the film never shows.
I highly recommend reading Shopgirl before renting the DVD.
Book Review: On second thought...
Summary: 3 Stars
After a space of six or seven years since I first read Shopgirl, I have just completed my second reading. One might ask why I would read it again since the plot (what there is of it) is both predictable and lackluster. At best, Shopgirl is little more than a character study.
I only read it again because my wife, after having read the book, kept clucking about it - the imagery, the descriptions, the depth of feeling. Convinced I must have missed something in my first reading, I took it up again...and I did miss some things the first time. The plot didn't improve with age but this time, the descriptions became real to me. The clarity of writing, interspersed with a chuckle here and there, is superb, although at times it is more journalistic ("just the facts, ma'am") than literary.
By already knowing the story, I could concentrate this time on the emotions and the scenes. These people are so different from the people I know that the characters were fascinating to me, especially the California gold digger Lisa. In her character, I'm not sure whether Martin was being sarcastic or describing people he knows.
For me, probably the most interesting part was when Ray Porter was trying to inform Mirabelle that his intentions were for a casual relationship and Mirabelle was hearing his words as him wanting to get things squared so they could have a serious relationship. I guess this is Life - I say what I mean and you hear what you want to hear. Seldom is it so well spelled out as in Shopgirl.
If you read this book once, wait a little while and read it again. In a way, it's like the half of the dessert that you take home from a restaurant. Miraculously, it tastes better when you eat it at midnight!
Book Review: Seriously?
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book because I like Steve Martin movies and the reviews raved about this. When I got the book, I thought it was going to be a quick read. I was wrong. It took me about a week to get through it. The writing was elementary and, well, blah - much like the characters. I was a bit confused about Mirabelle's personalty and unclear about the Dad's friend role. Also, Ray Porter was sleeping with someone who he came to think of as a daughter...?? A bit disturbing.... I never laughed, not even cracked a smile. Maybe I just don't get the dark comedy.
I liked the ending because it was finally over. Sorry Steve Martin!
Book Review: Shopgirl
Summary: 4 Stars
Personally I didn't know Steve Martin could write so well. The book was insightful, relateable, playful. Steve Martin is a man of many talents and I quite hero-worship him now. As for the writing style, I'm not sure how else to describe it other than to say that it's masculine. Almost every sentence in the book is very short, to the point, and matter of fact like it's written from a man's point of view. I found it a bit depressing even though it had a (supposedly) happy ending. Yet I found the characters to be very endearing with all their imperfections. They grew on me. If you liked the movie then the book is a definite must.Book Review: Simply nails it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Couldn't sleep one night. Turned the TV on and caught the movie. When I first saw Steve Martin as the lead actor, I went looking for something else to watch but I ended up back watching the movie. I kept watching with what I thought was, mitigaged interest, however it is only at the very end that I realized how caught up I was in the story... by that time, I was crying my brains out. I love it when a movie manages to capture your heart without you knowing it... Claire Danes is out of this world! I loved this movie...even if I really REALLY really didn't want to.