Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: I just read this book here in the UK and found it to be thought provoking, funny, full of pathos and extremely well written. It is the kind of book that has the reader asking questions about the lives of the characters. Why did Mirabelle, as naive and un-cynical as she is, move to LA? What did she ever hope to find there? How did Mr Ray Porter get to be in his mid-fifties and be so successful yet be so unaware of the effects of his own actions on other people? I finished the book having strong feelings towards all of the characters, glad that they had found the happiness and contentment that they had been searching for. I look forward to Mr Martins other novels!
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: Quite truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect of a novella by the great comedian, Steve Martin. I guess I thought it would be more of a comedy, instead of a book that touches on the very real subject of depression in the character of Mirabelle. I found myself very surprised at the way the book ended, as I felt like it was steering in one direction, then veered off in another which was a great thing! I different book from what i've read before, but I was not disappointed in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Luminous!
Review: No matter what you're expecting, you'll be surprised by this exceptional novella. A remarkably original treatment, with many brilliant and highly perceptive passages. You'll be rooting for Mirabelle all the way as she copes with the extremely competitve world of LA. I found this book to be dark, with little true comedy, even though some passages are laugh-out-loud funny. The most impressive thing, to me, is how this story can get into your mind. You may find it difficult to think about anything else for a while. Highly, highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A good plane ride book, but...
Review: I really wanted to like Shopgirl, because I adore Steve Martin, but I ended up a little miffed to why this book got published (oh yeah..he's a movie star!) Martin does a fine job with the main character, Mirabelle--I admired his delicate treatment of her depression and loneliness--but as for the other characters, he gives us spare outlines and no flesh. He ends up telling us rather than showing us the characters' inner life, and it becomes tiresome after a while to read. The contrived ending attests to Martin's failure to really flesh out this book to its full potential--instead he vaguely glues together the plot in ways that leaves the reader unconvinced of its truth. After reading Shopgirl, I started Michael Cunningham's "The Hours" and was quickly reminded of what beautiful literature is. Cunningham writes of human relationships with a clarity, subtlety, and poetry that seems effortless yet points to the dedication of the artist/author in creating a work of truth. Although Martin does present the occasional stunning insight, overall Shopgirl leaves no mark on your mind.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, poignant, and delicate
Review: After reading this story, I felt that the characters were like so many people that I come in contact with on a daily basis. People whose lives don't move. Steve Martin gives us a glimpse of these peoples lives, as a voyeur, and does a remarkable job at persuading the viewer to watch Mirabelle, Ray, Lisa, and Jeremy not act,but rather react to the the things that happen around them. And the funny thing is, after reading a little into it, you actually care about these lifeless characters. Its a great book. I can't wait to hear the audio. I hope he gets his Grammy.
Rating:
Summary: ebb and flow
Review: I just finished Steve Martin's "Shopgirl." What a great book. The only way I could really describe it was that it flowed so well. Truly, the reader can relate to the characters (either being one or knowing one like them.) With each page you really wanted to know what Mirabelle was going to do or how she was going to react. I certainly hope Mr. Martin continues writing fiction. I look forward to reading more from him.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful story
Review: I'm not quite sure what I expected when I started to read a book by Steve Martin, but I was pleasantly surprised by "Shopgirl." The title character in this story, is an overqualified, bored glove salesperson who actually is an artist in her "real life." She is lonely and subject to severe depression when, into her life enters an older, wealthy man, lonely in a different way. Even though this is a short book (hence the "novella" description), the main characters are well-developed, and evolve and grow over the course of several years. As a former LA resident, I found the descriptions of the city and its social scene quite accurate and, although a bit of a fairy tale of sorts, the story seemed realistic. I recommend this for an entertaining, short read.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet!
Review: I found this book to be sweet. I loved reading what Ray said and what Mirabelle heard! I wasn't ready for this book to come to an end. This is definetly a book I'm going to pass on to my best friend. It was such an easy read.
Rating:
Summary: Touching and sad, but wonderful!
Review: This small book really packs in the emotions! In only 120 pages, Steve Martin draws you into the sad, lonely world of 4 people in LA. You really feel the loneliness and desperation of these characters. I loved this book!
Rating:
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: First things first: I love Steve Martin. And when I say love, I mean "am obsessed with"; I quote freely and liberally from "The Jerk" and think "Cruel Shoes" is a masterpiece. Despite this qualification, I wasn't expecting to particularly care for this book; the premise sounded weak, and especially in the hands of a man best known for clever ironies and absurdly crafted scenarios (i.e., his pieces for the New Yorker). Granted, there is a bit of fluff here that misses the mark, and there are still some absurdist elements which seems out of place in a modern romance of sorts, but Mr. Martin does a surprisingly impressive job of writing a woman. Mirabelle seems, in part, like me, or like one of a number of female friends. She works and dates, but always wonders if there isn't something more to it all than what she's created for herself. And casting her as a glove salesperson was a subtle stroke of genius. After reading the tale in one sitting (not something to boast about, in light of its few pages), I found myself sad to leave the characters--sad to leave the story. Though I doubt this slim book will be one for the ages, it remains a touching, thoughtful story with flashes of brilliance and hilarity. I still love Steve Martin. (Steve, are you listening?)
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