Steve Martin Book:

Shopgirl (Gemstar) Reviews:
Grim, dark ... Sorry, Steve
2009-12-18 - A very dark little book about the rituals of dating in the 21st century. I found it difficult to relate to any of the main characters, but maybe I'm just to old to "get it." Mirabelle - the title character - is more to be pitied than admired. And "Mr. Ray Porter" seems nearly alien in the way he relates to women - a machine-like predator of sorts. While Martin tries to convey that both characters are still works-in-progress, still "becoming," they don't quite reach a level where you can actually like them or identify with them. Even Mirabelle's struggle with clinical depression doesn't make her a sympathetic character. I have always liked Martin as an entertainer, and also enjoyed his recent memoir (also a bit dark in parts), but, while Martin's writing is good enough, this novella simply remained a bit too grim to be an enjoyable read. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA

Not what you would expect!
2009-12-18 - Steve Martin's writing is simply intoxicating. He pulls you into the story with characters that you could believe and understand. This story focuses on almost a late coming of age story of a young woman named Mirabelle who searches for acceptance and love, yet within that process finds herself. It is beautifully written and not what you expect from comedian Martin.

Light, airy, though surprisingly satisfying
2009-10-22 - 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.

Shopgirl
2009-10-06 - 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.

A thoughtful and enjoyable read
2009-10-01 - Written by funnyman Steve Martin, I really enjoyed this book. After first watching the DVD (which I didn't realize was such a good movie until the last few scenes), I felt compelled to buy the book and was not disappointed. Although the book is short at 130 pages, the story itself (a bittersweet love story) was deeply moving, intelligent and tender and although written by a comedian, the humorous moments was cleverly deadpan and sarcastic rather than wild and zany.

I really liked Mr. Martin's writing style. His writing felt razor sharp and crisp as if he put a great deal of thought into each sentence. Each paragraph felt like it flowed and gelled with the story and that no sentence was wasted. I found myself hanging on to each sentence and was never bored or lost in the story. Although I don't know this as fact, I imagined he had many people help him edit this book and that it was rewritten dozens of times until he and the publisher felt it was just right.

His development of the story and the characters was excellent. I won't go into the details surrounding the storyline as that is already summarized by critical reviews available on this site. However, I will say I felt, well, both moved by the deep introspection of the main male character Ray Porter as he stumbled along the path of self discovery trying to decipher how to love another human being and yet I felt sorry for him in his ignorance about relationships with women in spite of his wealth and success as a businessman. I felt happy for the main female character Mirabelle in her claim to independence and finding value in herself although I felt empathy and compassion for her during the pitfalls she encountered throughout the book to get there.

I HIGHLY recommend this book. The story and characters stayed with me long after finishing the book.