Rating: 
Summary: Love Steve Martin, Indifferent towards this book
Review: I'm glad that I listened to this book on cassette because only Steve Martin's voice reminded me that this was his "novella". I love most of Steve Martin's work, but I couldn't figure out what led him to write this piece. The sex is fairly explicit in a way that serves to interpret the experience from the girl's point of view, and I guess that makes it justified. The author does an admirable job of creating a character, but not one worthy of her own brief novel.The story is nothing particularly original: a girl in LA finds herself in relationships with "the older professional philanderer" and "the immature slacker coming-of-age". I've followed Steve Martin's work from banjo and stand-up, through The Jerk, to Pure Drivel, and if the name wasn't his, I wouldn't know this book was his either.
Rating: 
Summary: If Steve couldn't take it anymore, neither can you.
Review: Steve Martin - I love him in Father of the Bride and the Jerk. He was in tip top form in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. Lapin Agile was great too, but when it comes to noveling, forget him. Here's what I think happened: Steve took a course on novel writing at UCLA and someone, either the teacher, or more likely his friends told him that what he had written was OK and should be published. And presto, it got published not because it was qualified but because it came from him. A novel must give some psychological insight into the characters, this one just parrots what Steve got from his psychiatrist. A novel should have a beginning, middle, and end, a real structure, this one doesn't. A novel should have rising action etc. The characters, despite what you read above in the other reviews, are one dimentional and don't rate a pin. And Steve, bless his heart, has not learned to show, not tell. But as the Chinese say, "Who open scroll always profit." The profit from Shopgirl comes from the background landscape and the California scene described. I have a feeling that even Steve got bored with his story and that is why the book runs only 130 pages. If he couldn't take it anymore, you probably won't be able to take it either.
Rating: 
Summary: Wishing it were longer
Review: I was given this book as a gift and I hesitated in reading it, at first. I thought how could Steve Martin be any different from any other actor/comedian trying to write books, but I picked it up one day and was not disapointed by it. Shopgirl is sometimes a dark comedy that leaves you wondering if you should be laughing or crying. The characters are well-devoloped and coutinue to change and grow throughout the story, leaving readers wondering what will happen next. My only complaint-should've been longer.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful short story!!!
Review: Steve Martin is pretty talented writer.I truly enjoyed this novel I could identify with Mirabelle,the lead character, in so many ways.Her dilemna with Ray Porter and how she felt for Jeremy in the very beginning of the story.I also really enjoyed the L.A. lifestyle background as well it gave me more insight of what living in California maybe like for some people.I feel the story was to short I wish it had been longer.Other than that though I thought it was really well written and I am looking forward to Steve Martin's next book.
Rating:
Summary: I found a jewel
Review: So you think you know Steve Martin? And you think he's silly and ridiculous at times. Get set to change your opinion of his talents as being one dimensional. In Shopgirl, the author takes you on a little shopping trip to Neiman-Marcus where you meet the girl at the glove counter. Not exciting enough for you? Well,this little gem of a book will keep you sitiing in your favorite chair until you get to the last page. Our lovely Shopgirl is most complex and will take you along on a journey that will keep you wondering about her character and her dreams for her life. Steve Martin should write more about Shopgirl...does she become Mangergirl, or Ownergirl?
Rating:
Summary: like watching characters move through a scrim
Review: ...I've always been a Martin fan so I thought I'd pick up his first novel. It gives us a short vignette of vacuous LA life lived on anti-depressents, meaningless jobs and brief encounters. Where Martin excels is in his descriptions and some biting commentary on empty L.A. life. If you weren't a big fan of California life to start, this book won't help. Martin's humor does show through in parts: "In L.A. you can live in the tiniest apartment in the tiniest cul de sac with a 1/4 in your address and twenty minutes after placing an order a foreigner will knock on your door bearing yam fries and meatless meatloaf." I love that. It's impossible to identify with any of the characters, but I don't think Martin expects us to. He loosley sketches these characters and they populate the story like ghosts never making too much of an impression. There is some artistry at work here. I enjoyed this novella, but I have the feeling that if the author weren't well known, it would never have been published with such fanfare. Still, recommended as a quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not Martin's first crack at Writing Fiction
Review: His first effort, Cruel Shoes, was notable in its own right, and also funnier than Shopgirl. Nonetheless, I still found Shopgirl a zany Martinesque read, and I enjoyed it. It doesn't have great depth to it, but it shows that Martin has a keen and quirky mind. Also, it's better than all that faux literature put out by celebrities (like Ethan Hawke and Jewel) which wouldn't get published otherwise. When it comes to Celebrity-authored fiction, I'd say Steve Martin is rising and approaching the level of Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave.
Rating:
Summary: a decent attempt
Review: a quick read that won't take more than a morning or afternoon. and won't leave you thinking for much longer than that. martin has created some interesting characters, but rather than make them compelling (by delving deeper into their psyches and making them unpredictable) he chooses to explore writing technique. there are several well turned phrases in this short book, but i'd have preferred more insight into the characters. as the author, martin takes the point of view of an omniscient narrator and as such, you never have the feeling that anything that the characters do or think will be a surprise. as a result, i found myself reading to find out where things went vs. really caring. not a bad effort, but not a really meaningful one. i'd wait for the softcover (and cheaper) version.
Rating:
Summary: another view
Review: I am afraid that I can not endorse this book with the enthusiasm that was given in other postings. Although there were a few passages that showed some interesting insights, most of the book was as reserved as the characters. The descriptions, in turn, were antiquated and without charm. The anti-depressant drug dependent Mirabelle could have been more developed and there were several other characters that could have received more attention. As a result, the one-dimensional characterizations left me feeling sorry not for the main personalities, but for humanity and not in a thought provoking way. Do we really want to know so little about other human beings and their feelings? Is it really better to be drugged and numb rather than to feel pain, sorrow, joy and happiness? I am afraid that the saddest part is that it only made me want to never think of Mirabelle, Jeremy or Ray Porter again. I am not sure that is the solution for society and I doubt that Mr. Martin wanted to create apathy over compassion.
Rating:
Summary: I buy and sell books for a living
Review: I am a long time Steve Martin fan and I own a bookstore in Detroit, so naturally I bought Shopgirl. It was good, but not like Steve Martin's movies. But when I went to the Book Expo in Chicago last week I met Morris Walker, author of the new biography Steve Martin: the Magic Years. He has been a friend of Steve Martin since the sixth grade and the book is fabulous. Not only did it fill me in on the very private and personal side of Martin, but it caused me to take a second look at Martin and his movies and books. He is a very deep thinking person. If someone wants to really understand Steve Martin they should absolutely read Walker's biography. I plan on renting Martin's old movies again and looking at them with new insight, the sooner the better. Walkers book made me love Martin all the more and I think I can understand Shopgirl better than before, so I'm taking a second read at that as well. Judging by the qoute on Walker's book cover, Martin evidently loved Walker's book about him. I can see why! Walker said he'll be sending autographed copies from his website which is linked to stevemartin.com.
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