By: Steve Martin Publisher: Hyperion Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Hyperion Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: September 05, 2001 Release Date: October 03, 2001
Product Description: Steve Martin's first foray into fiction is as assured as it issurprising. Set in Los Angeles, its fascination with the surreal body fascism ofthe upper classes feels like the comedian's familiar territory, but the shopgirlof the book's title may surprise his fans. Mirabelle works in the glovedepartment of Neiman's, "selling things that nobody buys any more." Spending herdays waiting for customers to appear, Mirabelle "looks like a puppy standing onits hind legs, and the two brown dots of her eyes, set in the china plate of herface, make her seem very cute and noticeable." Lonely and vulnerable, she passesher evenings taking prescription drugs and drawing "dead things," while pursuingan on-off relationship with the hopeless Jeremy, who possesses "a slouch soextreme that he appears to have left his skeleton at home." Then Mr. Ray Portersteps into Mirabelle's life. He is much older, rich, successful, divorced, andselfish, desiring her "without obligation." Complicating the picture isMirabelle's voracious rival, her fellow Neiman's employee Lisa, who uses sex"for attracting and discarding men." The mutual incomprehension, psychological damage, and sheer vacuity practiced byall four of Martin's characters sees Shopgirl veer rather uncomfortablybetween a comedy of manners and a much darker work. There are some startlingpassages of description and interior monologue, but the characters are oftenrather hazy types. Martin tries too hard in his attempt to write apsychologically intense novel about West Coast anomie, but Shopgirl isstill an enjoyable, if rather light, read. --Jerry Brotton
Amazon.com: Steve Martin's first foray into fiction is as assured as it is surprising. Set in Los Angeles, its fascination with the surreal body fascism of the upper classes feels like the comedian's familiar territory, but the shopgirl of the book's title may surprise his fans. Mirabelle works in the glove department of Neiman's, "selling things that nobody buys any more." Spending her days waiting for customers to appear, Mirabelle "looks like a puppy standing on its hind legs, and the two brown dots of her eyes, set in the china plate of her face, make her seem very cute and noticeable." Lonely and vulnerable, she passes her evenings taking prescription drugs and drawing "dead things," while pursuing an on-off relationship with the hopeless Jeremy, who possesses "a slouch so extreme that he appears to have left his skeleton at home." Then Mr. Ray Porter steps into Mirabelle's life. He is much older, rich, successful, divorced, and selfish, desiring her "without obligation." Complicating the picture is Mirabelle's voracious rival, her fellow Neiman's employee Lisa, who uses sex "for attracting and discarding men."
The mutual incomprehension, psychological damage, and sheer vacuity practiced by all four of Martin's characters sees Shopgirl veer rather uncomfortably between a comedy of manners and a much darker work. There are some startling passages of description and interior monologue, but the characters are often rather hazy types. Martin tries too hard in his attempt to write a psychologically intense novel about West Coast anomie, but Shopgirl is still an enjoyable, if rather light, read. --Jerry Brotton
Well...You Wouldn't Know Unless You've Been There The picture on the cover is a little misleading...Mirabelle doesn't, as described in the book, seem as well put together as the woman on the cover depicts, but all in all a very thoughtfully written book about the grandiose concept of good relationships. I have been in Mirabelle's shoes, hence the review being a little jaded, but I thought Steve Martin has eloquence and wit as he writes about the frailty of a woman in her late 20's in a world of pain and discomfort. Anyone who's experienced loss, depression, and the sheer trauma of losing themselves in others, should thoroughly enjoy this book.
Lackluster This book is written in a detached style, often in a passive voice. You never get inside any characters and get to know or care about them. Steve Martin does way more "telling" than "showing" and you end up feeling like you are reading a summary of a story, not a story itself.
A good resource when you need something light and fluffy. I think the last sentence of the synopsis provided by the publisher is the perfect place to look when discussing this book: "Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin critical success, Shopgirl is a work of disarming tenderness."
I agree with the first part of the sentence, but disagree with the second. When I shared my thoughts on Steve Martin's Pure Drivel I said that he was my writing role model. It is the intelligence with which he writes that amazes me and sets the bar (very high) to a level at which I wish to write someday. That intelligence comes through to create those witty and discerning observations.
While I liked Shopgirl, the piece that I thought was missing was feeling. Sure there was emotion written into the characters, but it seemed superficial. I could not feel for the characters because I did not believe they had feelings either. I still would like to stroke the intellectual part of your brain like Steve Martin, but I will have to bring my own passion to my characters.
Shopgirl is short, it's a quick read. It is more beach reading than intellectual stimulation. It was good, but not great.
Don't waste your money This book is so horrible there are no words. It's the first time I had to force myself to finish a book. It's crass to say the least. Don't waste your money on this book. I love Steve Martins films but his writing leaves much to be desired.
This book would have been great even if you didn't know who wrote it The fact that it is by Steve Martin is a distraction. In fact, the fact that it is written by a man is a distraction. This is a beautifully written portrait of a young woman, written with a lot of sympathy and wit. Some of the sentences are so well written it would send pangs of professional envy through the heart of any writer. The only thing I dislike about this book is that I know it is written by an older man who is quite rich, and the book is about a young woman falling for an older man who is quite rich, and that bit is really annoying as you wonder who Martin is fantasizing about. Take that bit out, though, it really is a very beautifully scripted tale and worth purchasing and reading.
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